Broken garage door spring repair in Ottawa, same day

Is it safe to use a garage door with a broken spring?

No. A garage door spring counterbalances a door that can weigh 150 pounds or more. With it broken, the door is held only by the opener and cables, which can give way without warning.

Do not try to lift the door, and do not run the opener, which can strip its gears or snap a cable trying to haul the full weight. Park the car elsewhere if it is trapped inside, keep children and pets clear, and call us. We will be out the same day, usually within hours.

How much does spring replacement cost in Ottawa?

A single torsion spring starts from $275 and a matched pair from $400, and the service call is free when we do the repair. The exact price depends on the spring size, wire gauge and cycle rating your door needs.

We quote the price before we start, never after. If you want the full breakdown, see what a spring replacement costs or our overview of 2026 repair prices in Ottawa. Ask about a high-cycle upgrade if your door runs many times a day.

Torsion or extension springs, which do you have?

Most Ottawa doors use a torsion spring, mounted on a metal bar above the door, while older or lighter doors use extension springs that run along each track. We replace both, and bring the right type to the job.

The type matters because torsion systems are safer and last longer, and because the wire size sets how many cycles the spring will survive. For the full explainer, read how a garage door spring system works.

Should you replace one spring or both?

On a two-spring door, replace both at once. The springs wear at the same rate, so if one has snapped the other is close behind. Replacing the pair keeps the door balanced and saves you a second service call within weeks.

A correctly sprung door is also easier on your opener, which otherwise strains against the weight the springs are no longer carrying and wears out early.

What are the signs of a broken spring?

The clearest sign is a loud bang followed by a door that will not open, or one that lifts a few inches and stops. You may also see a visible gap in the spring above the door.

• A clear gap or separation in the torsion spring coil above the door.
• The door feels extremely heavy or will not lift by hand.
• The opener strains, hums, or lifts the door a few inches then reverses.
• The door slams down fast or hangs crooked in the opening.

Why do garage door springs break?

Springs break from normal use, rust and cold. A standard spring is rated for roughly 10,000 cycles, about seven years for an average household, and metal fatigue does the rest.

Ottawa winters are the final straw, because cold makes tired steel brittle, which is why so many springs snap on the coldest mornings. If your door is near the end of its life, a high-cycle spring upgrade can more than double how long the next one lasts.

How do you replace a garage door spring?

The door is clamped in place, the old spring is unwound with winding bars, the shaft is cleared, the matched replacement is fitted and wound to the door weight, then the balance is tested by hand.

The balance test is the part that matters and the part a rushed job skips. A correctly wound spring holds the door still at waist height with the opener disconnected. If it drifts up or drops, the winding is wrong and the opener spends the rest of its life fighting it. We wind to the door, not to a chart, then reconnect the opener, run the auto-reverse test and leave the door quiet. See the two-minute balance test you can repeat yourself.

How do you make the next spring last longer?

Keep both springs matched, keep the door in balance, and lubricate the springs and bearings once a year.

A spring wears by cycles, not by years, so the two things that shorten its life are running unbalanced and running dry. An unmatched pair, or a single new spring beside a seven-year-old one, means the new spring carries more than its share from the first day. Surface rust adds friction on every cycle. A light silicone-based lubricant on the coils and the end bearing plates, once a year before winter, is the whole maintenance job. Our tune-up service covers it, and the guide to why springs break in winter explains what the cold actually does.

Is an overhead door spring the same as a garage door spring?

Yes. Overhead door is the trade name for the same sectional door that rolls up overhead on tracks, so an overhead door spring and a garage door spring are the same part. If you searched for overhead door spring replacement, you are in the right place.

The one thing worth separating is the brand. Overhead Door is also a manufacturer, so "Overhead Door" with capitals can mean a specific make rather than the door type. We service both: the generic sectional overhead door on any brand of hardware, and doors carrying the Overhead Door name. Either way the spring is matched to your door weight, not to the badge on the panel. See the difference between torsion and extension springs if you are unsure which system your door uses.