2026-04-08 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a January morning in Crawfordsville and hit the button only to hear a loud bang — or worse, nothing at all — there's a good chance a spring just gave out. It's one of the most common garage door failures we see, and it almost always catches homeowners completely off guard.
Crawfordsville's climate is hard on garage door hardware. With a humid continental climate that swings from summer highs in the low 80s down to January lows that regularly dip into the teens and twenties, the metal components in your door system expand and contract dramatically across the year. Torsion springs — which are already under enormous tension — take the brunt of that stress. After years of Indiana winters and humid summers, they eventually snap.
Before you schedule a repair or inspection, here's everything you need to know about garage door springs in plain language.
Most homes in Crawfordsville have one of two spring systems:
Torsion springs are mounted horizontally above the garage door opening and coil around a metal rod. They're the standard on most modern sectional doors and are generally considered safer and longer-lasting. Torsion springs typically last 7 to 14 years or 10,000 to 20,000 open/close cycles.
Extension springs run alongside the tracks on either side of the door and stretch as the door closes. They're common on older homes — including some of the classic mid-century ranch-styles you see throughout Crawfordsville's established neighborhoods. Extension springs tend to have shorter lifespans of 4 to 10 years and can pose a safety risk if they snap, since they can fly across the garage with significant force.
If you're not sure which type you have, look above the door when it's closed. A horizontal bar with a coiled spring along a rod = torsion. Springs running along the side tracks = extension.
Springs rarely fail without giving some warning first. Watch for these:
- The door feels unusually heavy when you try to lift it manually. Garage door springs are designed to counterbalance the door's weight — a properly balanced door should stay roughly in place when you lift it halfway and let go. If it crashes down, the spring tension is off. - The door opens only 6 inches then stops. This is a built-in safety feature on most openers — it detects the extra strain and shuts off before burning out the motor. - You hear a loud bang from the garage even when no one's home. That's almost always a torsion spring snapping. It sounds like a gunshot. - Visible gaps or separation in the spring coil. A broken torsion spring often has a clear gap in the middle of the coil. - The door moves unevenly or one side droops. This usually means one spring has failed while the other is still holding.
For a broader look at door problems that go beyond springs, check out our post on warning signs your garage door needs repair.
Here's what you can realistically expect to pay. Spring replacement in Indiana typically runs $150 to $350 per spring, including parts and labor. The national average lands around $250. For a double-car door with two springs, budget $275 to $500 depending on spring type and whether any cables or hardware also need attention.
A few things that push the cost higher:
- Torsion springs cost more than extension springs — both for the parts themselves and the labor involved in safe installation - Double doors need larger, heavier springs — expect $15 to $30 more per spring - If cables are frayed or the tracks need adjustment, that adds to the total - Emergency or after-hours calls carry a premium — if you can wait until regular business hours, you'll pay less
One honest piece of advice: always replace both springs at the same time, even if only one has broken. Springs in a pair experience identical wear. If one broke, the other is right behind it. Replacing both in a single service call saves you a second trip charge in a few months.
Garage door springs are under extreme tension — we're talking hundreds of pounds of stored energy in a coiled piece of metal. Attempting to replace them without the proper winding bars and training can result in serious injury. This isn't like changing a light bulb or replacing a doorknob.
Professional installation also ensures the spring is properly sized for your door's weight, the tension is set correctly, and the door is balanced when the job is done. Incorrect tension doesn't just wear out the spring faster — it puts strain on your opener motor and can cause the door to fall unexpectedly.
If you want to know what proper garage door maintenance looks like between service calls, that's a different story — there are real things homeowners can do. But spring replacement isn't one of them.
Not all springs are equal. Economy springs might get you 5 to 7 years before they fail again. Higher-cycle springs — often rated for 20,000+ cycles — cost more upfront but can last 15 to 25 years under normal use. For a Crawfordsville home with an attached garage that gets used multiple times daily, the upgrade often makes financial sense.
When Garage Door Crawfordsville replaces springs, we'll tell you exactly which grade we're installing and why. No upselling on parts you don't need — just an honest recommendation based on your door, your usage, and how long you plan to stay in the home.
If your door is currently stuck and you're not sure what you're dealing with, take a look at our full list of services or reach out directly.
With Crawfordsville's wide temperature swings — from below-freezing winters to humid summers — springs tend to experience more stress than in milder climates. Standard springs typically last 7 to 12 years. If you're opening and closing your garage door 4 or more times daily, lean toward the lower end of that range.
Technically yes, but you shouldn't. A door with a broken spring is far heavier than the opener was designed to handle alone. Continuing to use it risks burning out the opener motor, damaging the tracks, or causing the door to drop unexpectedly. If a spring just broke, disconnect the opener and leave the door closed until it's repaired.
If you have a two-spring system (which most double-car doors in Crawfordsville do), replace both at the same time — even if only one has broken. The second spring has the same amount of wear and will likely fail within weeks or months. Replacing both during a single service call costs less overall than scheduling two separate visits.