2026-03-31 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a bitter January morning and heard a loud bang. only to find your door won't budge. you already know the story. Broken garage door springs are one of the most common service calls we see every winter in Coshocton and across Coshocton County. It's not random bad luck. It's physics, and once you understand what's happening, you can do something about it.
Coshocton sits squarely in a humid continental climate, and the winters here are no joke. Temperatures regularly drop below freezing from November through March, with January averaging highs that barely crack 32°F. That repeated freeze-thaw cycle. cold nights, slightly warmer afternoons, cold again. is exactly what makes this area particularly rough on garage door springs.
Here's the science: springs are made from tightly wound hardened steel wire. When cold air hits that metal, it contracts and becomes less flexible. The steel grows more brittle under those conditions, meaning any existing wear in the coils is amplified. Every time your door opens and closes, the spring winds and unwinds under enormous tension. Add cold-induced brittleness to that constant stress, and you have the recipe for a snap.
You might wonder why so many springs fail in February or early March rather than in December. It comes down to accumulated fatigue. By late winter, your springs have already endured months of freezing nights and temperature swings. Microscopic cracks that formed earlier in the season have had time to expand. One more cold morning is often all it takes.
Torsion springs mount above the door on a horizontal shaft and use torque to lift the door's weight. Extension springs run parallel to the horizontal tracks on each side of the door and stretch as the door descends, storing energy to release when it opens. Both are vulnerable to cold-weather fatigue, but torsion springs tend to handle Coshocton's winters a little better because they experience more even stress distribution.
Most builder-grade springs installed on homes throughout the county are rated for around 10,000 cycles. roughly seven to ten years of normal use. If your home was built in the 1970s through the 1990s (and many Coshocton homes were, given the mix of split-levels and American Foursquares that line streets throughout the city), there's a real chance your springs are either overdue for replacement or running on borrowed time.
When you do need replacement, it's worth asking about high-cycle springs rated for 20,000 cycles or more. The upfront cost is slightly higher, but they can effectively double or triple the usable lifespan. a genuine long-term value for any Coshocton homeowner.
Springs rarely fail without giving at least a few hints first. Watch and listen for these:
- Excessive squeaking or grinding when the door moves - Jerky, uneven movement as the door opens or closes - The opener straining. a louder hum than usual, or the motor running longer than it should - The door feeling heavier when you lift it manually (disconnect the opener and try. it should feel light) - Visible gaps in a torsion spring's coils, which signal a partial break
If you notice any of these, don't wait. A spring that's close to failure puts extra strain on your opener motor, and running the opener with a broken spring can burn out the motor entirely. turning a straightforward spring repair into a much more expensive fix. Check our frequently asked questions for more details on what to expect from a spring service call.
You can't stop metal fatigue forever, but you can slow it down significantly with a few simple habits.
This is the single highest-impact maintenance task you can do. Use a silicone-based spray or white lithium grease. not WD-40, which acts as a degreaser and actually strips away protective coatings. Spray the coils of the springs, then wipe away the drips. Do the same for the rollers and hinges while you're at it. Lubricated springs experience less friction per cycle, which means slower wear. If you do this every October before the cold sets in, you'll get more life out of every set of springs you ever own.
For a broader look at keeping all your door's components ready for seasonal changes, our post on preparing your garage door for hot weather covers the other half of the equation. what to check in spring before the heat arrives.
Even a few degrees above freezing makes a meaningful difference. An insulated garage door helps here. If your door is uninsulated, check the weatherstripping at the bottom and sides. gaps let cold air pour in, and a colder garage means colder springs. Homeowners in Frazeysburg and Warsaw who have attached garages often benefit from even a basic insulation upgrade, since the shared wall with the living space helps moderate temperature swings.
A professional inspection in the fall. before the serious cold hits. lets a technician identify springs that are worn, check lubrication, and spot any hardware stress before something breaks at 7 a.m. on a Monday. Our services page covers what a full tune-up includes.
Don't attempt to replace or adjust springs yourself. This isn't a legal disclaimer or an upsell. it's a safety reality. Torsion springs are under hundreds of pounds of tension. When they fail or are improperly released, they unwind with violent force. The work requires specialized winding bars, proper training, and experience with the specific door weight and spring size. Leave this one to a professional every single time.
Q: How do I know if my spring is broken or if it's something else? A: The clearest sign of a broken spring is a door that feels extremely heavy when you try to lift it manually, or a door that only opens a few inches before the opener stops. You may also notice a visible gap or separation in the torsion spring coil above the door. If you hear a loud bang from your garage and the door won't open, that bang was almost certainly a spring snapping.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken? A: You shouldn't. Operating your opener with a broken spring forces the motor to carry the full weight of the door. which it isn't designed to do. This can damage or burn out the opener motor and may cause the door to drop suddenly, creating a safety hazard. Keep the door closed and contact us for a repair.
Q: How long does a spring replacement take? A: In most cases, a standard torsion spring replacement takes one to two hours for a trained technician. If both springs are being replaced at the same time (which is generally recommended. if one breaks, the other is usually close behind), the job is still typically completed in a single visit.