A snapped spring is the single most common reason a garage door stops working. The good news: it's a routine repair for us, and we carry common torsion and extension spring sizes on the truck for same-day fixes across Ottawa, Bells Corners, Centrepointe, Crystal Beach, Westboro, Britannia, and Carlington.
Garage door springs do the heavy lifting — literally. A working torsion or extension spring counterbalances the weight of the door so the opener (or you, manually) can lift it with minimal effort. When a spring breaks, that counterbalance disappears and the door becomes extremely heavy, sometimes impossible to lift by hand.
Signs your spring is broken
- A loud bang from the garage, often mistaken for a gunshot or a car backfiring
- The door won't open, or the opener strains and stalls partway
- A visible gap in the coils of a torsion spring above the door
- The door feels like it weighs a thousand pounds when lifted manually
- Cables look loose or slack at the bottom corners of the door
Torsion vs. extension springs
Most Ottawa homes built in the last few decades use torsion springs mounted on a shaft above the door opening. Older homes sometimes have extension springs running along the horizontal tracks on either side. Both wear out over time — typically rated for 10,000–15,000 cycles — and both require specialized tools to replace safely.
Don't try to fix a torsion spring yourself. A loaded spring holds enough force to break a wrist or worse. If you suspect a spring problem, stop using the door and call us at (613) 703-3918.
Why we replace springs in pairs
Even if only one spring has snapped, we recommend replacing both. They're sold with a matched wear cycle, so if one has failed, the other is usually not far behind. Replacing both at once keeps the door balanced and saves you a second service call a few weeks or months later.
What a spring repair visit looks like
- Phone diagnosisDescribe what you heard or saw and we can usually confirm it's a spring issue before we arrive.
- On-site inspectionWe check the spring size, door weight, and overall hardware condition — cables, rollers, and drums often show wear too.
- Written quoteWe quote the exact cost before starting, including whether one or both springs need replacing.
- Replacement and rebalancingWe install new high-cycle springs, rebalance the door, lubricate the hardware, and cycle-test it.
- 3-year warrantyEvery spring repair is backed by a 3-year parts and labor warranty.
Ottawa winters are hard on springs
At -30°C, the steel in torsion springs becomes noticeably more brittle. A spring that had a year or two left in a milder climate can snap clean at those temperatures. That's why spring calls spike every winter across Ottawa, Bells Corners, Centrepointe, Crystal Beach, Westboro, Britannia, and Carlington — and why we keep the truck stocked through the cold months.
Call (613) 703-3918 for same-day garage door spring repair anywhere in Ottawa.