Door stuck? Do not force it.
Same-day spring and cable work at published prices, an honest answer about whether the door is worth saving, and a sensor fault we will usually talk you through for free.
Four symptoms cover almost every call.
Almost certainly
Torsion spring
A bang like a gunshot from the garage, then a door that suddenly weighs 200 pounds, is a snapped torsion spring almost every time. Do not try to lift it and do not run the opener — the motor is not built to take the load and you will buy two repairs instead of one.
Urgency
Same day
Typical price
$285
Repair prices.
| Job | Note | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Torsion spring pairAlways replaced in pairs. One new spring guarantees a second call-out. | Always replaced in pairs. One new spring guarantees a second call-out. | $285 |
| Extension spring pairIncludes safety cables if missing, which they usually are. | Includes safety cables if missing, which they usually are. | $195 |
| Cable replacementBoth sides, with drums re-set and door re-balanced. | Both sides, with drums re-set and door re-balanced. | $210 |
| Roller replacementNylon rollers. Quieter and they outlast steel by years. | Nylon rollers. Quieter and they outlast steel by years. | $155 |
| Opener gear kitRather than a new opener, where the motor is sound. | Rather than a new opener, where the motor is sound. | $165 |
| Track realignmentWhere the door has been hit. Bent beyond a point, the section needs replacing. | Where the door has been hit. Bent beyond a point, the section needs replacing. | $140 |
Two parts of this door can hurt you.
A garage door is the heaviest moving object in most homes, and the spring holding it is under enormous tension. This is not a warranty badge — it is the four things actually worth knowing.
The monthly auto-reverse test takes fifteen seconds and is the single most useful habit if there are children or pets in the house.
Never wind a torsion spring yourself
It holds enough stored energy to break an arm, and the winding bars are not optional equipment. This is the job in this trade that regularly sends people to hospital.
Test the auto-reverse monthly
Lay a roll of kitchen towel flat under the door and close it. If it does not stop and reverse on contact, stop using the door.
Check the photo-eyes are aligned
Both lights steady, four to six inches off the floor, facing each other. A blinking light means misaligned, not broken.
Never leave it part-open
A partly open door on a failing spring is the position it is most likely to come down from.
Choose on the driveway, not the picture.
The right style is usually decided by how much room you have in front of the door and whether anybody sleeps above the garage. Looks come after that.
Sectional
From $1,450
Panels that rise into the roof space. The default on modern homes and the easiest to insulate well.
Roller
From $1,180
Curls into a drum above the opening. Best where you need the full driveway length in front of the door.
Side-hinged
From $1,690
Traditional double doors. Right on period properties and the only style that gives pedestrian access without a separate door.
Up-and-over
From $890
One rigid panel on a pivot. Cheapest to fit and the tracks last decades, but it swings out into the driveway.
One question decides this.
Is there a bedroom above the garage? If yes, belt drive. If no, chain drive is cheaper and will outlive the house.
Belt drive
Quietest by a wide margin. Worth it when there is a bedroom over the garage, which is the only question that matters here.
Chain drive
Loudest and cheapest, and effectively indestructible. Fine in a detached garage.
Direct drive
Motor travels along the rail, one moving part. Quiet and expensive.
Battery backup
The one upgrade everybody wishes they had bought during a power cut. Roughly a hundred dollars.
Six areas, same-day on emergencies.
Outside these we will say so rather than book you in for a slot we cannot keep.
Two are about what we did not charge for.
“Talked me through cleaning the sensors on the phone and did not charge me anything. That is why I called them for the new door.”
P. Larkin
Sensor fault
“Replaced the opener gear for a fraction of what two other firms quoted for a whole new unit.”
M. Sørensen
Opener repair
“Snapped spring at ten at night. Fixed by eight the next morning at the price quoted on the phone.”
T. Adebayo
Spring, Eastvale
Mostly about springs.
Can I replace a spring myself?+
We would rather you did not, and this is not sales talk. A torsion spring holds enough stored energy to break an arm, the winding bars are specialist tools, and improvising with screwdrivers is how people lose fingers. It is the one job in this trade that regularly hospitalises DIYers.
Why replace both springs?+
They wear at the same rate and have done the same number of cycles. Replacing one means the other fails within months, and you pay a second call-out to fix a job you already paid for.
Is my door worth repairing?+
Usually, and we will tell you when it is not. Rusted-through sections and a badly bent track are repairs that keep needing repairing. We would rather say so than take the money twice.
How long does a repair take?+
Springs and cables are typically ninety minutes and done on the first visit. Opener gear kits are similar. Anything needing a panel is ordered and fitted once it lands.
Do you fit doors you did not supply?+
Yes, and we service other firms' installations without any difference in price. There is no penalty for having bought elsewhere.
New door, or a repair that can wait.
Stuck door right now? Call (555) 705-2244. A form is the wrong tool for that.