2026-04-16 6 min read
Your garage door probably opens and closes four to eight times a day without you giving it a second thought. That's somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 cycles a year. and nearly all of that work is done not by the motor, but by the springs. When springs are healthy, everything feels effortless. When they're failing, the signs are there if you know what to look for.
In Lillington, springs take on an extra challenge. The combination of hot, humid summers and the occasional hard freeze in January and February creates repeated thermal stress on the metal. The Cape Fear River corridor keeps moisture levels elevated year-round, and if your garage isn't climate-controlled, that moisture is working on your spring coils every single day. Homeowners in nearby Angier and Fuquay-Varina deal with very similar conditions, but Lillington's lower-lying areas near the river can be especially tough on metal components.
Before getting into warning signs, it helps to know what you're dealing with. Most residential garage doors use one of two spring systems:
Torsion springs mount horizontally above the door opening and wind under tension to lift the door. These are the most common type on newer homes. including the many new-construction homes going up in communities like Wellers Knoll and Retreat at North Main.
Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door and stretch as the door closes. You'll still find these on older homes in established Lillington neighborhoods and on some lighter single-car doors.
Both types fail, and both can cause serious injury or property damage when they go. Understanding which type you have helps you identify the specific warning signs.
This is often the first and most telling sign. Disconnect your opener (pull the red emergency release cord) and try lifting the door manually. A properly balanced door with healthy springs should lift smoothly and stay in place when you release it at about waist height. If it feels like you're lifting a car hood. or if it slams back down. your springs are losing tension and not doing their job. Don't rely on the opener to compensate. Motors aren't designed to do the springs' work, and forcing them to do so burns them out faster.
A broken torsion spring doesn't give much notice. The most common report from homeowners is a sudden loud bang. often described as sounding like a gunshot. coming from the garage. If you hear that and your door suddenly won't open, a broken spring is the most likely cause. This happens to plenty of homeowners in the area, sometimes in the middle of the night when temperature drops cause the metal to contract rapidly.
If this happens to you, stop trying to operate the door manually or with the opener. A door with a broken spring is under significant unbalanced tension, and forcing it can cause cables to snap or the door to come down suddenly. This is one situation where calling a professional right away is the right call. check our services page to understand what a spring replacement involves.
Periodically take a look at your torsion spring (the horizontal bar above the door opening). A healthy spring is a tight, uniform coil. A broken spring will have a visible gap. usually an inch or more. somewhere along its length. If you see that gap, the spring has already failed. For extension springs, look for any coils that appear stretched, separated, or pulling away from the mounting hardware.
If your door tilts to one side as it rises, or one corner moves up faster than the other, that's often a sign that one extension spring has lost tension or broken. With a two-spring extension system, one spring failing puts all the load on the other. which then often fails shortly after. An uneven door is also hard on your tracks, rollers, and opener, causing cascading damage if it's not addressed quickly.
Some noise from a garage door is normal, especially in humid weather when metal components expand slightly. But persistent squeaking or grinding during operation. particularly when it's new or getting louder over time. often means the spring coils are experiencing internal friction as the metal fatigues. This is a warning sign, not just an annoyance. Regular lubrication (as covered in our fall preparation checklist) can slow this process, but it won't stop a spring that's approaching the end of its cycle life.
Modern openers have sensors that detect resistance. When springs are losing tension, the opener senses the door is harder to move than it should be and interprets that as an obstruction. triggering an auto-reverse. If your door keeps reversing for no obvious reason, and the safety sensors are clean and properly aligned, worn springs are one of the first things to rule out.
Most residential torsion springs are rated for 10,000 cycles. enough for about seven to ten years of average use. But that rating assumes moderate temperature conditions. In Lillington, where July highs can hit 89°F and January lows can drop into the mid-30s, the metal goes through significant expansion and contraction over the course of a year. Add in the elevated humidity from May through September, and you've got conditions that accelerate metal fatigue. A spring that might last ten years in a drier climate could need replacement in seven or eight years here.
Honestly? No. Garage door springs are under extreme tension. enough to cause serious injury or death if they release unexpectedly during removal. This isn't a scare tactic; it's just the reality of working with components that are wound to lift a 150- to 400-pound door. Even experienced homeowners who are comfortable with DIY repairs should leave spring replacement to professionals. The cost of a professional repair is modest compared to an emergency room visit.
If you're in the Lillington area and seeing any of these warning signs, Lillington Garage Doors can assess your spring system and let you know honestly whether you're looking at imminent failure or just routine maintenance. Get in touch before a broken spring leaves you with a door that won't open on a workday morning.
For a broader look at what garage door repairs typically cost in this area, our repair cost breakdown covers what you should expect to pay and how to avoid getting overcharged.
Q: How do I know if I have torsion springs or extension springs? A: Look above your garage door when it's closed. If you see a single large horizontal coiled spring (or two of them side by side) mounted on a metal bar above the door, those are torsion springs. If you see springs running along the horizontal tracks on either side of the door, those are extension springs. Newer homes in Lillington typically have torsion springs.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken? A: You technically can, but you shouldn't. Operating the door with a broken spring puts enormous strain on the opener motor and cables, and the door can come down suddenly if a cable snaps. Treat a broken spring as an out-of-service situation and call for repair before using the door again.
Q: How long does a garage door spring replacement take? A: A standard torsion spring replacement by a professional typically takes 45 minutes to 90 minutes. If both springs are being replaced at the same time (which is recommended. if one broke, the other isn't far behind), plan for up to two hours. Most repairs can be scheduled and completed same-day or next-day with a local provider.