2026-03-20 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a cold March morning, hit the opener button, and heard nothing but a dull clunk. you've probably got a broken spring. It's one of the most common calls we get here at Sanbornton Garage Doors, and it's not random bad luck. There's a very specific reason it keeps happening to homeowners in this part of New Hampshire, and understanding it can save you real money.
Sanbornton sits in central New Hampshire at roughly 320 feet of elevation, and the climate here is no joke. Winters are genuinely freezing and snowy, with temperatures that can swing from the single digits overnight to the upper 30s or low 40s by afternoon. sometimes within the same day. That daily temperature swing is what quietly destroys garage door springs.
Here's what's actually happening: every time the temperature drops, the metal in your torsion springs contracts. Every time it warms back up, the metal expands. Each cycle deposits microscopic stress into the spring coils. think of it like bending a paperclip back and forth. The first few bends cause no visible damage, but eventually the metal weakens and snaps. By the time February and March roll around, your springs may have already endured months of this cycle since November.
This is why so many emergency calls happen in late winter, not during the coldest nights of December. The springs aren't failing from one cold snap. they've been quietly accumulating damage all season.
Most homeowners don't notice a failing spring until it's already broken. That's the problem. Here are the real warning signs to watch for:
Your garage door weighs between 300 and 400 pounds. Under normal conditions, properly functioning springs counterbalance that load so it feels almost weightless when you lift it manually. If the door feels noticeably heavier when you disconnect the opener and try to lift it by hand, your springs are losing tension. Don't ignore this. an overworked opener motor will eventually burn out, leaving you with both a spring and motor replacement bill.
Loud creaking, popping, or snapping sounds during opening or closing point to stress and friction building in the spring assembly. High-pitched squealing often means metal-on-metal contact from misalignment. And the most alarming sound of all? Sudden silence. when you hit the button and nothing happens, the spring has likely separated completely.
Stand inside your garage and look at the torsion spring mounted above the door while the door is closed. Healthy springs have uniform, tightly wound coils. If you see gaps between the coils, or rust streaks on the surface, that spring has been compromised. Rust forms when the protective coating fails from repeated thermal cycling, exposing bare metal to moisture. which is a constant concern in our wet New Hampshire springs and autumns.
If one side of the door lags behind the other, or the door closes at an angle, that's a sign of asymmetrical spring load. This kind of jerky, uneven motion puts enormous stress on the opener, cables, and rollers. and it won't fix itself.
If you spot a visible gap in the spring, or the door simply won't open, stop using it. Seriously. A broken spring means the door can shift unexpectedly, and the cables that run alongside the door can go slack and come off track. Forcing the opener to work against a broken spring can destroy the motor.
What you can safely do yourself: visual inspection from a distance, checking for obvious gaps or rust, and testing the door's balance by disconnecting the opener and lifting manually. What you should leave to a professional: anything involving touching, adjusting, or replacing the springs. Both torsion and extension springs are under enormous tension and pose a genuine safety risk without the right tools and training. This isn't an exaggeration. it's one of those repairs where a DIY attempt can result in serious injury.
When one spring breaks, it's also worth replacing both at the same time. Since they were installed together, the second spring is almost certainly near the end of its life too. Replacing both in a single visit saves you another service call. and another morning stuck in your garage. just a few months down the road.
If you want to stay ahead of spring trouble this season, a full system inspection is a smart first move before the heavy spring-usage months hit. And if you're also thinking about what else winter did to your door's hardware, our guide on preparing your garage door for cold weather covers the other components worth checking before problems compound.
Homeowners in nearby Tilton and Laconia deal with the same freeze-thaw patterns we do here. it's a regional issue, not a fluke. The difference between a $250 planned spring replacement and a $600+ emergency call on a Sunday morning is simply catching the warning signs early.
If you're noticing any of the issues above, reach out to schedule a service visit before the problem gets worse. A quick look now is almost always cheaper than waiting.
How long do garage door springs typically last in New Hampshire? Most torsion springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles. roughly 7 to 10 years of normal use. In central New Hampshire's climate, where freeze-thaw cycles add stress beyond normal open-and-close wear, springs on the older end of that range are at elevated risk every winter. If your springs are over eight years old, it's worth having them inspected before next winter.
Can I open my garage door manually if the spring is broken? Technically yes, but we advise against it. Without spring tension to counterbalance the door's weight, the door is extremely heavy and can drop unexpectedly. If you must access the garage in an emergency, do it carefully with a second person present. and call for repair as soon as possible rather than continuing to use the door.
Is it safe to replace just one spring if only one broke? It's physically possible, but most professionals recommend replacing both springs at once. Since they were installed at the same time, the second spring has the same amount of wear and is likely to fail soon after the first. Replacing both during a single visit is more cost-effective and prevents a repeat emergency call within months.