Why Garage Door Springs Break in Candia's Winter (And What to Do About It)
2026-03-13 7 min read
If you've lived in Candia long enough, you've probably heard it. a loud bang from the garage, usually on a cold morning in January or February, followed by a door that won't budge. Nine times out of ten, that sound means a broken garage door spring. It's one of the most common service calls we handle, and Candia's climate makes this town particularly hard on garage door hardware.
Why Candia's Climate Is Especially Tough on Springs
Candia sits at about 453 feet of elevation in Rockingham County, and the winters here are legitimately cold. Average January highs barely reach the upper 20s°F, with lows frequently dropping into the mid-teens. From January through April, snowfall is a regular event. and the town accumulates close to 33 inches of snow in a typical year. That's not Manchester-level urban cold where roads are cleared quickly. Out here on the country roads and wooded lots along Deerfield Road and Route 101, your garage door is working hard every single day of winter.
Garage door springs are made of tightly wound steel, and steel contracts when it gets cold. As the metal contracts, the spring becomes more brittle and less flexible. making it far more susceptible to breaking under the tension it holds every time you open or close your door. On top of that, the daily temperature swings New Hampshire is known for. cold mornings warming up in the afternoon and plunging again overnight. create repeated expand-and-contract cycles in the metal. Think of it like bending a metal paperclip back and forth: each cycle creates microscopic stress, and eventually something gives.
For homeowners in places like Chester or Derry, the same physics apply, but Candia's rural character means homes are often more exposed to the elements, and garages on larger lots along country roads face more wind exposure than a typical suburban setup.
How Many Cycles Does a Spring Actually Have?
Most standard torsion springs. the horizontal coil mounted above your door. are rated for about 10,000 cycles. One cycle equals one open and one close. If your household uses the garage door four times a day (common with a two-car family), that's roughly 1,460 cycles per year, meaning a standard spring might last 6,7 years. If your springs are approaching that age and you haven't replaced them, winter in Candia is when they're most likely to fail.
Extension springs. the ones mounted along the side tracks on older doors. follow similar logic, though they're somewhat more visible when they start to wear. You can often see fraying or a visible gap in the coils before a full failure.
Warning Signs to Watch For
Springs rarely fail completely without giving a few hints first. Learn more about how your door's moving parts work together. but specifically for springs, keep an eye and ear out for:
- A door that feels unusually heavy when you try to lift it manually. Disconnect the opener and try raising the door by hand. it should lift smoothly and stay in place at about waist height. - Jerky or uneven movement as the door opens, especially if one side appears to sag lower than the other. - Loud popping, creaking, or squeaking during operation, particularly on cold mornings. - The opener straining or humming more than usual. this often means the motor is compensating for a spring that's losing tension. - A visible gap in the torsion spring coil above the door. If you can see a separation in that coil, the spring has already broken.
If your garage door suddenly feels like dead weight and won't open, stop using the electric opener immediately. Forcing a motor to fight a broken spring is a reliable way to burn it out. turning a $200 spring repair into a much costlier job.
What You Should (And Shouldn't) Do
Let's be straightforward here: spring replacement is not a DIY project. A typical residential garage door weighs 200,300 pounds, and the springs counterbalancing that weight are under enormous tension. A spring that snaps or uncoils unexpectedly can cause serious injury or property damage. This is a job for a trained technician with the right tools. no exceptions.
What you *can* do yourself is the preventive maintenance that helps springs last longer:
Apply the Right Lubricant in Fall
Before the first hard freeze. usually October or early November in Candia. apply a silicone or lithium-based garage door lubricant to your springs, hinges, and rollers. Avoid WD-40, which attracts dust and can actually increase friction. Standard lubricants can thicken and turn sluggish below freezing, which forces your springs to work harder. A proper cold-weather lubricant stays effective through the worst of a New Hampshire winter.
Check the Door's Balance
Disconnect your opener and manually lift the door to about waist height. Release it. a properly balanced door stays in place. If it falls or rises on its own, your spring tension is off and needs professional adjustment. Do this test every fall.
Know Your Door's Age
If you bought a home in Candia and the previous owners never mentioned a spring replacement, and the door is more than 7,8 years old, assume the springs are on borrowed time. A proactive replacement before failure is far less expensive. and far less disruptive. than an emergency call on a Tuesday morning in February.
For more guidance on getting your door ready before cold sets in, see our summer-to-fall transition tips. many of the prep steps apply in reverse heading into winter.
When to Call for Service
Garage Door Candia serves homeowners throughout Candia and surrounding towns. If you're noticing any of the warning signs above, don't wait for the loud bang. Schedule a inspection before the coldest stretch of winter hits. it's considerably easier (and cheaper) to replace a worn spring on your schedule than during an emergency call in a January cold snap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my garage door spring is broken versus something else?
The clearest sign is a door that's suddenly very heavy or completely won't open manually. Look above the door at the horizontal torsion spring. if you see a gap or separation in the coil, it's broken. You might also hear a loud bang when it snaps, even if you're not near the garage at the time.
Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken?
You can manually open a door with a broken spring, but it will be extremely heavy and the opener motor should not be used. forcing it risks burning out the motor. If one spring has broken on a two-spring system, the door will also be uneven and could come down hard. Stop using it until it's repaired.
How long does a spring replacement take, and do I need to be home?
A professional spring replacement typically takes 45 minutes to an hour for a standard residential door. You'll need someone home to provide access to the garage, but it's a quick job when scheduled in advance. Check our services page for what's included in a full tune-up visit.