Double Spring System
Replacement Cost

How a double-spring system works

Above the door, a horizontal torsion shaft runs between two end bearing plates and through a centre bracket. A cable drum sits on each end of the shaft. On a double-spring system a torsion spring is wound onto the shaft on each side of the centre bracket. Wound tight, the springs store the energy that lifts the door; the cables unwind from the drums as the door rises. The two springs work together, each carrying about half the weight of the door. On a single-spring system, one spring carries all of it.

How much each spring has to lift depends on the door. The weights a source states for a 16 ft by 7 ft double door: about 150 lb uninsulated (DDM Garage Doors' high-cycle example), 260 lb for a Clopay 2 in insulated steel sandwich door, and 240 to 250 lb (newer) or 350 to 360 lb (older) for wood panel doors (DDM's door-weight page). DDM adds that these weights "are only approximations" and "not reliable for ordering garage door springs", so the technician sizes the springs from your door. The wire sizes that lift each weight are in the table on our torsion spring replacement cost page.

Why both springs go in together

DASMA, the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association, is plain about it: "If your door has two springs, replace both, even if one is not broken. This will not only prevent any damage caused by the breaking of the second spring, but also keep your door working efficiently." HomeAdvisor says the same and gives the reason: "balanced tension is essential for safe operation of the door." Yelp's cost guide warns readers what to expect on the invoice: "If you have 2 springs and 1 loses tension or breaks, you'll usually have to pay to replace both of them."

The two springs went on together and have lifted the same door the same number of times, so they have used up the same share of their rated cycles. When one breaks, the other is close behind. The full case, with the cost of doing it on two visits instead of one, is on our page on the cost when one spring breaks.

It is also cheaper than it sounds. Both springs go on in one visit, so the second spring adds only its part price, $35.38 to $157.94 at the two suppliers we price. On our estimate one spring replaced costs $110 to $360 and the pair $145 to $520. Putting the second spring on later means a second service call and another round of labor: $75 to $200.

What door weight does to the price

Heavier doors need heavier springs, and heavier springs cost more. Our pair estimate by door weight, with each spring lifting half the door:

• Door up to about 170 lb (each spring up to about 85 lb): $145 to $415 for the pair.
• Door about 170 to 240 lb (each spring about 85 to 120 lb): $145 to $500 for the pair.
• Door about 240 to 330 lb (each spring about 120 to 165 lb): $180 to $520 for the pair.
• Door heavier than about 330 lb, such as an older wood panel door: above the heaviest ready-listed spring at DDM (165.5 lb), so we have no listed price. Ask for a written quote.

These bands are the cheapest to the dearest ready-listed 7 ft spring in each lift band at DDM Garage Doors and DIY Garage Door Parts, plus one visit of labor. If you have a 16 ft door, the 16x7 garage door spring cost page applies the same bands to the 16x7 weights above.

Cost breakdown for the pair

Parts: $70.76 to $315.88 for two springs at retail. Labor and service call: $75 to $200, on Yelp's published rates: a $75 to $100 service call that "often covers an hour of work", then up to $100 an hour. HomeAdvisor says a skilled technician replaces two springs on a standard door "within 30 minutes to one hour"; Yelp says spring replacement "usually takes about 2 hours". Total: $145 to $520.

Cables, rollers, bearings and after-hours call-outs are not in that figure. If a quote adds them, ask for each as its own line. See spring and cable replacement cost and emergency repair.

How our figure compares with the guides

HomeAdvisor: "Replacing springs for a single garage door with two springs costs between $150 and $350." CostInspector, which cites no sources: "$250 to $550 for a pair of torsion springs installed, or $200 to $450 for a single. Extension springs run $150 to $350 a pair. Add a $50 to $100 service call fee." With that service call added, CostInspector's pair comes to $300 to $650. Our $145 to $520 starts lower because the cheapest springs we price are cheap and a quick job fits inside the first service-call hour; its top end is a heavy door, the dearest spring and two hours of labor. The homepage compares what the main guides say, each on the same basis.

The high-cycle upgrade

A pair replacement is the cheapest moment to move to longer-rated springs, because the labor is the same job. DDM's worked example is one 16x7 door of about 150 lb: $56.56 for a 10,000-cycle pair, $83.10 for 27,000 cycles, $112.38 for 54,000 cycles. That is $27 to $56 more for the pair, parts only. Whether it pays back depends on how often you open the door; the high-cycle spring replacement cost page has the break-even table and a calculator.

Check the cables while the springs are off

DASMA asks owners to "visually inspect the cables that attach the spring system to the bottom brackets on both sides of the door. If these cables are frayed or worn, they are in danger of breaking, which can cause injury." Because of the spring tension, DASMA says they "should be replaced only by a trained technician". The springs coming off is the moment to look.

What to ask before the technician winds the new springs

• Are you replacing both springs? (DASMA: yes, even if one is not broken.)
• What wire size, inside diameter and length are you fitting, and how did you size them for my door?
• Have you measured both old springs? DIY Garage Door Parts notes that "it is not uncommon to have a different spring size on the left hand wound and right hand wound springs."
• Are the cables in good condition, and if not, what does replacing them add as a separate line?
• What cycle rating are the springs, and what would a high-cycle pair add as a separate line?
• Will you check the balance of the door after fitting, and what is the warranty on the springs and on the labor, in writing?

Related cost guides on this site

• Single spring system cost (and when to convert to two)
• Torsion spring replacement cost (per-spring detail)
• Cost when only one spring breaks
• 16x7 double-car door spring cost
• High-cycle spring upgrade cost
• Sister site: full garage door install cost