Why Holliston Winters Are So Hard on Garage Door Springs (And What to Do About It)
2026-03-30 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a January morning, hit the opener button, and heard a loud bang followed by nothing. you've experienced a broken torsion spring firsthand. It's one of the most common calls we get here in Holliston, and it's no coincidence that it happens most often in the dead of winter.
Why Holliston's Climate Is Especially Tough on Springs
Holliston sits in a humid continental climate where winters are genuinely cold and unpredictable. January temperatures regularly dip below 20°F overnight, and the town typically sees snow from October through May. nearly half the calendar year. But the real enemy of your garage door springs isn't just the cold itself. It's the constant cycle of freezing and thawing.
On a typical Holliston winter week, you might see overnight lows in the teens followed by afternoon temperatures climbing back into the upper 30s. That daily swing causes the steel coils in your springs to contract and then expand, over and over. Each cycle creates microscopic stress in the metal. Over months of New England winter, those tiny stress points compound into fatigue cracks. and eventually, a snap.
This is why late winter and early spring tend to be the peak season for spring failures. By February or March, your springs have already endured months of this punishment. The metal has become more brittle, existing microfractures have widened, and it only takes one more cold morning to push a worn spring past its limit.
The Science Behind the Snap
Garage door torsion springs are made of tightly wound hardened steel, and they're under enormous tension at all times. Your door can weigh anywhere from 130 to over 300 pounds, and the springs do the heavy lifting. your opener just guides the movement.
When temperatures drop, steel contracts and becomes less flexible. A spring that's already near the end of its service life becomes significantly more brittle in freezing conditions. Add in the fact that cold weather can turn standard lubricant into a thick, sluggish coating that increases friction and forces the springs to work even harder, and you have a recipe for failure. This is especially relevant in older Holliston homes. the antique colonials and Cape Cods around town that were built with early single-layer steel doors and minimal weatherproofing.
Standard builder-grade springs are typically rated for around 10,000 cycles. At three to five door uses per day, that works out to roughly 7,10 years under ideal conditions. Holliston's climate is not ideal conditions. If you have a busy household. kids in and out for school, multiple drivers, a home office where you're coming and going. those cycles add up faster than you'd expect.
Warning Signs to Watch Before It Breaks
Springs rarely fail completely without giving a few hints first. Keep an eye. and an ear. out for these:
- A loud bang from the garage, even when no one is using the door (a spring snapping under tension) - The door only lifts a few inches before the opener strains and stops - Jerky or uneven movement as the door goes up - Visible gaps or separation in the coil when you look at the spring mounted above the door - Squeaking or grinding sounds that weren't there before - The door feels unusually heavy when you try to lift it manually
If you're seeing any of these signs, it's worth getting an inspection scheduled before the spring fails entirely. Check our FAQ page for answers to common questions about spring inspection and when replacement is warranted.
Should You Replace One Spring or Both?
This is one of the most common questions homeowners ask. If your door has two torsion springs (which most two-car garage doors do), and one breaks, you should replace both at the same time. The surviving spring has endured the exact same wear and weather exposure as the one that just failed. Replacing only one means you're likely to get a call-back in weeks or months when the second one goes. Replacing both ensures even tension across the door and gives you a fresh start on the cycle count for the whole system.
When replacing springs on older Holliston homes, it's also worth discussing high-cycle spring upgrades with your technician. High-cycle springs are rated for 20,000 to 30,000 cycles or more. roughly double or triple the lifespan of standard springs. For a home in a climate like ours, that upgrade often pays for itself.
What Not to Do
We'll be direct here: do not attempt to replace torsion springs yourself. This isn't the same category of task as changing a battery or swapping weatherstripping. Torsion springs are under hundreds of pounds of stored tension. If a spring uncoils while you're working on it, the force released can cause serious injury. It requires specialized winding bars, proper technique, and experience with calibrating the right spring for your door's weight and size. If you're looking for what you *can* handle yourself, lubricating the springs, rollers, and hinges with a silicone-based spray (not WD-40, which is actually a degreaser) a couple of times a year is a legitimate maintenance task that slows wear.
For everything else, get in touch with our team and let us handle the rest safely.
Prepping for Next Winter
If your springs are seven or more years old, fall is the ideal time for a professional inspection. before the cold sets in and before garage door companies are slammed with emergency calls. A quick checkup can identify worn springs, allow for lubrication of all moving parts, and confirm your door is properly balanced. A door that's out of balance forces the opener motor to work harder than it should, accelerating wear on multiple components at once.
Homeowners in Framingham and Natick face the same seasonal spring stress we see throughout this part of MetroWest. none of us escape a New England winter. The difference is whether you're caught off guard at 7 a.m. on a cold Tuesday, or whether you've already handled it. Explore our full range of services to see what a preventive inspection covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I know if my garage door spring is broken versus just a problem with the opener? A: Disconnect the opener and try to lift the door manually. If it's extremely heavy or nearly impossible to lift more than a foot or two, the spring is likely broken. not the opener. A working door with functional springs should lift with relatively little effort from about waist height.
Q: Is it safe to use my garage door with a broken spring? A: No. Operating the opener with a broken spring forces the motor to carry the full weight of the door, which can burn out the motor and damage cables and drums. Keep the door in the closed position and call for service before using it again.
Q: How long does a spring replacement typically take? A: For a standard single or double-car garage door, a professional spring replacement is usually completed in under an hour, including a balance test and safety check at the end.