Should I replace one garage door spring or both?

A single spring door is the exception. If your door has only one spring, you replace that one. Here is how to decide and why the math favors doing the pair.

Why replacing one garage door spring usually costs more

The instinct to save money by swapping only the broken spring is understandable, but it backfires for a simple reason: matched springs wear at the same rate.

• Same age, same cycles. Both springs were installed together and have lifted the door the same number of times. When one hits the end of its cycle life, the other is right behind it.
• A second service call. When the old spring fails a few months later, you pay another trip charge and another labor fee. Two visits cost more than one.
• Uneven balance in between. A new spring paired with a worn one pulls unevenly. The door can hang crooked, the opener works harder, and the rollers and cables take extra wear.
• A mismatched pair fails faster. The new spring carries more than its share against the tired one, so it ages faster than it should.

Most of the cost of a spring job is the trip and the labor, not the spring itself. Adding the second spring while the tech is already there and the door is already apart is a small upcharge, so doing both is the better value. See our full garage door spring replacement cost breakdown for what drives the price.

When replacing just one spring makes sense

There are real cases where one spring is the right answer:

• You have a single spring door. Many lighter, single car doors run on one torsion spring. There is no pair to match, so you replace the one.
• The springs were installed at clearly different times. If one spring is brand new from a recent repair and the other is the original, the new one likely has plenty of life left.
• A spring is the wrong size and needs correcting. Sometimes a previous install used a mismatched spring, and the fix is to correct that one to the right spec.

Outside of those, a two spring door should get two new springs.

What a proper spring replacement includes

Replacing the springs is only part of a balanced door. A good spring job should also:

1. Match the spring to the door's weight. Wire size, length, and inside diameter are sized to your exact door, not guessed.
2. Check and oil the bearings and shaft. Worn center and end bearings make new springs work harder.
3. Inspect the lift cables. Cables and springs fail in the same era, so frayed cables get flagged.
4. Rebalance the door. A balanced door should hold its position halfway up. That is what protects the opener and the new springs.

If you want to stretch the next interval, ask about high cycle springs. A 20,000 or 30,000 cycle set costs a little more and can last far longer, which is worth it for a busy household.

How long the new springs should last

A standard torsion spring is rated for about 10,000 cycles, which is roughly 7 to 10 years for an average household. If you run the door many times a day, ask about a high cycle set rated for 20,000 or 30,000 cycles. It costs a little more up front but can outlast two standard sets, which makes the case for doing both springs at once even stronger. Either way, replacing the pair resets the clock on both sides evenly, so you are not back to a mismatched door within a year. If a spring has already broken, do not run the door, since the opener and cables take damage fast against the dead weight. Our garage door spring repair crew can match and replace both springs in one same-day visit.

When to call a pro

Spring work is not a DIY job, because a wound torsion spring stores enough energy to cause serious injury even after it breaks. Call a tech, and keep the opener unplugged so nobody runs the door against the broken spring.

Our crews in Denver, Lakewood, and across the Front Range carry common spring sizes on the truck and replace springs in pairs as standard practice, so most jobs are same-day and balanced before we leave. Call our 24/7 line at (303) 937-4477 to get both springs handled in one visit.