Broken spring: leave it closed and call — across Mary Esther, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre, Shalimar, Niceville, Destin, Crestview.
If you heard a loud bang and the door will not lift, a spring has probably broken. Leave the door closed and do not run the opener. Springs counterbalance the door's weight: torsion springs sit on a shaft above the opening, and extension springs stretch alongside the horizontal tracks. DASMA ranks the springs as the part of the door that matters most and hurts most, and says repairs belong to trained professionals.
We size replacement springs to the door itself. Clopay's guide to choosing springs lists the door's weight, height and track layout, and DASMA warns that a spring applied to the wrong door can cut the cycle life of the door assembly or the opener and create a safety issue when the door is operated by hand. On a two-spring door we replace both, because DASMA advises it and the second spring has the same age and wear as the one that broke. If the door has extension springs, we check for the safety cable that DASMA says must run through each spring.
Springs have a cycle rating. Clopay says torsion springs often last 10,000 to 20,000 cycles and that a typical door cycles about 1,500 times a year, which works out to roughly seven to thirteen years.
Moisture is what shortens spring life near the coast. DASMA's data sheet on spring cycle life says rust reduces the effective area of spring wire, that corrosion pits become starting points for fatigue cracks, that springs should be kept dry, and that doors in a saline coastal location should stay closed where possible. A rusted spring can break well before its rated cycles are used up.
On Gulf-side doors we inspect each coil for pitting and rust staining and lubricate the spring as the door manufacturer directs, which DASMA says helps the spring reach its cycle life.
A person answers the phone at any hour. Describe the bang, what the door does now and whether a vehicle is stuck inside.
We identify the spring type, measure the door and its balance and give you the exact quote on site before any work starts.
We wind and secure new springs sized to the door, replace both on a two-spring door, and fit or check the safety cable on extension springs.
We check that the door holds halfway open and reverses on a 2x4 laid flat before we leave.
Tell us what your door is doing and we'll call you right back. No prices online — cost depends on the door, parts, and size, so we give an exact on-site quote.