Mon–Fri 7:15–4:4524/7 emergency repairs
Same-day service is available, subject to technician availability. American-made springs are carried on the truck, with a choice of 1-, 3- or 5-year warranties.
Garage door springs do the heavy lifting on every open and close, and after years of daily use, wet winters and salt air they eventually let go. When one does, the door is suddenly far too heavy for the opener, or for you, to lift. Springs are among the most frequently replaced parts on any garage door, and many builders fit low-quality or undersized springs that wear out early. Tedford's trucks carry American-made springs, so in many cases the swap is finished on the first visit, and the new springs come with a choice of 1-, 3- or 5-year spring warranties.
Spring work is not a DIY job. A wound torsion spring stores enough energy to cause serious injury, which is why Tedford sends licensed, insured technicians rather than talking you through it over the phone. From Gordon Head and Cordova Bay to Langford and Sooke, the process is the same: measure the old spring, fit the right replacement, then balance and test the door before leaving.
Current offer
Mention this offer when you call or book online and it comes off your quote. One offer per job. Residential customers only.
Tell us what the door is doing and whether a vehicle is trapped. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and technicians are on call for emergency repairs after hours.
Your technician runs a 34-point safety check, gives you options, including the spring warranty term, and a free, upfront quote to approve, then fits American-made springs sized to your door from stock on the truck.
The door is wound to the right tension, balanced by hand and run through full cycles so it lifts smoothly and holds steady halfway.
| Repair | Price |
|---|---|
| Single torsion spring | Free estimate |
| Pair of torsion springs | Free estimate |
| Extension springs (pair) | Free estimate |
| Spring + cable combo | Quoted on site |
| Drums, bearings & safety cables | Quoted on site |
Spring sizes depend on your door's weight and height, so a technician runs a 34-point safety check on your door system, then gives you options and a free, upfront quote with no hidden costs before any work is done. GST is added to all prices. Free estimates on new garage doors, openers, springs, remotes and keypads.
“My torsion spring and cables broke on my garage door. Brian, the service technician, was prompt, friendly and thorough. He explained my options and did a thorough inspection as part of the service. He was done quickly, everything works perfectly.”
“My garage springs snapped on Boxing Day, and I called Saturday expecting to have to wait. I was pleasantly surprised to hear I could have tech by the same day. Brian was great! He communicated everything clearly, gave me options and completed everything in just under an hour. Highly recommend!”
Torsion springs sit on a steel shaft above the door opening and lift the door by twisting. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side and stretch as the door closes. Torsion systems are what we see on most newer doors because they lift more evenly; extension setups are typical on older and lighter doors. We work on both and will tell you which one you have before quoting.
When a door has two springs, they were installed on the same day and have worked the same number of cycles. A fresh spring paired with a worn one pulls unevenly, wears the cables and drums and puts extra load on the opener. Swapping both at once gives you a balanced door, a single service call and a matched set that ages together. If your door runs on a single spring, we replace just the one.
Springs rarely go without warning. Watch for these and book a check before the door quits with the car inside:
A broken garage door spring usually announces itself with a loud bang from the garage, followed by a door that suddenly feels far heavier than normal. Often nobody is near the door when it happens. Afterwards the opener may lift the door a few centimetres and stop, or strain and reverse.
On a torsion system, look at the spring on the bar above the door: a clean break leaves a gap of several centimetres between two sections of coil. Extension springs run beside the horizontal tracks, and a broken one hangs loose or has snapped in two. If you see any of these signs, stop using the door and call Tedford for a spring replacement.
Opening a garage door by hand with a broken spring is not safe, because you would be lifting the door's full weight with nothing to hold it if it slips. A double steel door commonly weighs 60 to 110 kilograms, and the springs normally carry nearly all of it.
Don't use the opener either: it can strip its gears, burn out the motor or snap the cables trying to lift the dead weight. Unplug the opener, leave the door closed and only pull the emergency release when the door is fully down. Keep people and pets clear, then call Tedford. Same-day service is available, subject to technician availability.
If a broken spring has trapped your car, leave the door closed and call Tedford rather than trying to lift or prop the door open yourself. Some online guides suggest two people lifting the door and clamping the track, but a door with no spring support can drop without warning onto a person or the car.
Tell Tedford the vehicle is trapped when you call, so the team knows it's urgent. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and technicians are on call for emergency repairs after hours, so you can call any time; office hours are Monday – Friday, 7:15 am – 4:45 pm. In the meantime, arrange a ride rather than gambling on the door.
For a broken spring in Greater Victoria, same-day service is available, subject to technician availability. Tedford's trucks are stocked with American-made springs, so many replacements are finished on the first visit. The technician measures the old spring, gives you options and a free, upfront quote, fits a replacement sized to your door, then balances and tests the door before leaving.
Older, heavier or custom doors sometimes use a less common spring size that takes longer to source, and Gulf Islands visits are booked ahead by phone or online. To get on the schedule, call (778) 401-5134 or use Book Online. The current offer is $25 off any residential repair.
