The bang from the garage, explained, and fixed the same day
A torsion spring breaking sounds like a two-by-four snapping or a shot going off in the next room, and the door it was holding becomes dead weight. We carry the sizes that fit Austin's doors, replace springs in pairs, and name the price before the winding bars come out.
What just happened
- The spring reached its cycle count. A torsion spring is rated for a number of open-close cycles, commonly 10,000 on a builder door. At five or six cycles a day that is somewhere between five and seven years, and the spring doesn't wear out gradually; it fatigues at one point in the coil and lets go all at once.
- The opener lost its helper. A balanced door with good springs feels like ten or fifteen pounds on the opener's trolley. Without the spring the opener is trying to haul the door's full 150 to 300 pounds, so it lifts a few inches, strains and gives up, or the trolley skips on the rail.
- The door is now dangerous to lift by hand. The weight you never noticed was being carried by that spring. On a double door it takes four adults to raise it safely, which is why the advice is to leave it down and call.
- The red cord is a trap right now. Pulling the emergency release with the door up and the spring broken drops the door at full weight. Leave the opener engaged until a technician is there.
Austin's doors use torsion springs far more than extension springs. The torsion spring is the coiled bar across the header above the door, one or two of them on a shaft with the cable drums at each end. Extension springs are the long stretched springs running beside the horizontal tracks, found mostly on older one-car doors around the central neighbourhoods and on some lighter doors in the outer towns. The repair differs, the danger doesn't, and both ride on the truck.
We replace torsion springs as a matched pair whenever the door has two, because both were wound on the same day and the survivor has the same cycle count as the one that broke. One new spring beside one tired one leaves the door unbalanced and the second failure a month or two out. You can ask for a single, and we'll do it, but the technician will tell you why the pair is the better buy. The spring is sized by measuring the wire diameter, the inside diameter and the length, and by weighing the door with a scale if the old spring is badly rusted or isn't original. An oversized or undersized spring makes the door heavy at the top or the bottom and wears out the opener.
Cycle rating is a real choice here. A standard 10,000-cycle spring suits a door used a few times a day. A door that opens for two commuters, a teenager and a dog-walker ten or more times daily, which describes a lot of households in Round Rock, Cedar Park and Pflugerville, is better served by a 20,000- or 25,000-cycle spring that costs more up front and lasts twice as long. We quote both and let you choose. Every spring job ends with the door rebalanced, the cables and drums checked while the tension is off, and the opener's force settings reset, because they were fighting a broken spring and need to be told they aren't any more.
What the visit covers
Sized, not guessed
Wire diameter, inside diameter and length measured, and the door weighed when the old spring isn't trustworthy, so the new one carries the door properly.
Pairs by default
Both springs replaced on a two-spring door, so the door stays balanced and you aren't calling again in the spring.
Cycle rating your call
Standard 10,000-cycle springs or 20,000- and 25,000-cycle springs for busy doors, both quoted.
Cables and drums checked
With the tension off, the cables, drums and bottom brackets get a close look, because they age on the same calendar as the spring.
Opener reset
Force and travel settings put back where they belong once the door is balanced again.
Same day, seven days
A broken spring is a same-day call every day of the week, and the common sizes are already on the truck.
Broken spring repair cost in Austin, TX
| Work | 2026 range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Torsion spring, one, standard cycle | $240 – $390 | Includes rebalance |
| Torsion springs, pair, standard cycle | $340 – $580 | The usual job |
| High-cycle upgrade, pair | +$70 – $160 | 20,000 to 25,000 cycles |
| Extension springs, pair, with safety cables | $220 – $380 | Older one-car doors |
| Oversize or heavy door spring | $420 – $750 | Wood, insulated 18-foot or custom doors |
| Cables replaced while the tension is off | +$90 – $180 | Recommended when frayed |
| Centre bearing or end bearing plate | $60 – $140 | When the old one is seized |
| Trip and diagnosis | $85 – $135 | Credited against the repair |
Austin-area figures for 2026, there to help you budget rather than to stand as a quote. The technician measures your door and names the number before any work begins, parts and labour on separate lines; a new door or opener comes with a written price that holds for 30 days.
On the job
Questions about broken spring repair
Can I open the door by hand to get the car out?
Not safely on a double door, and not easily on a single. The spring was carrying most of the weight, and now it isn't. If you must, a single door can sometimes be lifted by two adults and propped, but the sensible plan is to leave it and wait for the truck, which is coming today.
Why replace two springs when only one broke?
Because the other one has the same number of cycles on it and will break soon, and a new spring beside a worn one leaves the door out of balance in the meantime. A pair costs less than two separate visits and keeps the door even.
How long will the new springs last?
A standard spring in a typical Austin household is good for five to seven years; a high-cycle spring roughly double that. Usage is the whole story, which is why we ask how many times a day the door opens before recommending a rating.
Is it the spring if there was no bang?
Sometimes. A spring can break while nobody is home and the first sign is a door that feels heavy or an opener that strains. The technician will look for the gap in the coil either way.
Will the heat make springs fail faster?
The steel itself shrugs off the heat. What summer does is add cycles, because everyone is in and out more, and the lubricant on the coil dries so the spring runs rougher. A light coat of the right lubricant once a year helps.
Do extension springs need those extra cables?
Yes. Safety cables run through extension springs so that when one breaks it doesn't fly across the garage. If your older door has extension springs without them, we add them with the new springs.