How to tell if you have a broken spring.

  
Common signs of a failed/broken garage door spring are problems with lifting the door, in the closing or opening movement. If you attempt to open a garage door, and it only goes up just a few inches to maybe a foot and it gets stuck, than you may have a broken garage door spring. To check, you must approach the opening of the garage door, and look to the top while the garage door is in the closed position. You will than notice a large rod running parallel to the ceiling that is harnessing a large, often black, torsion spring system that is bound together in the middle.

The original look should be a solid black spring, it is almost impossible to not notice the broken spring (see gallery for samples). If you have a broken spring, you should not and try to repair it yourself, as the garage door is under an enormous amount of pressure, and if tempered with, may result in an injury or further damage to the garage door. Some other style of garage door springs may be planted on each side of the garage, those are the extension springs and often visible, or make a loud snapping noise upon breakage.

Key notes:

1. Visually inspect for breakage.

2. Hearing a loud pop sound.

3. Door stuck in open/close position.

4. Door opening few inches.