A broken garage door spring has to be replaced, not repaired, because steel that has snapped under tension cannot be welded or rewound safely. People search for "spring repair", but the job is always a replacement: the remaining tension is released, the broken spring comes off, and a new one sized to the door's weight, height and cable drums is fitted, wound and balanced.
A spring that is worn but unbroken can't be restored to new either; adding tension to a tired spring only buys a little time and can leave the door unbalanced. Your Tedford technician will confirm whether one spring or a matched pair needs replacing and give you an upfront quote before starting.
Replacing both garage door springs when one breaks is usually wise, because a matched pair has done the same number of cycles and the second is nearly worn out too. A new spring paired with a worn one pulls unevenly, which strains the cables, drums and opener, and the old spring often fails soon after, meaning a second call-out.
That's why the recommendation is practical rather than an upsell: one visit, a balanced door and two springs that wear out together. If your door runs on a single torsion spring, only that one is replaced. Tedford's upfront quote, approved before any work starts, shows what is being replaced and why.
Torsion springs sit on a metal bar above the garage door opening, while extension springs run alongside the horizontal tracks near the ceiling on each side. To check yours, close the door and look up: one or two tightly wound coils on a shaft with a cable drum at each end means torsion, and long springs stretching beside the tracks means extension.
Torsion systems lift more smoothly and are standard on most newer doors, while extension springs are common on older and lighter ones. Extension springs should always have a safety cable running through them so a broken spring can't whip across the garage. Tedford works on both types and will tell you which one you have before quoting.
Standard residential garage door springs are typically rated for about 10,000 open-and-close cycles, which works out to roughly seven years at four cycles a day. Springs fail sooner when the garage is the main entrance and the door runs eight or ten times a day, when the spring was undersized for the door, when coils rust in damp coastal air or when they are never lubricated.
Many builders fit standard or undersized springs to keep costs down. When Tedford replaces broken springs, the new American-made springs come with a choice of 1-, 3- or 5-year spring warranties, and the technician can explain the options before you choose. If your springs have broken more than once in a few years, ask your Tedford technician whether the spring size or the door's balance is the underlying cause.
Cold, damp weather doesn't break a healthy garage door spring, but it often finishes off one already weakened by years of cycling and rust. On a frosty morning, lubricant thickens and the bottom seal can stick to the floor, so a tired spring and the opener work harder, and that is when many springs finally give out.
Victoria winters are mild but wet, and salt air near the water in Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Sidney and Sooke speeds up rust on coils, cables and hinges. A light coat of garage door lubricant on the springs each fall and spring, plus an annual tune-up from a Tedford technician, helps catch rust before it becomes a broken spring.
Replacing a garage door torsion spring yourself is risky, because a wound torsion spring stores enough energy to break bones or cause worse injuries if a winding bar slips. The job needs proper winding bars, the correct spring for your door's weight and height, and the knowledge to release and rewind tension in the right sequence. Using screwdrivers in place of winding bars, or fitting the wrong spring, is how many DIY injuries happen.
Industry safety labels (DASMA) warn homeowners not to adjust springs, cables or bottom brackets. Lubricating the springs and checking the door's balance are fine to do yourself; the replacement is a job for Tedford, whose technicians are fully licensed, trained professionals and whose company is licensed and insured in BC.
Garage door cables don't always need replacing when a spring breaks, but they should be inspected, because the sudden shock can fray strands or throw a cable off its drum. A worn cable on a freshly balanced door is often the next part to fail, so frayed, kinked or rusted cables are best replaced in the same visit, while cables in good condition are simply re-seated and tensioned.
If Tedford's technician finds cable damage, it is included in the upfront quote you approve before work starts, so you can decide with the full price in front of you. Doing both together avoids a second call-out. Cable problems without a broken spring are covered on the Garage Door Repair page.
Garage door spring replacement cost depends on the spring type, how many springs are replaced, the door's size and weight, and any extra parts needed. Torsion and extension springs are priced differently, a heavy double or insulated door needs larger springs, and worn cables, rollers or drums add to the job.
Be cautious with very low advertised spring prices that grow once a technician arrives. Tedford keeps it simple: a technician runs a 34-point safety check on your door system, then gives you options and a free, upfront quote with no hidden costs before any work is done. Nothing is replaced until you approve it. The current offer is $25 off any residential repair; mention it when you call or book online.
A garage door that is heavy to lift by hand almost always has a worn, weak or broken spring, because healthy springs carry nearly all of the door's weight. To test the balance, close the door, pull the emergency release and lift the door to about waist height: a balanced door feels light and stays where you leave it, while one that drops or fights you needs attention.
Stop the test straight away if the door is very heavy, and leave it closed. A heavy door also strains the opener, so catching this early can save the motor. Tedford can adjust or replace the springs; call Tedford or use Book Online.
Spring replacement across Greater Victoria, the Saanich Peninsula, the West Shore and Sooke. Same-day service is available, subject to technician availability.
