When Dave woke up one morning, he was excited about his important upcoming business meeting. He got out of bed, got ready, ate a quick breakfast, grabbed his coffee and his car keys, and rushed into his car, which was parked inside his garage.

He got into the car and clicked the garage door remote control, but to his surprise, nothing happened. He gave it several more tries, but the garage door would only open a few inches, then stop.

Wondering what could go wrong, he recalled the time he got a new garage door opener installed, when the technician explained how to use its emergency function in case of a malfunction. He rushed to the opener’s red rope and tried to use the emergency release to open the garage door manually.

As far as Dave knew, garage doors are always easy to use and lift, even manually. This garage door, however, felt less like a door and more like a stubbornly immovable mountain range.

After a few futile attempts, Dave’s back had already started singing a rather unpleasant symphony of pops and creaks.

He instantly remembered that one agonizing time he’d tried to impress his wife by single-handedly hauling a mountain of heavy boxes up to the garage storage. That effort made him a new best friend: the chiropractor.

With a back staging a full-blown rebellion, it was painfully clear that there was something wrong with his garage door. He realized, with a groan that echoed his protesting joints, that some tasks require more than just elbow grease; they require help from a professional garage door repair company.

A morning can get pretty hectic if you cannot access your vehicle, especially when you have a busy schedule ahead. That’s exactly what Dave experienced when his garage door suddenly wouldn’t open, trapping his car inside.

He then picked up the phone and called our team at Champion Garage Door. Upon answering his call, Dave explained his urgent need for an emergency repair service; he couldn’t get his car out of the garage, preventing him from leaving for his meeting.

Luckily, our service technicians weren’t extremely busy that morning and were able to respond to Dave’s call quickly, arriving at his Orange County home within one hour. When the technician entered Dave’s garage and inspected his garage door, he noticed the spring had broken.

Dave had a sectional double steel insulated garage door, equipped with a standard torsion system and two torsion springs. These doors can get pretty heavy, usually weighing anywhere from a couple to several hundred pounds, depending on the door’s R-value. A fact Dave’s rebelling back (and perhaps his chiropractor) could now painfully confirm.

To Dave’s surprise, the technician explained that a garage door that won’t open is a known scenario when a spring breaks. He clarified that the springs are there to counterbalance and support the garage door’s weight, making it relatively easy to open and close.

The technician proceeded to inspect Dave’s garage door and get all the necessary information. He then laid out the options and their costs, explained the benefits of each, and provided Dave with his recommendation so he could make an informed decision about how to proceed with the broken garage door spring repair.

During his inspection, the technician also noticed the garage door cables were starting to fray. He explained that these cables connect the torsion system to the door, and if they snap, the door could come off the tracks or slam shut. Therefore, he immediately notified Dave of the issue and its safety implications, including it in his garage door repair recommendation.

In the beginning, Dave wondered why he should replace both springs when only one of them was broken. A thought as common as forgetting your keys on the kitchen counter.

The technician clarified that replacing two springs instead of just one would be more beneficial and proceeded with his explanation: The first reason was that the labor cost for the repair is usually the same whether you replace one or two springs. The second reason was that all springs accumulate the same wear over time, so when one breaks, the others will likely follow soon.

He then noted, “Think about it like car tires: You wouldn’t replace just one tire at a time, would you? You’d replace at least two, or ideally all four, to ensure even wear and safe handling. The same principle applies to your garage door springs for reliable operation and to avoid another unexpected breakdown soon after the first repair.”

After Dave reviewed all the options, he decided to replace both garage door springs with high-end ones, even though only one was broken, as well as the frayed cables.

With his car finally liberated and his garage door operating smoother than dad’s ’80s dance moves, Dave not only made it to his important business meeting, but he arrived with a newfound appreciation for functional garage doors and a healthy back. He might have arrived fashionably late, but he gained invaluable wisdom: some battles, like taming heavy garage doors, are best left to the Champion professionals.

Certified Garage Door Spring Repair in Orange County

If your garage door suddenly decides to turn against you, Champion Garage Door is a licensed company providing certified garage door repair in Orange County and often can come out to your location to complete spring replacement and other repairs the same day.

Other than general repair, service, and maintenance, we also offer installation and replacement services throughout Orange County and South Los Angeles, including Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Westminster, Long Beach, Lakewood, Cerritos, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana, Tustin, Orange, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Buena Park, Fullerton, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, and more. Learn more about our service territory here.