2026-04-18 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a January morning in Cambridge and found the door frozen in place. or worse, heard a loud bang from the garage overnight. there's a good chance you're dealing with a broken spring. It's one of the most common calls we get at Garage Door Company Cambridge, and it's also one of the most misunderstood repairs in the business. Here's what you actually need to know.
Cambridge sits squarely in a humid continental climate zone. Winter temperatures regularly drop to an average low of around 22°F, and the city sees an average of 50 inches of snow per year. nearly double the national average. That alone is tough on garage door hardware. But what really accelerates spring wear here isn't just the cold: it's the constant cycling between freeze and thaw.
When temperatures hover near the freezing mark. which happens frequently from November through March. moisture works its way into the spring coils, freezes, expands, and then thaws again. This process stresses the metal on a molecular level and promotes rust. In Cambridge's older neighborhoods like North Cambridge, Cambridgeport, and Mid-Cambridge, where many homes date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, garages are often unheated and uninsulated, which makes this problem even worse. Those Victorian triple-deckers and Colonial-style homes may have character, but their detached garages are essentially outdoor environments for your spring hardware all winter long.
Over in Somerville, just across the border, homeowners deal with the same conditions. and the same spring failures.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know which type of spring your door uses.
Torsion springs mount horizontally above the garage door opening and coil around a metal rod. They're the modern standard and offer better durability, smoother door operation, and improved safety. If a torsion spring breaks, it stays contained on the shaft rather than flying loose. They typically last 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. roughly 8 to 15 years depending on how often you use your garage.
Extension springs run along the sides of the door tracks and stretch to create tension. They're older technology, more common in Cambridge's pre-1990s garages, and less expensive to replace. But they come with a real safety risk: when an extension spring snaps, it can shoot across the garage with tremendous force. Most pros recommend adding safety cables if you keep extension springs, or converting to torsion.
If you're not sure which type you have, stand in your garage and look above the door. A single horizontal spring along the top = torsion. Springs running along the side tracks = extension.
Don't wait for the loud bang. Watch for these warning signs:
- The door feels unusually heavy when you lift it manually - The door opens only a few inches then stops (the opener's safety mechanism kicking in) - Visible gaps or separation in the spring coil - The door closes unevenly, one side dropping faster than the other - Squeaking or grinding that gets worse over winter months
If you notice any of these, stop using the opener immediately. Forcing a door with a compromised spring puts enormous stress on your opener motor and can cause the door to drop unexpectedly. For more on diagnosing opener-related issues that sometimes get confused with spring problems, check out our complete opener troubleshooting guide.
Here's the honest answer: prices vary based on spring type, door size, and whether you need one spring or two. In the greater Boston and Cambridge area, where labor costs run higher than the national average, expect to pay on the higher end of these ranges.
For most single-door Cambridge homes, torsion spring replacement runs $150,$350 per spring, including labor. Extension spring replacement is somewhat less expensive, typically $120,$200 per spring. However, most professionals will strongly recommend replacing both springs at the same time, even if only one has broken. and that advice is sound. Springs wear together and when one goes, the other is usually not far behind. Replacing both at once also saves you a second service call fee.
If you're converting from an old extension spring system to a torsion spring setup, budget $400,$800 for the full conversion. It's a meaningful upfront cost, but the safety improvement and longer lifespan make it worth considering, especially on older Cambridge homes.
One note on pricing: be cautious of quotes that seem unusually low. Some companies quote a low spring price and then pile on "balancing fees" or "disposal charges" at the end. Always ask for a complete, all-in quote before work begins.
Short answer: no. This isn't false modesty from a garage door company. it's physics. Garage door springs are under extreme tension. A standard spring stores enough mechanical energy to cause serious injury or death if it releases suddenly. Professional technicians use specialized winding bars and follow strict safety procedures even with years of experience. The springs themselves are cheap; the specialized tools and training are not.
For context, preparing your garage door for spring maintenance is absolutely something you can handle yourself. Lubricating hinges, cleaning tracks, testing the auto-reverse. all DIY-friendly. Spring replacement is the one job that falls firmly in the "call a pro" category.
If you'd like to book a spring inspection or replacement, you can reach our team here. we service Cambridge, Somerville, and surrounding communities.
Most torsion springs are rated for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. If your family uses the garage as the main entry point. which many Cambridge households do. you might go through 4,6 cycles per day. At that rate, a 10,000-cycle spring lasts roughly 5,7 years. Cambridge's freeze-thaw cycles and humidity can shorten that further if the springs aren't lubricated regularly.
Technically yes, but you shouldn't. especially with an automatic opener. The opener is not designed to lift the full dead weight of the door. Forcing it risks burning out the motor or, worse, causing the door to fall. If you're stuck, you can manually lift the door from the bottom with both hands, but treat it as a one-time emergency measure and call for repair immediately.
If one spring breaks on a two-spring system, replace both. The surviving spring has logged the same number of cycles and is under the same wear. Replacing just one creates an imbalanced door and you'll likely be calling for the second spring within months. Most reputable companies will recommend this, and many offer a better combined rate when doing both at once.