2026-03-18 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a bitter February morning and heard a loud bang. or found your door suddenly impossible to lift. you've likely experienced a broken torsion spring. It's one of the most common calls we get here in Preston, and it almost always happens in winter. That's not a coincidence.
Preston sits in New London County in southeastern Connecticut, and while the coast softens things a bit compared to the northwest corner of the state, winters here still routinely push temperatures into the single digits overnight. That kind of cold is genuinely punishing on garage door hardware. and springs bear the brunt of it.
Garage door springs are made from high-tensile steel, and steel doesn't love cold. When temperatures drop, the metal contracts and becomes more brittle. That contraction increases tension in the spring, especially when the door is opening and closing multiple times a day. Over time, this added stress accelerates wear and increases the likelihood of failure.
Make no mistake. the cold doesn't create the problem from nothing. Most spring failures come after years of gradual wear. Cold weather doesn't create the problem, it exposes it. A spring that's been cycling for seven or eight years and was already fatigued will snap on the first hard freeze. That's why January and February are peak season for spring calls throughout the region, from Preston all the way up through Norwich and Montville.
A standard residential garage door can weigh anywhere from 130 to over 400 pounds. It's not the automatic motor doing the lifting. it's the springs acting as a heavy-duty counterweight. When they fail, the door becomes essentially immovable.
Springs rarely break without giving a few hints first. If you're noticing any of the following, take them seriously before you end up stranded:
- The door takes longer to open than normal or feels sluggish - Unusual sounds. pops, creaking, or squeaking during operation - Jerky movement as the door opens, especially in the first few inches - The door opens only partway and then stops - A loud bang from the garage. a spring breaking makes a sharp, gunshot-like noise - A visible gap in the spring coil mounted above the door - The door closes faster than usual. a broken spring can cause the door to drop
If you hear squeaking in cold weather or notice stuttered movement, that's your cue to act before a full failure. Lubrication can sometimes buy time, but it's not a cure for a worn spring.
One contributing factor that catches a lot of homeowners off guard: cold temperatures thicken lubricants or cause them to dry out entirely. When rollers, bearings, hinges, and springs aren't moving freely, the entire system works harder than it should. putting even more strain on already-stressed springs.
The fix here is simple but important. Standard WD-40 is not the right product. use a white lithium grease or a dedicated silicone-based garage door lubricant. Apply it to the springs, rollers, hinges, and tracks before the cold hits, and reapply mid-winter if you notice any stiffness returning. Our services page covers the full range of maintenance and tune-up options if you'd rather have it done professionally.
Most residential garage door springs are rated for approximately 10,000 cycles, with one cycle being a single open-and-close of the door. If you've lived in your home for seven years or more and use your garage daily, those cycles add up fast. and if you've never replaced the springs, you may already be past due.
Many older colonials and raised ranch homes throughout Preston. the most common styles in the area. were built with attached two-car garages. If you're opening and closing that door twice a day for a family of four, you're burning through cycles quickly. You can read more about the long-term math of garage door ownership in our post on long-term cost benefits and smart decisions.
This point is worth being direct about. Garage door springs are under extreme tension. enough to cause serious injury or worse if they snap or uncoil while you're working on them. Calibration also has to be mathematically precise; if spring tension is too high or too low, it will damage your opener's motor or internal gears within weeks.
Spring replacement is not a big-box hardware store job. Contact a qualified technician who can match the correct wire gauge, inside diameter, and length to the specific weight and dimensions of your door.
The best time to address spring issues is before winter arrives. Set aside 15 minutes each fall to run through these checks:
1. Test the balance. disconnect the opener and manually lift the door to waist height. It should stay put. If it drops or flies up, the springs need attention. 2. Lubricate all moving parts with a proper silicone or lithium-based product. 3. Inspect the coils for rust, visible gaps, or deformation. 4. Check the weatherstripping at the bottom. a solid seal helps keep garage temps even a few degrees above freezing, which preserves metal flexibility. 5. Listen during a few cycles for any unusual sounds.
If your door is already showing signs of trouble, don't wait for a full failure on a 10-degree morning. Visit our FAQ page for answers to common questions about spring inspection and replacement timing.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken? A: Technically you may be able to operate it with the opener, but it puts enormous strain on the motor and the entire drive system. You risk burning out the opener. It's best to treat a broken spring as an urgent repair, not something to work around.
Q: How do I know if I have torsion springs or extension springs? A: Torsion springs are mounted horizontally above the door opening on a metal shaft. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on either side of the door. Most newer homes in Preston use torsion springs, but older homes may have extension springs. Either type can fail in cold weather.
Q: My door worked fine all fall. why would a spring break now in March? A: March is actually one of the most stressful months for springs in New England. The freeze-thaw cycles through late winter and early spring put repeated stress on already-fatigued metal. Temperatures in Preston regularly swing dramatically from week to week in late winter, and that repeated expansion and contraction accelerates the final failure of a worn spring.