Do You Need to Replace Both Springs on Your Garage Door?

We get asked a lot of questions about garage door repair from our customers in Roseville, California. And we’re always happy to answer. We’re experts after all. Sharing our advice and knowledge comes with the job.

One of the most common (and dangerous) overhead garage door repairs involves spring repair. Garage door spring repairs should always be left to professionals who have experience with door part replacements. When spring replacement issues come about, many are often left with a door doesn’t operate. We often recommend that homeowners invest in an additional set of springs to lessen the load on springs. Two garage door springs will result in a door that operates smoother. You’ll also spend less time dealing with repairs. Of course, issues can arise, which leads to one of the most common questions we get involving garage door spring repair: Do you need to replace both garage door springs when one goes bad?

The truth is that a torsion spring can work just fine with an older spring — so you don’t have to replace both garage door springs at the same time, providing the other spring is in reasonably good shape. 

Why Replacing Both Garage Door Springs is Still a Good Idea

Keep in mind that it’s really impossible to see how often a spring has been used — outside of obvious wear and tear where the spring is about to go bad on you. Rust is more of an indication that proper lubrication wasn’t applied. The average garage door spring lasts up to 10,000 cycles, though various other factors apply to a spring’s longevity. To save yourself a headache, it’s recommended that you both garage door springs are replaced. For starters,  it should be noted that most garage door repair companies will offer you a discount if you replace both springs at the same time. So, it makes sense to have them both replaced. 

If money is an issue, you will be fine with only replacing one garage door spring. In fact, many home garages only operate with one spring, so by having two, you’re already ahead of the curve when it comes to be maintaining your overhead garage door. That being said, the most cost-effective way is to replace both springs, though it will cost you a little more obviously than the one spring. By replacing springs at the same time, you can be sure your springs are up-to-date, which avoids snapping and potentially hurting somebody. A weak spring that isn’t pulling its weight is only going to cause more issues. You stay up more on garage door repair, which saves you more money in the long run.

The general rule is if one spring goes, the other one probably isn’t very far behind, especially if both are showing signs of rusting. And yes, we will give you a discount if you replace both garage door springs. Ultimately, it makes more financial sense to replace both springs on the same repair job. You’ll avoid future problems with your garage door springs. Be sure to have your springs and other garage door parts replaced by licensed and reputable companies. They’ll get the job done the first time so you don’t have to deal with issues.  

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