A loud bang, a door that won't budge, or a visible gap in a coiled spring above your door usually means a broken torsion or extension spring. It's dangerous to touch — but we can usually fix it the same day you call.
A garage door spring failure is one of the most common reasons Ottawa homeowners call us, and it rarely gives much warning beyond a loud bang from the garage or a door that suddenly feels twice as heavy. Torsion springs sit on a metal shaft above the door and do the actual lifting work; extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on older systems. Both wear out from repeated cycling, and Ottawa's swing from -25C January mornings to humid July afternoons accelerates metal fatigue more than milder climates do. In older bungalow neighbourhoods across the Glebe, Alta Vista, and parts of Nepean, original extension spring setups from the 1970s and 80s are common and well past their rated life. Newer builds in Barrhaven and Orleans typically run torsion systems that still fail on schedule after 7 to 12 years of daily use.
Springs are always under extreme tension, which is why we replace them in matched pairs even when only one has snapped — an uneven pair puts new stress on the surviving spring and usually fails again within months. We stock standard and high-cycle torsion springs in the wire gauges and drum sizes used on LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Genie, and Wayne Dalton systems, so we're rarely waiting on parts. Roughly 95% of our spring calls in Ottawa are resolved in a single 45 to 75 minute visit, including a full door balance check afterward.
A sharp crack, often mistaken for a car backfiring, is almost always a torsion spring snapping under tension. Stop using the door immediately.
If lifting the door manually suddenly takes real effort, one spring has likely lost tension or broken and the opener is doing all the work.
Walk into the garage and look above the door — a torsion spring with a visible separation in the coil has already failed.
One side rising faster than the other points to uneven spring tension, usually one intact spring and one that's weakening.
A garage door opener straining, grinding, or reversing mid-cycle is often compensating for a spring that can no longer support the door's weight.
If the door creeps back down after opening, springs are no longer counterbalancing properly and the risk of a sudden drop is real.
We ask a few questions about the noise, door behaviour, and door weight to arrive with the right spring size already on the truck.
Technician confirms spring type, wire gauge, and drum size, and checks cables and rollers for related wear.
Using calibrated winding bars and clamps, we remove and replace both springs as a matched pair — never a DIY-safe task.
The door is cycled repeatedly, balance is fine-tuned, and auto-reverse safety sensors are confirmed working.
We explain what failed, show you the old parts, and register your written parts and labour warranty.
Rated 5.0★ across 51 Google reviews.
Our torsion spring snapped at 6:45am on a Tuesday and I had nowhere to put the car. 613 Garage Door Repair had someone at our door by 10am, replaced both springs, checked the cables, and had us back in business before lunch. Fair price, no upsell pressure, explained everything clearly.
Our trucks run routes across the National Capital Region every day — a technician is rarely far from your door.
Based at 1354 Carling Ave, we cover every neighborhood in Ottawa plus Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orléans, Stittsville, Gloucester, Cumberland, Manotick, Riverside South, Richmond, Bells Corners, and Vanier — same-day whenever possible.
Call now or request a free written estimate online. Our licensed Ottawa technicians deliver honest quotes and same-day service across the region.