2026-04-08 7 min read
If you live along the Wenatchee River corridor in Dryden, you already know the climate doesn't do your home any favors. Winters are cold. sometimes severely cold. and summers push into the mid-80s. That kind of temperature swing, season after season, puts real stress on mechanical parts. One of the first things to feel it is your garage door spring.
Springs are under tension every single time your door moves. Most homeowners don't think about them until something goes wrong. and when a spring breaks, the whole door system stops working. Here's what you need to know before that happens.
Garage door springs do the heavy lifting. literally. Your door weighs anywhere from a few hundred pounds depending on the material, and the springs counterbalance that weight so your opener (or your arm) doesn't have to strain. There are two main types used on residential doors:
- Torsion springs. mounted horizontally above the door opening. They wind and unwind to lift the door. Most modern homes use these. - Extension springs. run along the sides of the door track and stretch to assist movement.
Torsion springs are generally the better long-term choice. They last longer, stay contained if they break, and provide more balanced lifting. Extension springs can actually snap and fly loose if they fail without safety cables, which is a real hazard.
Most standard springs are rated for around 10,000 open-and-close cycles. which sounds like a lot until you realize a family using the garage as a main entrance might hit that in seven years or less.
The Wenatchee Valley's continental climate. with large swings between hot summers and cold winters. creates a cycle of expansion and contraction in metal components. This temperature cycling weakens spring metal faster than in more moderate climates. Add in any humidity from the Wenatchee River corridor, and rust becomes a real issue. Corroded springs lose tension well before they reach their rated lifespan.
Properties out toward Peshastin and Cashmere with older detached garages or outbuildings tend to have extension springs that haven't been touched in years. If you've never had your springs inspected, there's a good chance they're overdue.
Spring failure rarely happens without warning. Watch for these:
The door feels unusually heavy. If you disconnect the opener and try to lift the door manually, it should feel manageable. If it feels like deadweight, the springs aren't doing their job anymore.
The door opens only partway, then stops. When springs weaken significantly, the opener can't get the door all the way up. it may stop at six to twelve inches and quit.
You hear a loud bang from the garage. This is the sound of a torsion spring snapping. It's startling, and it means the door is now inoperable. Do not try to operate it manually or with the opener after this happens.
The door moves unevenly or looks tilted. One spring often wears out before the other on a two-spring system, causing the door to tilt or jerk to one side during travel.
Visible gaps or rust in the spring coil. From a safe distance, look up at the spring above your door. If you see a gap where the coil has separated, or orange-brown rust along the coils, the spring is past due for replacement.
Let's be direct: this is not a DIY repair for most homeowners. Garage door springs are under hundreds of pounds of tension. Releasing and reinstalling that tension without the right tools and training can result in serious injury. Even experienced DIYers can underestimate what's involved. Incorrect adjustment also leads to door imbalance, which then damages your opener motor. and now you're paying to fix two things.
If one spring breaks, professionals typically recommend replacing both. If one has worn out, the other is usually close behind. Replacing them together saves you a second service call within the year.
For anything involving garage door cables. which often fail at the same time as springs. the same rule applies: get a pro involved.
For a licensed technician, spring replacement generally runs in the $200,$450 range depending on spring type, door weight, and whether both springs need to go. High-cycle springs. designed to last significantly longer than standard. cost more upfront but make sense if you use your garage as a primary entrance.
That cost is worth it for peace of mind. A snapped spring that drops a heavy door unexpectedly can cause property damage or worse.
If you're not sure what type of springs your door uses or when they were last serviced, schedule an inspection with Dryden Garage Doors. A technician can check spring tension, look for rust or wear, and give you an honest read on how much life is left.
Standard springs are rated for roughly 10,000 cycles. With average use, that's about 7,10 years. In Dryden's climate. with cold winters and hot summers. springs that aren't regularly lubricated may wear out faster due to temperature-related metal stress and rust.
No. If a torsion spring snaps, the door should not be operated manually or with the opener. The full weight of the door is unsupported, which creates a serious safety hazard and can damage the opener, cables, and tracks.
Almost always both. If one spring has broken, the other is typically at a similar stage of wear. Replacing both at the same time saves on labor costs and prevents a second breakdown within months.