2026-03-21 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a cold January morning and heard a sharp bang. almost like a gunshot. chances are a torsion spring just let go. It's one of the most common garage door failures we see here in Rowland and the surrounding Robeson County area, and it almost always catches homeowners off guard. The good news is that springs rarely fail completely without warning. Knowing what to look for can save you from a locked-up garage and a whole lot of stress.
Rowland sits in a part of southeastern North Carolina where the weather pulls in two directions. Summers here are hot and muggy, with temperatures regularly climbing into the upper 80s and 90s and humidity that makes everything feel heavier. Winters are short but cold enough to matter, with temperatures occasionally dipping into the low-to-mid 30s. That swing between humid summers and cold winters is genuinely tough on metal hardware.
Rust and corrosion are the real culprits. Moisture in the air attacks the metal coating on springs, causing them to become brittle and noisy over time. When you add in the occasional cold snap. the kind that makes Lumberton residents scrape their windshields on a Tuesday morning. the metal contracts and becomes even more vulnerable to snapping. That's why spring failures tend to cluster in late fall and early winter around here, not just because of age but because of the temperature drop.
For homes along low-lying roads or near any of Robeson County's many flood-prone areas, airborne moisture and storm debris can speed up the damage even further on doors that are left partially open for ventilation.
Before you can spot a problem, it helps to know what you're looking at.
Torsion springs are the large coil springs mounted horizontally above the garage door opening. They use torque to lift the door evenly. Most modern homes in Rowland. especially the ranch-style and single-story homes that are common in the area. use torsion spring systems. They're more durable and handle the weight of heavier doors better.
Extension springs run along the sides of the door tracks and stretch and contract to assist with lifting. They're more common on older doors and lighter doors. If you have a two-car door that was installed more than 15 years ago, extension springs are worth inspecting carefully.
Most residential springs are rated for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. and one cycle is one full open-and-close of the door. For a busy household that uses the garage as the primary entrance, that can add up to roughly 7 years of average use before the springs are due for replacement.
When springs break or lose tension, your opener doesn't have the mechanical help it needs to lift the door. You may hear the motor running but see the door barely budge. or not move at all. Don't keep forcing it. Check our garage door services page if you're unsure whether it's a spring issue or an opener issue.
A snapping torsion spring often sounds like a firecracker or a shot going off in a closed room. Many homeowners think something fell off a shelf. If you hear this and your door stops working shortly after, a broken spring is the most likely cause.
Walk to the front of your closed door and look at the spring above the opening. A broken torsion spring will have a noticeable gap of one to two inches where the metal has separated. This is one of the easiest failures to spot with your own eyes.
A properly balanced door should be relatively easy to lift by hand when the opener is disengaged. If it feels like dead weight, the springs have likely failed or lost significant tension. You can learn more about using your manual release safely before attempting to lift by hand.
If one side of the door rises faster than the other or the door looks tilted when it's halfway up, one spring is probably failing while the other is still holding. This puts extra strain on cables and rollers and can cause additional damage quickly.
Stop using the door. Seriously. continuing to run the opener on a door with failing springs puts enormous stress on the motor and can damage cables, rollers, and even the opener itself. If you need to get your car out, use the emergency release cord carefully and only if the door is in the fully closed position.
Never attempt to replace or adjust springs yourself. Garage door springs are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury or property damage if handled without the right tools and training. This is one repair that genuinely needs a professional.
Rowland Garage Doors is local to the area and familiar with the hardware choices that hold up best in Robeson County's climate. If you're seeing any of the warning signs above, reach out to schedule a service visit before a failing spring becomes a broken one.
The single best thing you can do is lubricate your springs twice a year. once in spring and once in the fall before temperatures drop. Use a dedicated garage door lubricant (not WD-40, which is a degreaser, not a lubricant). Apply it to the coils of the spring and wipe off the excess. This reduces friction, slows rust, and keeps the metal from drying out.
If one spring has already broken, replace both at the same time. The surviving spring has likely been through the same number of cycles and is probably just weeks or months behind its partner.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if only one spring has broken? A: No. With a broken spring, the door is unbalanced and the opener is carrying all the weight on its own. Continued use can burn out the motor, damage the cables, and create a safety risk. Leave the door in place and call a technician.
Q: How long do garage door springs last in Rowland's climate? A: Most standard springs are rated for 10,000,20,000 cycles, which translates to roughly 7,10 years for the average household. In Robeson County's humid climate, springs on doors without regular lubrication can wear out sooner due to surface rust and metal fatigue.
Q: Should I replace both springs even if only one broke? A: Yes. If one spring has failed, the other has been through the same number of cycles and wear conditions. Replacing both at the same time saves you a second service call and prevents an uneven, dangerous situation down the road.