2026-03-28 6 min read
A lot of Murfreesboro's housing stock was built between the 1940s and the 1980s. That means a significant number of garages in this town are running original or early-replacement hardware that has seen decades of eastern North Carolina weather. hot muggy summers, wet winters with occasional freezing rain, and all the seasonal swings in between. Springs don't last forever, and in this climate, they often wear out faster than homeowners expect.
The good news is that springs almost always give you warning before they fail completely. Knowing what to look and listen for can save you from the worst-case scenario: waking up to a door that won't budge, a car stuck inside, and an emergency call on a Tuesday morning.
Before getting into warning signs, it helps to understand what these components are doing. Torsion springs sit horizontally above the door opening and store mechanical energy when wound tightly, releasing that energy to assist in lifting the heavy door. Extension springs run along the sides of the door track and work by stretching. Both systems use tension to counterbalance the weight of the door, making it possible for a relatively small motor. or your own arms. to lift something that can weigh 150 pounds or more.
Most springs are rated for 10,000 to 15,000 cycles, and one cycle equals one full open and close. If your household opens and closes the garage door four times a day on average, you're looking at a lifespan of roughly seven to nine years under normal conditions. But in Murfreesboro's humidity, where moisture causes surface rust that creates stress points in the metal, that timeline can shorten.
This is often the first sign homeowners notice, and it's easy to dismiss. If you disconnect your opener and try to lift the door manually, it should feel relatively light. a properly balanced door stays in place when raised to the halfway point and doesn't drift up or fall down. If lifting the door becomes a struggle, or if it falls quickly when you let go at the halfway position, the springs are no longer doing their job properly.
A spring breaking under tension can make a sharp, sudden noise often compared to a gunshot or a firecracker going off in the garage. If you heard something like that and then found your garage door stopped working, a spring almost certainly snapped. At this point, don't try to force the door open. operating a door with a broken spring is unsafe and can damage the opener, cables, and tracks.
If your garage door looks lopsided or tilts to one side when opening or closing, that often means one spring has failed while the other is still working. This imbalance puts additional stress on your opener and the remaining spring, accelerating failure across the whole system. Uneven movement is a clear sign to stop using the door and call for service.
Take a look at your torsion spring above the door. A healthy spring forms one continuous coil. If you notice a gap. even a small one. the spring has snapped and cannot provide the tension needed to move the door safely. This is a definitive sign of failure, not just wear. For tips on other components to visually inspect while you're at it, see our guide on auto-reverse sensors and how they can be affected when the door is out of balance.
Some noise is normal. But sudden changes in how your door sounds during operation. grinding that wasn't there before, a rhythmic squeaking, or a popping sound near the top of the door. are worth paying attention to. These sounds can indicate a spring that's misaligned, dry, or close to breaking. Lubrication sometimes resolves noise, but if it doesn't, the spring itself may need inspection.
If your opener seems to hum, struggle, or stop halfway through lifting the door, it may be compensating for a broken or weakened spring. The opener is designed to work with properly tensioned springs, not to substitute for them. Running the opener against a dead or damaged spring will burn out the motor faster and can damage the drive mechanism. This is a case where ignoring the symptom leads to a much more expensive repair.
This is worth saying plainly: do not attempt to adjust, remove, or replace garage door springs yourself. Torsion springs store enough energy to lift hundreds of pounds. When released improperly, that energy can cause broken bones, facial injuries, or worse. Professional technicians have specialized winding bars, clamps, and training specifically for this work. It's one of the few home repairs where the DIY risk genuinely isn't worth the savings.
If springs appear worn or corroded, have them replaced by a professional before they fail. Replacing a spring preventively. before it snaps. is always simpler and safer than dealing with an emergency failure. You can review our frequently asked questions for more on what to expect during a spring service call.
If your springs are between seven and nine years old, schedule an inspection even if nothing seems wrong. Springs approaching the end of their rated cycle count are statistically much more likely to fail, and a proactive replacement is cheaper than an emergency one. If you've moved into an older home in Murfreesboro's historic district or in the surrounding communities of Ahoskie or Windsor, and you don't know when the springs were last replaced, that's also a good reason to get eyes on them.
Monthly visual checks are a reasonable habit. Look for rust, gaps in the coils, or any stretching or sagging. Catching wear early is the difference between a scheduled repair and an unexpected breakdown.
Garage Door Murfreesboro handles spring inspections and replacements regularly throughout Hertford County. Browse our repair services to see what's included in a full system assessment, or contact us directly to set up an appointment. A door that opens reliably every morning is one of those things you only appreciate when it stops working. let's make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Torsion springs are mounted horizontally above the garage door opening. you'll see a metal bar running across the top with a tightly wound spring (or two) around it. Extension springs run along the sides of the door track, parallel to the ceiling, and stretch when the door closes. Older homes in Murfreesboro often have extension spring systems, while most doors installed in the last 15 years use torsion springs.
No. If one spring has failed, the door is unbalanced and dangerous to operate. The remaining spring, the cables, and the opener are all under stress they weren't designed to handle alone. Stop using the door manually or with the opener, and call a professional. The risks of injury or additional damage are not worth the convenience.
Yes, and almost every experienced technician will recommend this. Both springs wear at roughly the same rate, so if one has failed, the other is likely not far behind. Replacing both at the same time saves on a second service call shortly down the road, and it keeps the door balanced. Think of it like replacing tires in pairs. the math just makes sense. For more on making smart long-term decisions about your garage door system, our post on long-term cost benefits lays it out clearly.