Cold air, damp mornings, and repeated use can wear on your garage system faster than you think. By mid-February, the freeze-thaw pattern across Greater Vancouver adds outside pressure to something many homeowners don’t always think about: garage door springs. A spring that already has wear from years of lifting can suddenly give out. That’s when you’re left with a garage door that’s heavy, tilts, or won’t move at all.
Spotting problems before a spring snaps is the best way to avoid getting stuck. A garage door with broken spring often shows warning signs before it fails completely. Knowing what to look for and why these spring issues happen in late winter helps keep your garage working the way it should.
How Garage Door Springs Work
Springs help lift and lower the weight of your garage door, which can be several hundred pounds. There are two main types.
• Torsion springs sit above the door and twist to create force.
• Extension springs stretch along the track and pull to help lift.
Both spring types need to handle constant motion, and they wear down over time. When temperatures drop, metal becomes less flexible. That means springs are more likely to weaken or snap, especially if they’re already close to the end of their lifespan. Cold weather reduces the spring’s ability to move smoothly, which adds strain with every lift.
If your garage door is used often during winter, whether for daily parking or getting tools in and out, spring wear builds up faster with each open and close.
Warning Signs Your Spring Might Be Failing
In most cases, a spring doesn’t break without warning. There are small signs along the way, and catching them early can spare you from getting trapped behind a stuck door.
• The door feels heavier or takes more effort to lift than usual.
• One side moves unevenly or doesn’t rise evenly.
• A loud bang or snap may happen as the spring gives out.
• The spring may look stretched out or have a gap if it’s broken in the middle.
Sometimes the opener tries to move the door but struggles or fails. If you hear the motor running but the door barely moves, it could be a spring problem. Springs help share the lift. Without them, your motor is doing all the work, and that can lead to more damage.
What Causes Springs to Break This Time of Year
Late winter is a busy time for failing springs. Most homeowners keep using their garage doors without realizing how much the weather affects them. In areas like Langley, Surrey, and Vancouver, seasonal weather often leads to a few common issues.
• Strong freezes followed by mild afternoons make the metal expand and contract. That back-and-forth creates small cracks that grow over time.
• Humid air and rain bring rust into the mix, especially if the spring isn’t coated or lubricated.
• Dirt or grit from road salt may stick around the base of the door, working its way into hardware and speeding up wear.
• Older springs that haven’t been maintained are more likely to give in when the temperature drops suddenly after use.
Bad weather conditions don’t cause instant damage, but they do speed up problems that are already forming.
Why It’s Unsafe to Operate a Garage Door with Broken Spring
Once a spring goes, it doesn’t just stop lifting. It throws off the balance of everything else. Trying to open a door when that balance is gone can cause parts to jam or break, and more than once we’ve seen rollers fly out or cables snap in the process.
• Cables now carry more strain and can fray or snap.
• Rollers might track unevenly or fall out, making the door tilt.
• Hinges and brackets take on added pressure and may bend or crack.
• The opener motor may overheat or burn out from trying to lift the full weight of the door.
The biggest danger is the door itself. Without spring tension holding it steady, it can fall quickly. If it’s open and loses grip, it might slam down hard. That’s risky for anyone underneath, including pets or small children. It may also land on vehicles or equipment near the entrance.
What a Professional Looks for When Diagnosing the Issue
Any time a spring breaks, it’s worth taking a full look at the entire system. Springs don’t work alone, and one fault may be caused by, or cause, several others.
Here’s what we usually check:
• Whether the spring still has the right tension across both sides.
• If the spring shows wear, cracks, rust, or gaps.
• How aligned the spring and other hardware appear across the door.
• If one spring is broken, whether the other is close to giving out.
• The condition of drums, cables, tracks, hinges, and the opener.
Since many residential garage doors have two springs, we may recommend replacing both at the same time. Uneven wear between old and new springs can lead to poor balance, or shorter life for the replacement.
Keep Your Garage Door Safe Through the End of Winter
February is one of the harder months for garages in Greater Vancouver. Salt, moisture, and cold weather team up to create problems that don’t always show up until something breaks. Watching how your garage door moves during these final weeks of winter gives you a clear advantage.
If you notice unusual movement, heavier lifting, or sounds you haven’t heard before, it could be the early sign of a worn or failed spring. Catching these issues early can save you time, money, and the stress of a locked-in vehicle during a busy day. Even small changes in how your door feels or sounds often lead straight back to spring wear. Staying aware now helps avoid bigger problems when the seasons change.
Noticing your garage door slowing down, shifting to one side, or making unusual noises may signal a bigger issue with the springs. When left unresolved, a garage door with broken spring can lead to damage elsewhere in your system and compromise daily safety. At The Door Ace, we inspect your entire setup, not just the obvious problem, to keep everything running smoothly through the colder months. We are committed to helping homeowners in Langley, Surrey, and Vancouver avoid unexpected breakdowns. Review our garage door with broken spring repair options and call us today.
