Commercial garage doors are opened and closed dozens of times daily. Over time, all that movement puts stress on one important part of the system – the springs.
Even one broken spring can leave a heavy commercial door stuck halfway open, completely shut, or dangerously unbalanced. In many cases, business owners don’t realize there’s a problem until the door suddenly stops working.
In this blog, we’ll explain the underlying reasons why some commercial garage door springs wear out prematurely and how to identify issues before they cause unexpected operational downtime.
| Schedule Commercial Garage Door Maintenance – Call 209-484-8977 |
What Do Commercial Garage Door Springs Actually Do?
Many people assume that an opener lifts the entire weight of the garage door, but that’s not true. A commercial garage door can weigh anywhere from 500 to over 1,000 pounds, and the springs do most of the heavy lifting.
These springs store tension and balance the door’s weight. Without them, the opener can’t move the door safely. As the garage doors in commercial buildings are much heavier than residential systems, the springs have to experience more stress and wear over time.
Torsion Springs vs. Extension Springs – What’s the Difference?
Before we get into why springs fail prematurely, knowing the real differences between a torsion and an extension spring will help you know which type you’re working with. Most commercial doors use one of two systems.
- Torsion Springs are installed above the garage door and work by twisting. They are stronger, longer-lasting, and better for heavy commercial doors.
- Extension Springs are installed along the sides of the door and work by stretching. They are less expensive but usually wear out faster and are better for lighter doors.
Why Some Commercial Garage Door Springs Wear Out Faster
Two businesses in the same Stockton industrial park could have the same model of commercial door, and one spring could last 10 years while the other breaks in 3 years. Here are the main reasons behind it.
1. High Daily Cycle Frequency
Springs are rated in cycles. One cycle is equal to the door going up once and coming back down once. A standard commercial torsion spring is normally rated for about 20,000 cycles. It’s simple maths!
- A busy loading dock with 20 cycles per day hits 20,000 cycles in just under 3 years.
- A quieter facility doing 5 cycles a day won’t hit that mark for over 10 years.
The biggest reason commercial garage door springs fail is heavy daily usage. High-traffic commercial operations simply burn through spring life faster. If you’re running a busy operation, you need springs with a higher cycle rating and a maintenance schedule to match.
2. Incorrect Spring Size
Sometimes, a commercial building might have wrong springs installed that are not properly matched to the door’s weight or size. Due to this added strain, the springs have to work much harder, which reduces their lifespan.
This is why working with a trusted garage door company is so important. An experienced technician would install the springs according to the exact weight of the door.
3. Poor Installation and Uneven Balance
Even the right springs will wear unevenly if they’re not installed correctly. A commercial garage door needs to be perfectly balanced. If the door isn’t sitting evenly in its frame, one spring ends up doing more work than the other. That overloaded spring fails first, sometimes years ahead of schedule.
Ignoring these signs can eventually lead to emergency broken spring repair .
4. Rust and Corrosion
Moisture, condensation, and humidity inside warehouses and garages absolutely cause rust.
When a spring rusts, two things happen –
- The coils generate extra friction during every movement, accelerating wear.
- The metal weakens due to rust, making the spring brittle and prone to snapping.
However, there’s a simple fix! Lubricate your springs with a silicone-based spray or white lithium grease at least once a year. This creates a protective layer against moisture and keeps the coils moving smoothly. This one step alone can extend spring life, and it only takes about five minutes.
5. Skipping Routine Maintenance
Regular maintenance can double the lifespan of your springs. But it’s not just about lubrication. A routine garage maintenance service includes –
- Checking for early signs of coil fatigue or micro-fractures
- Examining cable tension and condition
- Testing the garage door’s balance
- Tightening any loose hardware and bolts
- Inspecting rollers and tracks
When small problems get caught early, they don’t become big problems. A spring that shows early wear signs during a routine check can be replaced before it suddenly fails one fine day.
6. Temperature Swings
The temperatures during the summer can go beyond 100°F. While winters are mild, morning temperatures can dip into the low, impacting the garage door’s performance.
Metal expands in heat and contracts in cold. Every temperature swing puts additional stress on the spring coils, especially at the attachment points where the spring is secured to the shaft. Springs in facilities with poor insulation or that face direct weather exposure experience this mechanical stress far more intensely.
Extreme cold makes springs brittle and much more likely to snap during the first heavy use of the morning.
7. Overloading the Door
Commercial doors sometimes get used for things they weren’t designed for, such as propping the door partially open for extended periods, hanging equipment from the door rails, or forcing a door that’s getting stiff instead of calling for service.
Any of these habits adds stress to springs that are outside their design parameters. It might not cause immediate failure, but it chips away at spring life every single time.
How to Tell If Your Garage Door Spring Is Broken
Knowing the warning signs before a spring snaps completely can help you avoid an emergency situation.
- The door feels unusually heavy when you try to lift it manually.
- Your opener strains or makes a grinding/humming noise trying to open the door.
- The door only opens a few inches before stopping.
- You hear a loud bang, like a gunshot sound, from the garage area. This is often the sound of a spring breaking.
