Single vs. Double Torsion Springs — Which Does Your Garage Door Need?

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Look up at the metal bar running across the top of your garage door opening. The tightly wound coil (or coils) wrapped around it are your torsion springs, and they do nearly all the lifting — the opener just guides the door. Some doors run on one spring, some on two. Knowing which you have, and which you should have, saves you money and a lot of frustration down the road.

How to Tell Which Setup You Have

Stand inside the garage with the door closed and look at the shaft above the door. You'll usually see a center bracket mounted to the wall:

• One spring: a single coil sits on one side of the center bracket, or centered over it.
• Two springs: a coil on each side of the center bracket, meeting in the middle.
• Springs running along the ceiling tracks instead: those are extension springs, a different system entirely.

A broken torsion spring is easy to spot — there will be a visible 2-inch gap somewhere in the coil. Don't touch it or try to adjust the winding cones; those springs hold hundreds of pounds of stored energy.

When a Single Spring Makes Sense

Builders often install one spring to save a few dollars, and on some doors that's fine. A lightweight, non-insulated single-car door (roughly 8–9 feet wide) that only cycles a few times a day can run for years on one correctly sized spring. The trade-off: when it breaks, the door is dead weight. There's no second spring to help, so the door usually won't open at all — a real problem if your car is inside and you need to get to work.

When Two Springs Are the Better Call

Two springs share the load, so each one works less hard. That usually means longer life per spring, smoother travel, and less strain on the opener. Double springs are the right choice for:

• 16-foot two-car doors, especially steel doors with insulation or windows
• Wood, faux-wood, or carriage-style doors, which are much heavier than standard steel
• Households that use the garage as the main entry and run the door 5+ times a day
• Tall doors (8 feet or more) on RV garages and custom builds, common in newer Utah County and south Salt Lake County neighborhoods

Can You Convert From One to Two?

Yes, and the best time is when your single spring breaks. Converting typically means adding a second spring and properly sizing both to your door's actual weight — not just doubling up the old part. Done right, the door balances better and the pair often outlasts the original single spring by several years. It's a small added cost at the time of repair compared to a second emergency call later.

Always Replace Them as a Pair

If you already have two springs and one breaks, replace both. They've gone through the same number of cycles, and the survivor is usually close behind. Mixing a new spring with a worn one also throws off the door's balance, which wears the opener and cables faster. Northern Utah's cold mornings and hot afternoons add stress to steel coils, so "the other one is probably fine" rarely holds for long.

Not sure what your door needs? We'll weigh the door, check the current setup, and tell you plainly whether one spring is enough or two is worth it — before any work begins.

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