2026-03-27 6 min read
There's a pattern that repeats itself every year in Halsey and throughout Linn County: a homeowner heads out to work on a cold February or March morning, hits the opener button, and instead of the door going up, they hear a loud bang from the garage. The door doesn't move. The opener runs. Nothing happens.
That's a broken torsion spring. and it almost never happens without warning. The warning signs were there. Most people just didn't know what they were looking at.
Here's what to watch for, and why late winter is the highest-risk time of year for this particular failure.
It's not random. Our climate in the mid-Willamette Valley. with its pattern of overnight frosts and milder afternoons throughout January, February, and March. creates a specific type of stress that wears springs out faster than either consistently cold or consistently warm weather would.
Every time temperatures drop, metal contracts. Every time they warm back up, it expands. Halsey sits in a zone where this cycle happens repeatedly, sometimes multiple times in a single day. Each expansion and contraction is a small stress event for the spring coils. Individually, each cycle causes no visible damage. But cumulatively, over hundreds of cycles across a winter season, microscopic cracks develop in the metal. and by late February or March, springs that made it through December just fine can suddenly be at their breaking point.
Add to that the moisture factor. Our winters keep garage door hardware damp for extended periods, and rust forming in the spring's coil grooves weakens exactly the spots where stress is highest. It's a combination that's particularly hard on springs, and it explains why emergency repair calls in this region spike in late winter rather than at the coldest point of the year.
This is the most commonly missed warning sign. Your torsion spring is what does the heavy lifting. it stores mechanical energy when the door closes and releases it when the door opens, so your opener motor only has to handle a fraction of the door's actual weight (usually 150 to 300 pounds). When a spring is weakening, it stores less energy, and the door effectively gets heavier. Your opener works harder, runs longer, and may start straining audibly.
If your door has started taking longer to open, or your opener motor sounds like it's laboring more than it used to on cold mornings, don't ignore it. That's your spring telling you something.
A healthy garage door system is relatively quiet. a hum from the opener, maybe a slight roll from the hardware. What you shouldn't hear is creaking, popping, or a deep groaning sound coming from above the door. Those sounds often indicate metal fatigue at the spring coils. the kind of cumulative stress damage that happens over a winter's worth of temperature cycling.
A grinding sound that comes and goes can also indicate that rust has formed on the spring or in the tracks, which is worth investigating before it becomes a bigger problem. See our notes on keeping hardware free of corrosion for more on how rust affects moving parts.
If one side of your door seems to rise faster than the other, or if you can see the door is slightly tilted when it's fully open, you may have unequal spring tension. This can happen when one spring in a two-spring system is more worn than the other. Uneven lift puts stress on the cables, the track, and the opener, and usually signals that both springs are close to the end of their service life. even if only one has visibly failed.
This one is unmistakable if you know to look for it. A broken torsion spring will show a visible gap. usually an inch or more. somewhere along the coil. Stand in front of your garage door, look up at the horizontal bar above the door, and scan the spring. A clean, unbroken spring looks like a tightly wound coil with no separation. A break is obvious. If you see a gap, don't attempt to operate the door. The opener can be damaged trying to lift a door without spring assist.
A properly balanced door. one with springs providing the right counterforce. descends at a controlled rate. If your door is dropping faster than it used to, or if it hits the ground with more force, your springs aren't providing full counterbalance anymore. This is both a sign of spring wear and a safety concern.
Disconnect your opener by pulling the red release cord. Manually lift the door to about waist height and let go. A well-balanced door will stay in place or drift only slightly. If it falls quickly or shoots upward, your spring tension is off and needs professional adjustment.
This test takes 30 seconds and can save you from a surprise failure. Do it now if you haven't checked your springs this winter.
For more on the value of routine checks like this before problems escalate, our maintenance value analysis post breaks down what preventive inspections actually cost versus what emergency repairs run.
Garage door torsion springs are under enormous tension. several hundred pounds of stored force. This is not a repair to attempt without professional training and tools. Attempting to manually release spring tension without the correct winding bars and technique has caused serious injuries. If you suspect your spring is failing or broken, stop using the door and call a professional.
If you've ever been locked out by a sudden spring failure, our post on emergency access planning covers what to do in that situation while you wait for service.
Halsey Garage Doors serves the area around Halsey, Lebanon, Brownsville, and across Linn County. If your door is showing any of the warning signs above, it's worth getting eyes on it before the spring fully fails. Schedule a service call early in the season. late winter and early spring are busy times for garage door companies across the valley, and waiting lists get longer fast once the weather warms up.
You can also browse our full list of services to understand what a spring inspection and tune-up includes.
How long do garage door springs typically last in Oregon's climate? In drier climates, torsion springs often last 10 to 15 years. In the Pacific Northwest. with its moisture, rust exposure, and repeated freeze-thaw temperature cycling. springs commonly fail after 7 to 10 years. If your springs are approaching that age and you haven't had them inspected recently, late winter is the right time to do it.
Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken? Technically the opener may still run, but you shouldn't. Operating the door with a broken spring puts extreme strain on the opener motor and cables, which can cause additional failures. The door is also unsafe. without full spring counterbalance, a heavy door could fall unexpectedly. Disconnect the opener, leave the door down, and call for service.
Do both springs need to be replaced at the same time? Generally yes, and for good reason. If you have a two-spring system and one breaks, the other is usually close behind. they've experienced the same number of cycles and the same weather. Replacing both at once saves you a second service call within months and ensures even, balanced lift across the full width of your door.