Heat and dust are hard on torsion springs. Here is why Las Vegas springs fail faster, and how to make them last.

If you have lived in the valley a while, you have probably had a garage door spring snap, usually with a bang that sounds like a gunshot. It is the single most common garage door failure we see, and Las Vegas is harder on springs than most places. Here is why.

Springs wear by cycles, not years

A torsion spring is rated for a number of open-close cycles, commonly 10,000 on a builder-grade door. Open and close the door four times a day and that is roughly seven years. Use it more, and it is less. The spring does not care about the calendar, it cares about how many times it has wound and unwound.

Heat fatigues the steel

Our summer temperature swings are brutal on metal. The garage heats up during the day and cools at night, and that repeated expansion and contraction fatigues the spring steel faster than it would in a mild climate. A spring that might last a decade in San Diego can give out years sooner here.

Dust gets into everything

Fine valley dust works into the spring coils, the bearings, and the rollers, increasing friction and wear. A dry, dusty spring degrades faster than a clean, lubricated one.

How to make your springs last

Two things help a lot: upgrade to higher-cycle springs (20,000 or 25,000-cycle) when you replace them, and get a yearly tune-up that lubricates and rebalances the door so the springs are not overworked. Replacing springs in pairs also matters, a mismatched pair wears unevenly.

If your door bangs and won't lift, or feels very heavy by hand, you likely have a broken spring. Do not keep hitting the opener, that can burn out the motor. Give us a call and we will replace it, usually same day.