Broken spring? Don't lift that door.
The springs — not the opener — carry the door's weight. When one snaps, the door goes dead heavy and the opener can't lift it. This is the repair we get called for most, and it's the one job in the garage you should never try yourself.
How you know a spring broke
A loud bang from the garage — people describe it as a gunshot or a firecracker — then a door that won't open, or opens two inches and stops. Look above the door: a torsion spring with a visible gap in the coil is a broken spring. If the door feels impossibly heavy to lift by hand, the spring isn't doing its job.
Why it's not a DIY job
A torsion spring holds enough wound-up energy to lift a door that can weigh several hundred pounds. Releasing or winding it without the right bars and training causes serious injuries every year — this is one of the most dangerous repairs in a home. We carry the springs common to doors in this area and fit them in matched, correctly rated pairs.
What we do on the visit
We confirm the spring is the fault, check the cables and bearings it works with, fit the correct springs for your door's weight, and balance the door so it lifts evenly and the opener isn't straining. A door that's balanced right is also easier on every other part.
Getting this service
Call (828) 575-4543 at any hour, or email connect@garagedoorel.com — that’s the whole intake, a person, not a form. We serve Fairview, Asheville and the towns across our service area.
Questions, answered straight
Can I open the door by hand until you get here?
We'd rather you didn't. Without a working spring the door is dead weight and can drop without warning. If your car is trapped, treat it as an emergency — call (828) 575-4543 at any hour.
Should both springs be replaced if only one broke?
If your door has two torsion springs, they were installed together and have done the same number of cycles — the second one is usually near the end of its life too. Replacing both in one visit is the standard practice and saves you the second breakdown.
How long do springs last?
Springs are rated in cycles — one open-and-close is one cycle. Standard springs are commonly rated around 10,000 cycles, which for most households is roughly 7–10 years of daily use.
Why did it break in cold weather?
Cold makes spring steel more brittle, and winter is when tired springs let go — mountain winters in Western North Carolina are hard on them. It's the trade's January pattern every year.
Other services
Garage door repair
Door off its track, cable snapped, rollers screaming, or a door that simply won't move — we find the fault at your door …
About garage door repair →Opener repair & installation
Opener humming but nothing moving, remotes gone silent, or a unit at the end of its life — we repair openers that are wo…
About opener repair & installation →Broken cable replacement
The lift cables run from the bottom of the door to the spring drums, and they carry the door's weight on every cycle. Wh…
About broken cable replacement →Get E.L to your door
Call (828) 575-4543, or email connect@garagedoorel.com. That’s the whole intake — a person, not a form: tell us what the door is doing, and we take it from there.
(828) 575-4543Call or email
Call at any hour, or write to connect@garagedoorel.com — tell us what the door is doing and the window that suits you, and we confirm the appointment on the call.
Call (828) 575-4543Service call $125 — credited in full toward the repair.
E.L is fully insured.