If you take good care of your garage door, it can last for decades. A garage door spring, however, is not designed to last too long. Over time, it tends to wear out, which means garage door springs repairs are fairly common. A homeowner who has had a garage for more than a decade is likely to have had it replaced a few times. Generally speaking, garage door spring repairs are a quick fix and inexpensive to get replaced.
How Garage Door Springs Work
So, why does the garage door need a large spring? The spring of a garage door does the heavy lifting when the door is being raised or lowered. It acts as a counterbalance to the door so that the door can be moved. They carry the full weight of the door when they’re in motion, and that can make them wear out sooner than many other parts. Garage doors can weigh as much as 300 pounds.
The spring itself has to be a heavy-duty one to handle all of that weight. The heavier the door is, the larger the spring has to be. They tend to wear out because they are made from metal, and they handle a lot of tension. After the spring has been used a number of times, it will be too worn to work properly and will snap.
The Cost of a Garage Door Spring
When you need a spring replaced, you can expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $300 for a new one, including the labor costs. If you have more than one spring, it’s usually the best practice to get them all replaced at the same time. If one of them has snapped, it won’t be long before the other ones also need to be replaced. When you do it all at one time, you only pay for one visit to your home by the garage door technician. This can save you money as well as give you peace of mind that your doors will keep working well.
Charging people double or triple the standard rate for a new spring is a common scam that doesn’t have to happen. The people scammed are often told that they need multiple parts to make the spring work when none is necessary. Make sure that you know what it costs to fix a garage door spring before you agree to the work. The cost shouldn’t be out of the $200 to $300 range.
Visit Angi, formerly Angie’s List, to learn more about garage door repairs and to find a garage door technician in your area.