- The door opens crookedly, or one side sags lower than the other.
- Visible gaps or separations in the coils of the spring.
- Squeaking or grinding during operation that wasn’t there before.
If you notice any of these signs, stop using the door and call a professional immediately. Continuing to operate a door with failing springs can damage your opener, bend your tracks, and create a genuine safety hazard.
What Does a Broken Garage Door Spring Look Like?
Torsion spring (Above the Door)
- A clear gap or split somewhere along the coil. It will look like the spring has been cut or separated.
- The two ends will often be visibly separated with space between them.
Extension spring (Along the Sides)
- The spring may be hanging loose or dangling from one end.
- It may look stretched out and limp compared to the spring on the other side.
Can You Open a Door with a Broken Spring?
A very common question business owners ask when a spring snaps during a busy workday is: How to open a garage door with a broken spring? The straightforward answer is: You shouldn’t attempt it.
Technically, some doors have an emergency manual release cord. Pulling this cord disconnects the opener so you can move the door manually. But it’s very risky, and professionals never recommend doing this.
Why Shouldn’t You Open a Door With a Broken Spring
Without the spring counterbalancing the door’s weight, a commercial garage door can weigh hundreds of pounds. Lifting it manually without spring assistance can be dangerous or impossible, and trying to force it risks injuring yourself or causing the door to come crashing down.
What You Can Do
- Stop using the door
- Disconnect power if necessary
- Call for emergency garage door repair
This helps avoid injuries and additional damage.
Should You Try to Repair a Broken Garage Door Spring Yourself?
Even if you have that big toolbox in your storage room and you’re a DIY champ, you should never attempt to repair a broken garage door spring yourself.
What Are the Risks of DIY Garage Door Spring Repair or Replacement?
Commercial garage door springs are under extreme tension and can contain hundreds of pounds of stored force. If a spring slips during installation or adjustment, it can cause serious, even fatal injury.
Professional technicians have the right tools, training, and experience to safely install and calibrate springs. They also know how to match the correct spring specifications to your door’s weight, something that’s easy to get wrong without experience.
What You Can Do Safely
- Lubricate springs with silicone spray (when springs are intact)
- Visually inspect for obvious gaps or damage
- Call a local professional for garage door spring repair
Queries From Commercial Garage Door Owners
1. What happens if I keep using my door after a garage door spring breaks?
Using a commercial door with a broken spring puts enormous strain on your garage door opener, which was never designed to lift the full weight of the door unassisted. This can burn out the opener motor quickly, turning a spring repair into a spring-plus-opener replacement job. Beyond the cost, an unbalanced door is a safety hazard for employees working near it.
2. Should I replace both commercial springs if only one breaks?
Yes. Commercial doors use matching spring pairs designed to share the workload evenly. Because both springs have gone through the same number of cycles and experienced similar environmental wear, the surviving spring has likely reached the end of its structural integrity and will usually fail shortly after the first one. Replacing them together saves you from paying for a second emergency service call down the road.
Make sure you contact an experienced garage door company for new spring installation.
3. How often should commercial garage door springs be inspected?
At a minimum, have your springs professionally inspected once a year. If your facility runs 10 or more door cycles per day, twice a year is smarter. Between inspections, do a quick visual check monthly. You can look for gaps in the coils, rust, or fraying cables. Catching problems early keeps your operation running without costly emergency garage door repairs.
| Schedule Your Garage Door Spring Inspection – Call 209-484-8977 |
Takeaway
Commercial garage door springs fail due to specific reasons, like overload, poor installation, excessive cycle count, etc. The good news is that most premature spring failures are preventable. Proper installation, correctly matched springs, annual lubrication, and routine professional inspections can stretch the spring life and keep your operation running without unexpected garage door emergencies.
If your door is showing any of the warning signs we mentioned above, don’t wait for it to break completely. Contact a reliable commercial garage door spring service company quickly.
Read More:
- How to Fix a Single Garage Door Panel Without Full Door Replacement
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- Steel vs Nylon Garage Door Rollers: Which Is Better for Your Home?
- Are Glass or Frameless Garage Doors Worth It? Pros, Cons & Maintenance
Contact A Dependable Overhead Co. and Keep Your Business Running With Reliable Garage Door Services
When your commercial garage door stops working, your entire operation can slow down. Whether you need garage door spring repair, emergency garage door repair, or full commercial garage door service in Stockton, the experienced team at A-Dependable Overhead Door Co. is ready to help.
We’re an A+-rated, BBB-accredited garage door company that Stockton businesses rely on, and we provide comprehensive services for all types of garage doors. From professional inspections to broken spring repair and replacement, maintenance, and fast repair solutions designed to keep commercial doors operating safely and smoothly, we do it all.
Our first priority is customer satisfaction, and we achieve that by providing top-quality residential and commercial garage door services and products. We also make sure that you don’t feel the pressure of unnecessary expenses. So, we have some exciting offers for our customers, including $10 off any service call over $120.00 and special discounts for first responders, military, and senior residents.
Call 209-484-8977 to know more about our garage door services and discounts we offer, and book your commercial garage door spring repair today!