Garage Door Questions, Answered Straight

HomeAdvisor's 2026 cost guide puts replacing the springs on a typical door at $150 to $350, about $250 on average. Torsion springs run about $75 to $150 each and extension springs about $50 to $100 each, including labor, and springs for a heavier double door cost $15 to $30 more apiece. Local quotes vary, so ask for the exact price before any work begins. Our spring replacement cost guide has the details.

HomeAdvisor rates torsion springs for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles, about 8 to 15 years, and extension springs for 8,000 to 15,000 cycles, about 7 to 12 years. One open and one close is a cycle, so a door used many times a day wears out sooner. Clopay recommends replacing springs that have never been changed once you have used the door daily for seven years or more. If you use the door heavily, ask about springs with a higher cycle rating.

Both. DASMA, the door makers' association, says that if your door has two springs you should replace both, even if only one is broken, and HomeAdvisor explains that balanced tension is what keeps the door level and safe. The two springs have done the same number of cycles, so the second one is usually close behind.

No. Springs hold enough tension that a slip or the wrong winding bar can cause serious injuries in an instant. DASMA says spring systems should be repaired only by trained professionals, and the safety instructions federal rules require in every opener manual tell owners to have a qualified service person repair cables, spring assemblies, and other hardware. HomeAdvisor gives the same advice.

Clopay, one of the large door makers, says springs break more often in cold weather because spring wire becomes more brittle, that lubricant can harden and make a door stick, and that a bottom seal sitting in slush can freeze to the floor. Central Indiana has plenty of that weather: NOAA's normals for Indianapolis average about 105 days a year with a low of 32 degrees or colder.

It depends on the local company's schedule that day. We connect you with a local garage door company, and when you call you can ask how soon they can come out. Requests are welcome from Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville, and the Geist area.

Most problems are a repair. HomeAdvisor's 2026 data puts the average repair at about $265, against about $1,231 for a new door, and broken springs, worn rollers, bad openers, and off-track doors are all fixable. Replacement makes sense when panels are cracked or badly dented, when an uninsulated door makes an attached garage miserable in winter, or when repeated repairs no longer add up. HomeAdvisor says most doors last 15 to 30 years. See new garage door installation for replacement costs.

We are not a repair company ourselves; we connect you with a local garage door company, so ask them about your brand when they call. It helps to read the brand and model off the opener's label first. Most home openers are chain, belt, screw, or direct drive; HomeAdvisor says belt drives are significantly quieter than chain drives and that openers last about 10 to 15 years with maintenance.

Usually the safety sensors. Federal rules require openers to check the photo eyes on every close, and if the beam is blocked or the sensors are out of line, an open door will not close more than about a foot on its own. Wipe both lenses, clear anything in the path, and make sure the two sensors point straight at each other, 4 to 6 inches above the floor as CPSC recommends. If it still reverses, the sensors or the force setting need a technician.

No. A door off its track can bind, drop, or twist a panel if you keep operating it. The safety instructions required in every opener manual say never go under a stopped, partially open door, and DASMA says frayed cables should be replaced only by a trained technician because of the spring tension. Unplug the opener, keep people and cars clear, and call.

It depends on the job. HomeAdvisor says a skilled technician can replace two springs on a standard door in 30 minutes to an hour, that minor problems like a faulty opener, a single damaged panel, or worn rollers take a pro a few hours, and that a standard door replacement takes about half a day. Ask the company for its own estimate when it sees the door.

We connect you with a local garage door company, who contacts you directly. Always ask to see their license and insurance before work starts.

It depends on your city and the job. Carmel's Building Safety office says it can help you decide (317-571-2444, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Westfield's permit guide requires a permit when work changes the structure or size of the home. In Fishers, the city says a hired contractor must pull any permit and be registered with the city. If a permit is needed, Indiana's Attorney General advises not letting work start until it is issued. Each area page lists that city's office.

For most jobs, yes. Indiana's Attorney General says state law requires home improvement contracts over $150 to be in writing. Check that the contract lists the price, payment schedule, a description of the work and parts, start and finish dates, and the contractor's name, address, and signature. The same guidance says not to pay more than a third of the cost up front and to get any warranty in writing.

Once a month. The safety instructions federal rules require in every opener manual say to test the opener monthly: the door must reverse when it hits a 1 1/2-inch object or a 2x4 laid flat. CPSC also recommends inspecting the door and opener every 30 days, and DASMA suggests an annual visit from a trained technician on top of your own monthly checks.

Do not force it with the opener; Clopay warns that can rip the bottom seal. Chip the ice away gently or melt it with warm water, raise the door, then clean and dry the spot so it does not refreeze. Keep ice melt off the door itself, because Clopay says it can damage the door, especially a metal one.

HomeAdvisor's 2026 replacement guide puts a new door at about $1,231 installed on average, with most projects between $754 and $1,707. By size, it lists one-car doors at $500 to $3,000, two-car doors at $800 to $5,000, and three-car doors at $1,400 to $7,200. More on the new garage door installation page.

HomeAdvisor says about 10 to 15 years with maintenance, and puts a new opener at about $218 to $540 installed. An opener with no photo eyes or door-edge sensor likely predates the federal rule that has required extra entrapment protection on openers made since January 1, 1993, and is due for replacement. See garage door opener repair.