2026-03-11 7 min read
If you've lived in Conway long enough, you already know the drill: temperatures drop into the single digits overnight, snow piles up against the garage door, and sometime between November and February, you hit the opener button and hear a loud bang. followed by silence. That bang is almost always a broken torsion spring, and it's one of the most common calls we get all winter long. Understanding why it happens. and how to get ahead of it. can save you from a very cold, very inconvenient morning.
Conway sits in the White Mountain region with a humid continental climate. Temperatures routinely drop below 10°F in January, and the swings between daytime highs and overnight lows are significant throughout the season. That daily temperature cycling is genuinely punishing on metal hardware.
Garage door springs are made of tightly wound steel, and steel contracts when it gets cold. As the metal contracts, the spring becomes more brittle and less flexible. making it more susceptible to breaking under tension. In fact, temperatures below freezing can significantly reduce the lifespan of aging springs, especially if they're already weakened from years of use. Add in our notoriously damp winters. January and February in Conway average relative humidity around 86%. and you've also got rust working against the metal over time.
Here's the cycle that causes failures: during the day, the garage warms up slightly from sun exposure and use. Overnight, temperatures plunge again. That repeated expand-contract-expand-contract process accelerates wear on springs that are already stressed from thousands of open-close cycles. Most spring failures aren't random. cold weather doesn't create the problem, it exposes it.
Spring failure rarely announces itself dramatically. at least not at first. More often, homeowners in Conway and across the valley notice smaller warning signs in the weeks before a full break:
- The door feels unusually heavy when lifted manually. This is one of the clearest indicators that a spring is losing tension. - Slow or jerky movement. If your door opens slower than usual or stutters partway up, the springs may be struggling. - Squeaking or grinding on cold mornings. This often means lubricant has thickened in the cold and the spring is working harder than it should. - A visible gap in the coil. If you look at the torsion spring above your door and see a separation in the coil, the spring has already snapped. - A loud bang from the garage. Many homeowners describe this as sounding like a gunshot. that's the spring releasing all its tension at once.
If your garage door has been opening and closing daily for seven or more years and you've never replaced the springs, it's worth having them inspected before winter hits hard. Standard springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles, and daily use adds up faster than most people expect.
This is worth saying plainly: do not try to replace garage door springs yourself. They hold 150,200 pounds of stored tension. A spring that releases unexpectedly during a DIY repair attempt can cause serious injury. This is a job for a trained technician with the right tools, period. If a spring breaks, keep the door closed, don't force it open manually, and don't run the opener. doing so can burn out the motor trying to compensate for the missing spring assist.
For homeowners in Tamworth, Madison, or anywhere else in the Mount Washington Valley, the same rule applies. Call a professional. Our services page outlines what a full spring inspection and replacement involves so you know what to expect.
You can't make springs last forever, but you can reduce the odds of an emergency winter failure with a few straightforward habits.
Apply a silicone-based or lithium garage door lubricant to the springs, hinges, and rollers before cold weather arrives. Standard petroleum-based lubricants can thicken below 32°F, turning into a thick paste that forces the whole system to work harder. A lubricant rated to -10°F or lower keeps everything moving freely through a White Mountain winter. If you want the full picture on chain drive maintenance and lubrication, our guide on chain maintenance for homeowners has solid detail on the process.
A well-insulated garage door raises the baseline temperature inside your garage, which reduces the severity of those daily temperature swings that stress the springs. Even a modest improvement in garage temperature can extend spring life. This is one of the underrated arguments for upgrading to an insulated door. it's not just about your heating bill.
A professional inspection before December gives a technician the chance to identify worn springs, check cable integrity, test door balance, and catch issues before they become emergencies. A pre-season inspection typically costs far less than an emergency weekend call in the middle of a January cold snap. and you won't be waiting outside in single-digit temperatures while you wait for service. Book a fall inspection before the cold sets in.
You can do a simple balance check yourself: disconnect the opener by pulling the red emergency cord, then manually lift the door to about waist height and let go. A properly balanced door should stay roughly in place. If it falls or flies up, the spring tension is off and needs professional adjustment.
Q: How do I know if my garage door spring is broken versus just worn out? A: A broken spring usually announces itself clearly. either with a loud bang, a visible gap in the coil, or a door that suddenly feels impossibly heavy and won't open. A worn spring shows subtler signs: slower movement, uneven lifting, or the door dropping faster than normal when closing. Either way, a professional should assess it before you use the door further.
Q: Can I open my garage door if a spring is broken? A: Technically you can lift it manually, but you shouldn't. Without the spring counterbalancing the door's weight, it becomes dangerously heavy and could fall unexpectedly. The opener should also not be used. it can damage or burn out the motor trying to move the full door weight on its own.
Q: How often should garage door springs be replaced in a cold climate like Conway? A: Standard springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles. For a household using the garage twice a day, that works out to roughly 7,9 years. In a climate with Conway's temperature extremes, springs near that threshold are at higher risk during winter months. If yours are approaching that age, proactive replacement before winter is worth considering.