2026-04-06 7 min read
There's a particular sound that Los Gatos homeowners dread. a loud, sharp bang from the garage, usually early in the morning or late at night. If you've heard it, you already know what happened: a garage door spring just snapped. One moment your door works fine, and the next it won't budge. Understanding what's happening inside your garage door system. and what it'll cost to fix it. can save you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration.
Your garage door can weigh anywhere from 150 to over 400 pounds. The springs are what make it feel light when you lift it manually or when your opener glides it up with ease. They do the real heavy lifting by counterbalancing the door's weight. When one fails, the opener is essentially trying to move a dead-weight slab on its own. which is why most openers simply stop working when a spring breaks.
There are two main types of springs found in Los Gatos homes:
- Torsion springs. Mounted horizontally above the door opening, these are the most common in the ranch-style and larger homes throughout neighborhoods like Hillbrook and Surrey Farms. They twist to create tension and are generally safer and longer-lasting. - Extension springs. These run along the sides of the door tracks and stretch as the door closes. You'll find them more often in older, smaller garages, including some of the historic cottages in the Almond Grove district near downtown.
Springs don't always snap without warning. Here are the signs to watch for:
Disconnect your opener and try lifting the door manually. A properly balanced door should rise smoothly and stay open at about waist height. If it drops or feels like you're lifting concrete, the spring tension is off.
Torsion springs should look tightly wound with no separation between coils. If you see a gap. even a small one. the spring has snapped and the coil has separated. Don't try to operate the door.
If one side rises faster than the other, or the door looks crooked while moving, a spring may be losing tension on one side. This puts uneven strain on cables, rollers, and the opener motor.
This is the classic sign. the spring breaks under tension and makes a noise that sounds like a gunshot inside the garage. Many homeowners describe it as thinking something fell off a shelf.
For more on unusual sounds and what causes them, check out our post on noisy garage door causes and fixes.
Most standard torsion springs are rated for 10,000 cycles. roughly 7 to 14 years depending on how often you use the door. Extension springs have shorter lifespans, typically 5,000 to 15,000 cycles. In Los Gatos, the climate adds an extra variable: the wet winters and seasonal humidity swings that come with living at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains can accelerate corrosion on older, uncoated springs. If your home is in a hillside neighborhood like Oakwood or along a creek-adjacent street, moisture exposure over time matters.
If your springs are original to a door that's more than a decade old, it's worth having them inspected. even if they haven't broken yet.
Here's an honest breakdown. Nationally, spring replacement typically runs between $150 and $540 depending on spring type and door size, with most homeowners landing somewhere in the middle. In the South Bay and Santa Clara County. where labor rates run higher than national averages. expect to pay toward the upper end of that range.
- Single torsion spring (one door): $150,$350 for the spring plus labor - Replacing both springs (recommended): $300,$600+ - Extension springs: Generally less expensive upfront, starting around $120,$200 per spring - Emergency after-hours service: Add $50,$100 to whatever the standard rate is
One piece of advice worth repeating: always replace both springs at the same time, even if only one has broken. Springs wear together, and the second one is almost always on borrowed time. Replacing just one leaves you with an unbalanced door and a likely callback within weeks.
See our dedicated post on understanding spring replacement costs for a deeper look at pricing factors.
Garage door springs operate under extreme tension. enough force to cause serious injury if a spring slips, a winding bar flies, or tension is set incorrectly. This isn't the kind of repair where you watch a YouTube video and give it a shot on a Saturday afternoon.
Beyond the safety risk, improper installation can: - Throw off the door balance, causing premature wear on cables and the opener, Void the warranty on your opener, Leave the door unsafe to operate
This is one of those situations where hiring a professional is genuinely the right call. not just a sales pitch. Garage Door Los Gatos carries the right tools, spring sizing knowledge, and experience to get the tension calibrated correctly for your specific door weight.
For anything related to your springs, cables, or door balance, view our full services or reach out to schedule a same-day inspection.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken? Technically you can open it manually if it's a minor issue, but we strongly advise against it. A door with a broken spring puts the entire load on your opener motor and lifting cables, which can cause rapid damage to both. It's also a safety hazard. an unbalanced door can drop without warning.
Q: How do I know if I have torsion or extension springs? Look above the door when it's closed. If you see a horizontal metal bar with a coiled spring wrapped around it, that's a torsion system. If you see springs running horizontally along the tracks on each side of the door, those are extension springs. Most newer homes and larger doors use torsion springs.
Q: Is it worth upgrading to higher-cycle springs when replacing? For most Los Gatos homeowners. especially those with attached garages they use multiple times a day. yes. High-cycle springs (rated 25,000,50,000 cycles) cost more upfront but can last two to three times as long. On a home where the garage is the main entry point, that upgrade often pays for itself quickly.