It’s a sound that no homeowner wants to hear. You press the button on your garage door opener, and instead of the familiar, smooth whirring, you hear a loud “BANG!” that echoes through the whole house. Or perhaps, the door starts to open, groans, and then hangs crooked and lopsided in the track.
When this happens, you are almost certainly looking at a failure in your door’s lifting system. The two main culprits? Your garage door springs and your garage door cables.
These two components are the most critical, hardest-working, and most dangerous parts of your entire garage door system. They work together in a perfect partnership to lift and lower an object that can weigh anywhere from 100 to 400 pounds. But when one of them fails, the entire system fails.
This leads to a common question our technicians at Top One Garage LLC get all the time: which one breaks more often, the springs or the cables?
The answer has a clear winner, but the “why” is a little more complex. Let’s break down this powerful partnership to see what they do, why they fail, and which one is more likely to be the source of your problem.
Part 1: The “Muscle” – Understanding Garage Door Springs
If your garage door system were a body, the opener (the motor) would be the brain, and the springs would be the muscle.
It is a common misconception that your garage door opener does all the heavy lifting. It does not. The opener’s only job is to guide the door up and down. The real lifting power, all 90% of it, comes from the springs.
Your springs are under an immense amount of tension, and their job is to perfectly counterbalance the entire weight of your door. This is why you can (or should be able to) lift your door by hand with the emergency release pulled. The springs are doing the work.
There are two main types of springs:
- Torsion Springs: This is the modern standard. It is a large, coiled spring (or a pair of them) on a metal bar directly above your garage door. This spring unwinds to lift the door and winds up to lower it.
- Extension Springs: This is an older system. You will see these as two long, “stretchy” springs running parallel to the tracks on either side of the door. They stretch out to lower the door and contract to lift it.
Why Do Springs Break?
The reason springs break is simple: metal fatigue.
Your garage door springs have a finite, predictable lifespan. This lifespan is not measured in years, but in cycles. One “cycle” is one full open and one full close.
A standard builder-grade spring is typically rated for about 10,000 to 15,000 cycles.
If you use your garage door four times a day (a very average number), that is about 1,460 cycles per year.
By this math, a standard spring will fail from fatigue in 7 to 10 years.
This is a predictable, mechanical failure. The metal simply gets stressed, and one day it snaps. This is what causes that sudden, unmistakable “BANG!” you heard.
Signs of a Broken Spring:
A loud popping or “bang” sound.
The garage door opener strains but cannot lift the door.
The door is extremely heavy when you try to lift it manually.
You can see a visible 2-inch gap in the middle of your torsion spring.
Part 2: The “Tendons” – Understanding Garage Door Cables
If the springs are the “muscle,” the cables are the “tendons.” They are the vital connection that transfers all that lifting power from the springs to the door itself.
On a torsion system, the cables attach to the bottom brackets of the door on each side. They run up the side of the door and wind neatly around drums at the end of the torsion bar. When the spring unwinds, it turns the bar, which turns the drums, which pulls up the cables, which lifts the door.
Why Do Cables Break or Fail?
Unlike springs, cables are not usually designed to be the “wear and tear” part. They do not have a set cycle count. When a cable fails, it is almost always due to an external factor or a consequential failure.
- Rust and Fraying: This is the most common “natural” cause of failure. Cables are made of steel, and if you live in a humid climate or your garage sees a lot of moisture, they can rust. Rust weakens the steel, causing it to fray and eventually snap.
- A Broken Spring: This is a big one. When a spring snaps, it can send a shockwave through the system. This sudden, violent jolt can snap a cable or, more often, cause one of them to jump off the drum.
- Door Misalignment: If your door is not perfectly aligned in its tracks, one of the cables might rub against the track or another piece of hardware. This friction will slowly “saw” through the cable, causing it to fray and break.
- Slipped Drum: The drum that the cable winds onto can sometimes slip, causing the cable to wind unevenly or come off completely. This leads to the classic “lopsided door” problem.
Signs of a Failed Cable:
The door is crooked, with one side higher than the other.
The door fell suddenly (or slams shut).
You see a cable visibly snapped and hanging.
The cable looks loose or has slipped off the drum.
The Verdict: What Breaks More Often?
So, what is the final answer?
Statistically, garage door springs break far more often from simple, predictable wear and tear.
Think of it this way: your springs are designed to be the component that fails. They are the sacrificial part that takes on all the work, and they have a built-in expiration date based on use. A garage door spring repair is one of the most common services we perform simply because every garage door will need one eventually.
Cables, on the other hand, are more like a “failure by consequence.” A cable can break from old age and rust, but it is far more likely to fail because the spring broke, or because the door was misaligned, or because another part failed. A call for a garage door cable repair is often a symptom of a larger problem.
When one component fails, it puts the other under extreme, unnatural stress, often causing a domino effect.
A Critical Safety Warning: DO NOT DIY This Repair
We cannot stress this enough. Whether you have a broken spring or a broken cable, this is not a weekend DIY project. The entire garage door lifting system is under extreme tension.
A torsion spring stores an immense amount of rotational energy. Attempting to unwind or install one without the proper tools and training can result in a violent, catastrophic release of that energy. It can snap tools, break bones, and be lethal.
The cables are under the same tension. A snapping cable can fly loose like a whip, and a door with a failed cable can fall freely and crush anything in its path.
This is a job that requires a trained, insured professional. A technician has the knowledge to not only replace the part but to diagnose why it failed. They will perform a full garage door repair and tune-up, which includes replacing the part, balancing the door, adjusting the garage door opener repair, and ensuring the entire system is safe for your family.
Whether it is the loud “bang” of a broken spring or the alarming sight of a crooked door from a failed cable, Top One Garage LLC is here to help. A broken garage door is a security and safety emergency, and our expert technicians are trained to handle it safely and efficiently. If your garage door has failed, do not try to operate it or fix it yourself. Contact us immediately for professional, reliable, and safe repair services.
