Cost to change garage torsion spring

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CarLuver

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Jul 14, 2020
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So my garage torsion spring decided to give me a nice Christmas gift by snapping in half today. its a single torsion spring opening a 8ft wood door. since no places are open today , i decided to check the web and see how much the average price to change one out would be.

i have read 175 to 800 dollars to change it. seems like quite a spread in prices. So how much did it cost for you to have a company come out and change your torsion spring? i am in the Seattle area so i do expect to pay a little more than in less expensive area.
 
Best I can share, I had a pair replaced on my double door and it cost me around $200 back in 2014. I am sure it is a lot more now. I had to tweek a spring a couple years back using two pieces of rebar myself because they do seem to seem to lose a little initially. I would call with your door measurements for approximate prices and not rely on what you read on the net.
 
I had a spring snap on a 16' insulated steel door, and the door had one large torsion spring. I called the same company that had installed the door when it was new, seemed like a simple decision. It took a little over one hour to replace. Instead of using a specific replacement part, he cut a new torsion spring from a 8 foot long piece laying in the back of his truck. For my style of door, it was a straightforward and simple install, using just basic tools.

The bill arrived for just under $300. It was much higher than I expected, considering the time and materials used, and was not itemized. I asked for an itemized bill, and they refused to provide one. So, I refused to pay it. I waited two months and requested more information yet again, and they finally provided this: "Two springs, parts and labor." I mailed them a check for half of the bill, and a picture of my overhead door, with its one spring. I never heard back from them, and will not use them ever again.

Choose who you hire wisely. With the energy that these springs hold, it can be a dangerous job.
 
Unless you live in an expensive area, I would guess at around $200 for a single spring 8ft door today. I had my old wooden 16 footer with double torsion springs re sprung 5-6yrs ago. It was around $200 then IIRC.
 
I would expect around 300 for that door. My garage door is a 16 footer and I ordered and replaced both springs myself. Around $110 shipped to my door, but that was for two as it has a left and right spring.
 
Had both springs done on my doors (2 7' doors, one spring on each) less than a year ago, IIRC about $250 parts and labor for both.

If you have more than one door and the spring(s) on the other door are the same age just have them all replaced to save on the call-out fee later...unless that other door is used way less frequently that spring will soon follow.
 
Edit: We're talking about the springs directly over the door, correct?
The springs that are under high compression?
Some people attempt to change these themselves / some people loose fingers.

Those Springs have a 'duty rating' to them.
Meaning how many times they are expected to cycle - open & close.

I would definitely insist on a heavier duty spring.
That would be using:
1) Larger diameter wire
2) Larger diameter spring
3) Longer length

At the very least, DO NOT have a 'lighter' duty spring installed.
Or you will be calling him back alot sooner.
Also, it's not just replacing the springs, the springs have to be wound up enough to balance the door.
If your door has two springs, have BOTH changed.

Every year, I always make sure my springs have a light coating of oil on them.
Some people may say it doesn't help, but it can't hurt.
 
Last edited:
We used an 18" heavy wood raised panel door when we built the house 30+ years ago. It took 2 guys. After about 20 years early on a Sunday morning, we heard a big bang and didn't know the cause for a while. One of the two springs broke. We replaced both . It was about $300 back then.
 
The springs are easily available online and the job is not terribly complicated. It just depends on your level of DIY cred.
The spring company will ask for a couple of dimensions (spring wire diameter and length) and the process of removing it is fairly straightforward. Pull the plate off the end of the rod and loosen the collars on the old spring and slide it off.
The tricky part is tensioning the new spring. I used a couple of 12" long 3/8 socket extensions and wound the spring. You will have to tighten the jack screw on the collar AND hold the tension on the spring. Its adjusted correctly when the door will just barely stay in place halfway up.
 
64bawagon said:
The springs are easily available online and the job is not terribly complicated. It just depends on your level of DIY cred.
The spring company will ask for a couple of dimensions (spring wire diameter and length) and the process of removing it is fairly straightforward. Pull the plate off the end of the rod and loosen the collars on the old spring and slide it off.
The tricky part is tensioning the new spring. I used a couple of 12" long 3/8 socket extensions and wound the spring. You will have to tighten the jack screw on the collar AND hold the tension on the spring. Its adjusted correctly when the door will just barely stay in place halfway up.
Click to expand...

Totally agree that these can be done but depends on your DIY abilities. When I did mine I bought a couple of 1/2" round bar pieces that fit in the spring pockets.

My new doors are Wayne Dalton's with the torque master plus springs... Much easier to replace and no risk of winding a spring and getting a bar in the chin.

Just my $0.02
 
$250-$300 sounds about right, but the $175-$800 spread you saw is out there for a reason. Some companies will rake you over the coals if they can get away with it.

Around twenty years ago we had a spring break, and we called a company to do the job. Five years ago, another spring broke, but YouTube was there to rescue me. I ordered the parts and tools from a company with good ratings on ebay, and had both springs changed in about an hour being very careful. I'm still alive, and the door is still working.

 
i measured the spring and tried to find a like spring online. HD or Lowes no bueno. both seem to list the spring, but non have it in stock. amazon was $100 for the spring. if its around $200 or so i will let a company do it . going to call a few places tommorow and see.
 
A friend just paid $450 for a single spring on a 16’ door. I had to tighten them on my 18x8 insulated door. It’s on a high lift track so being up 12’ in the air on a ladder and being very careful I was able to give them a few more turns. I stayed out of the way of the winding bars but it’s not something I love to do.
 
I had this style of spring replaced at my old house for about $200. Mine also broke at an inopportune time and I didn't do a bunch of price comparisons so I'm really not sure if I overpaid or not. That was a single door 2-car garage.
 
I believe it was around 2015 I paid a guy to replace mine. Double car a garage door cost me 150 out the door
 
Had a single spring changed on an 8' wooden door earlier this year. Cost about $200. Did an excellent job and installed an extra handle on our other 8' door at no cost. Simple fix for a different problem.

Two other places were quoting more like $400. One of these places sold our neighbour a load of extra services at additional cost as well.

If you decide to do it yourself make sure you know what you're doing. Saw 2 guys with broken arms from replacing springs over the very few months I worked in emergency.
 
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