2026-04-05 7 min read
If you've ever heard a loud bang come from your garage on a freezing February morning and walked out to find the door won't budge, there's a good chance a spring just let go. It's one of the most common calls we get here in Salisbury. and honestly, not a surprise given what our winters put garage hardware through.
Salisbury sits in Merrimack County, about 10 miles north of Concord, and our winters are no joke. January averages a high of just 26°F and a low around 14°F, with the cold hanging on well into March. That kind of sustained cold. combined with daily temperature swings between freezing nights and slightly warmer afternoons. is genuinely hard on garage door springs. The metal contracts in the cold, becomes more brittle, and existing stress fractures in the coil expand under tension. By the time late winter arrives, springs that looked fine in November may already be compromised.
Most homes in Salisbury use one of two spring types, and it's worth knowing which system you have before you call for service.
Torsion springs are mounted on a metal shaft directly above the garage door opening. They wind and unwind with each cycle, storing energy to counterbalance the door's weight. You'll find torsion systems on most newer homes. including the newer traditional Colonial-style homes built along Route 4 and the more recently constructed properties in town. They're generally more durable and provide smoother, more balanced lifting.
Extension springs run along the sides of the door near the tracks and work by stretching as the door opens. They're more common on older homes. and Salisbury has plenty of those, from the split-levels and ranch-style cottages built between 1950 and 1990 to the historic colonial farmhouses that date back to the 1700s along Old Turnpike Road. Extension springs can be harder to spot problems with, and when they fail, they can whip around dangerously if no safety cable is installed.
For more context on how your door's overall system holds up through our brutal NH winters, check out our post on winter garage door maintenance for Salisbury homeowners.
Don't wait for the loud bang to take action. Springs usually give you some warning before they go completely:
- The door feels unusually heavy. Disconnect your opener by pulling the red emergency cord and try lifting the door manually. A healthy door should stay put when left halfway open. If it feels like dead weight or slams back down, the springs are losing tension. - Jerky or uneven movement. If the door rises unevenly or shakes while opening, the spring system may be out of balance. - Visible gap in a torsion spring. Look above the door when it's closed. A torsion spring should be one continuous coil. A visible gap of two or more inches means it has snapped. - Rust and surface corrosion. Moisture from our seasonal freeze-thaw cycles accelerates rust on steel coils. Rust weakens the metal from the outside in, and a corroded spring is a spring approaching failure. - Excessive squeaking or grinding. Some noise is normal, especially in cold weather. But persistent metallic grinding when the door moves often points to dry, worn coils rubbing together.
If your door has a two-spring system and one breaks, it's a smart move to replace both at the same time. Springs wear at similar rates, and the surviving spring is likely close behind.
Fair question. and the answer depends on what you have. For most Salisbury homeowners, professional spring replacement runs somewhere between $250 and $540 depending on spring type, door size, and whether you opt for higher-cycle springs. Torsion spring replacement typically costs more than extension spring work due to the complexity of installation, but torsion systems are generally the better long-term investment.
One thing to keep in mind: lower quotes sometimes mean builder-grade springs rated for around 10,000 cycles. roughly 7 to 10 years of average use. If your family uses the garage as the main entry point (which most Salisbury households do, especially in winter), those cycles burn through faster than you'd think. Upgraded high-cycle springs cost a bit more upfront but can outlast standard springs by years.
Check out our services page if you'd like to learn more about what Salisbury Garage Doors includes in a spring replacement visit.
We get it. there are YouTube videos for everything. But garage door spring replacement is genuinely one of those jobs where the risk of serious injury is real. Torsion springs store significant torque and release that energy violently if something goes wrong during installation. Springs that aren't calibrated correctly for your door's weight can also cause the opener to burn out or the door to drop unexpectedly.
This isn't a case where a mistake means re-doing the job. It's a case where a mistake can send someone to the emergency room. Call a professional.
If you own one of Salisbury's historic colonial farmhouses or a mid-century ranch near Tucker Pond, there's a good chance your garage setup hasn't been updated in decades. Older extension spring systems, in particular, may lack proper safety cables. a simple upgrade that keeps a broken spring from becoming a projectile. When a technician is out for spring replacement, it's worth asking them to assess the full system. A replacement visit is a good time to catch other issues before they become emergencies.
For more ideas on keeping your garage door in good shape year-round, the tips in our post on preparing your garage door for storm season apply well beyond just storm prep.
If you're not sure whether your springs are the problem, or if you just want someone to take a look before something fails, reach out and schedule an inspection. It's a lot easier than dealing with a door that won't open when you're already running late.
How long do garage door springs typically last in New Hampshire? Standard builder-grade torsion springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles, which works out to roughly 7 to 10 years under average use. In a cold climate like Salisbury's, where repeated freeze-thaw cycles add stress to the metal, springs on older systems may reach the end of their life sooner. especially if they haven't been lubricated regularly.
Can I still use my garage door if I suspect a spring is broken? No. If a spring has failed, stop using the door. Your opener is not designed to lift the full weight of the door on its own. running it with a broken spring can burn out the motor and create a serious safety hazard. Keep the door closed and call for service.
Should I replace both springs at the same time, even if only one broke? Yes, in most cases. Springs wear at similar rates, so if one has failed, the other is likely close behind. Replacing both at the same time saves you a second service call and restores proper balance to the door immediately.