Spring Replacement
The spring is the muscle of the door. When it breaks you hear it, a bang like something dropped, and the door goes from easy to dead weight. In Snohomish County springs also corrode faster than the manufacturer expects because the marine air does not stop at the coast.
Torsion and extension springs
Most doors here run torsion springs above the opening; older garages run extension springs along the tracks. Either one breaks the same way and neither is a hand-crank fix, they hold enough tension to hurt anyone who does not know what they are holding.
How the repair goes
Spring replacement is a parts-on-the-truck repair. The pro swaps the spring, resets the balance, and the door goes back to work. If both springs are the same age, replacing the pair in one visit is the standard advice, the second one usually follows within a season.
