Springs, Cables & Hardware · Tuscaloosa, AL
Extension spring replacement for Tuscaloosa garage doors
Long spring along the ceiling track snapped or sagging? That is an extension spring. We replace them as a matched pair sized to your door, check the pulleys and cables they run through, and make sure a safety cable runs through each spring.
- Answered 24/7
- Tuscaloosa, Northport and West Alabama
- Side-mounted springs
Updated October 2026
Extension springs in Tuscaloosa garages run parallel to the horizontal tracks, one per side, and stretch as the door closes. They are replaced in pairs, matched by color code to the door weight. A broken one can whip loose unless a safety cable runs through it, so keep the door closed and the opener off until it is fixed.
Spring trouble
How a failing extension spring shows itself
A spring in two pieces
One spring hangs in two pieces from its bracket and pulley, or lies on the floor below the track.
Stretched coils at rest
With the door open, gaps stay between the coils of one spring, so it has lost tension and stopped pulling.
Door rises crooked
One side lifts ahead of the other because the two springs no longer pull evenly.
A worn or seized pulley
A pulley wobbles on its bolt, squeals, or has a cracked groove the cable rides out of.
No cable inside the spring
Look along each spring. If no steel cable runs through its center, nothing holds it when it breaks.
Extension springs
How side-mounted springs lift the door, and why they fail in pairs
Extension springs hang from the rear track hangers, one along each horizontal track. Cables run from the bottom corners of the door, over a pulley on the end of each spring, and back to a fixed point. As the door closes, the springs stretch and store force. As it opens, they pull back and do most of the lifting.
Both springs carry half the door and run the same cycles, so when one breaks the other is close behind. We replace them as a pair with the same color code, so both sides pull evenly. On a door with enough headroom, a torsion conversion in Tuscaloosa is worth considering at this point.
Spring swap
How a pair of extension springs gets replaced
Open and clamp
The door is raised so the springs are at rest, then clamped in the track so it cannot drop.
Read the old springs
Length and color code are noted and checked against the door's weight before new springs are fitted.
Fit springs and cables
New springs hang from the track hangers with a safety cable through each, and the lift cables are reattached.
Balance and test
Cable length is adjusted until the door rises level and holds halfway, then the opener is reset.
Parts of the extension system
Stretched or Broken Extension Spring
Extension springs fail two ways. Some snap, usually at the end loop or hook, and drop to the floor. Others stretch out slowly until they no longer pull the door, so it feels heavy and rises crooked. Either way both springs go, matched by color code to the door weight. Fitting a heavier spring to make a tired door feel light only shifts the strain onto the cables, so we size to the door as it hangs.
Safety Cable Replacement
A safety cable is a plain steel cable that runs through the center of each spring, anchored at both ends. It does nothing until a spring breaks, and then it keeps the broken pieces from whipping across the garage. Many older doors were installed without them, or had them removed when springs were swapped. We fit a safety cable through every extension spring we replace, and add them to existing springs on request.
Pulley Replacement
The pulleys carry the lift cables as the springs stretch and contract, turning on every cycle. Worn pulleys wobble, squeal, and develop a cracked or chipped groove that lets the cable jump off. A cable riding off its pulley frays quickly and can snag the door. We replace worn pulleys with the springs, check the bolt and fork that hold each one, and replace the lift cables at the same time when they show fraying or kinks.
Older garages
Midcentury Northport and historic Pinehurst, where side springs still hang
Extension springs are most common on older and lighter doors, and the area has plenty of both. One Northport subdivision dating from 1959 has 765 homes, mostly midcentury ranches and bi-levels, many with exposed basements and garages at basement level, where headroom can be short. Across the river, the Pinehurst Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1986, has older homes with detached and narrow garages. In both, an original single door on side springs is common, and a missing safety cable is the first thing we look for.
Cost
What extension spring replacement costs
Published ranges for extension springs, plus the conversion some owners choose instead.
| Job | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Both extension springs, installed | $120 to $200 | HomeGuide |
| One extension spring, labor and materials | $50 to $100 | HomeAdvisor |
| Converting to torsion springs | $400 to $800 | HomeAdvisor |
Planning ranges from the publishers listed, not our quotes. You hear our price before work starts.
What moves the price
- One spring or two. Pairs are the norm, since both springs have run the same cycles.
- Safety cables. Fitting cables where none existed adds a little cost and a lot of safety.
- Pulleys and cables. Worn pulleys or frayed lift cables found during the swap are added parts.
- Door weight. Heavier doors take heavier springs, often with a higher price.
- Converting instead. HomeAdvisor puts an extension to torsion conversion at $400 to $800.
Safe and unsafe
What you can check, and what to leave to a technician
Fine to do yourself
- Keep the door closed and unplug the opener.
- Look along each spring for a safety cable through its center.
- Note whether the broken spring is on the left or right.
Leave these to a technician
- Unhooking a spring with the door down, when it is fully stretched.
- Moving the S-hooks or cable clips to change door balance.
- Lifting a door with one spring gone, which pulls it crooked.
In the job
What an extension spring visit covers
- A matched pair of springs sized to the door weight
- A safety cable through each spring
- Inspection of both pulleys and their bolts
- Inspection of both lift cables and their clips
- Even cable adjustment so the door rises level
- Balance check with the opener released
- Opener travel and auto-reverse test
Common questions
Extension spring questions
Extension springs run along the ceiling tracks on each side. Torsion springs sit on a shaft above the door opening.
The color code marks the weight the spring is built for. Both springs on a door should carry the same code.
No. The door lifts unevenly, strains the opener and can twist in the track. Keep it closed until both are replaced.
Many older installs left them out, or they were removed during an earlier spring swap. We add them with every replacement.
They are rated by cycles rather than years. A door used many times a day wears through its springs much faster.
We prefer to size springs ourselves, since a spring built for the wrong weight leaves the door unbalanced. Tell us what you have and we will check it.
Somewhat, if the old pulleys squealed. Most door noise comes from rollers and hinges, covered on our garage door tune-up page.
With the spring gone, the cable loses tension and slips off its pulley. See our cable replacement page.
Related work
Other springs, cables & hardware jobs
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