A garage door spring fails the way a tire blows out — without much warning, usually at the worst possible time, and always with your car on the wrong side of it. If you’re reading this with a door that won’t budge, here’s what the repair actually costs and why.
Quick answer
Most Ontario homeowners pay $250 to $450 to have garage door springs replaced, installed. A single spring on a small single-car door sits at the low end. A matched pair on a heavy insulated double door with high-cycle springs runs toward the top, occasionally past it.
That range includes the parts, the labour, disposal of the old springs, and a balance test afterward. If a quote comes in dramatically under it, ask what’s being left out.
Why the price varies so much
Spring type. Torsion springs mount on a shaft above the door opening and cost more than extension springs, which run along the horizontal tracks on either side. Torsion systems last longer, control the door better, and fail more safely — most Ontario homes built in the last twenty years have them.
One spring or two. Double doors almost always use a matched pair. More on why both get replaced below.
Cycle rating. A standard spring is rated for roughly 10,000 open-close cycles — about seven years for an average household. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000 or more cost more upfront and are worth it if your garage is the main entrance to the house.
Door weight. Insulated steel doors are considerably heavier than single-layer ones, and heavier doors need thicker wire and larger springs.
Emergency timing. Some companies charge a premium for evenings, weekends and holidays. Ask before you book.
Why both springs get replaced
This is the question homeowners push back on most, and the reasoning is straightforward.
Springs on the same door were installed on the same day and have run the same number of cycles. When one breaks, the other is at the same point in its service life — it just hasn’t let go yet. Replacing only the broken one means the new spring carries an uneven share of the load, and the old one typically fails within months. You pay a second callout for a job that could have been done once.
There’s also a balance problem. Two springs with different tension characteristics pull unevenly, which puts strain on the opener, wears the rollers and tracks, and can pull the door out of square over time.
Any technician who offers to replace just one on a two-spring door without explaining this is optimising for the invoice, not for your door.
Warning signs before a spring breaks
Springs almost always give some notice. Watch for:
- The door feels heavier. Lift it manually with the opener disengaged. A balanced door should stay put at waist height. If it drops, the springs are losing tension.
- Jerky or uneven opening. One side rising faster than the other points at a spring issue.
- A visible gap in the coil. A broken torsion spring shows a clear separation — usually a two-inch gap partway along.
- A loud bang from the garage. Often mistaken for something falling off a shelf. It’s the spring letting go.
- The opener strains or reverses. The motor is compensating for tension it shouldn’t have to.
- Rust or gaps between coils. Both indicate a spring nearing the end of its life.
Do not attempt this yourself
We’d normally leave DIY warnings out, but torsion springs are a genuine exception.
A torsion spring on a double door holds several hundred pounds of stored energy. Releasing it without the correct winding bars, in the correct sequence, is how people lose fingers and take bars to the face. The tools cost more than the difference between a DIY attempt and a professional job, and the failure mode isn’t “it doesn’t work” — it’s an emergency room visit.
Extension springs are marginally less dangerous but still carry enough force to cause serious injury.
What a proper replacement includes
A complete job covers:
- Measuring wire size, inside diameter and length to spec the correct replacement
- Safely releasing tension from the old spring
- Installing the new matched pair
- Replacing the lift cables if they’re frayed or worn — they age at the same rate
- Winding to the correct tension for the door’s weight
- Testing the balance manually with the opener disengaged
- Checking rollers, hinges, and the opener’s force settings
- Lubricating moving parts
If cables aren’t mentioned in your quote, ask. Replacing springs while leaving worn cables in place means a second failure is likely.
How long the repair takes
A standard torsion spring replacement takes 60 to 90 minutes for a technician with the right parts on the van. Extension springs are usually faster. If the door has other issues — bent track, damaged rollers, an opener that needs re-programming — add time accordingly.
Most companies with a stocked van finish the job on the first visit. Ask when booking whether the springs for your door size are in stock.
Repair or replace the whole door?
Springs are a maintenance item, not a reason to replace a door. A door in good condition with a broken spring is worth repairing every time.
Replacement makes more sense when the panels are dented or rusted through, the door is uninsulated and your garage is attached to living space, or you’re facing several repairs at once — springs, cables, rollers and an aging opener adding up to a significant fraction of a new door’s cost.
Frequently asked questions
How long do garage door springs last? A standard spring rated at 10,000 cycles lasts roughly seven years in an average household. If your garage door is the main entrance and cycles six or eight times a day, expect four to five years. High-cycle springs extend this considerably.
Can I still open my door with a broken spring? Manually, with difficulty and two people, and only if you’re careful. Don’t use the opener — it’s not built to lift a door’s full weight and you’ll destroy the motor or the drive gear. Park elsewhere and book the repair.
Is spring replacement covered by home insurance? Generally not. Wear and tear is excluded from most policies. Damage caused by a covered event — a break-in or a vehicle impact — may be a different story. Check your policy.
How do I know if it’s the spring or the opener? Pull the release cord to disengage the opener and lift the door by hand. If it’s heavy and won’t stay at waist height, it’s the spring. If it lifts smoothly, the problem is the opener.
What does a spring cost without installation? Springs themselves run $40 to $100 each. The gap between that and the installed price is labour, the correct tooling, the balance work, and someone else carrying the risk.