2026-03-14 7 min read
If you've ever walked into your garage on a frigid Goshen morning and found the door completely unresponsive, there's a good chance your springs are to blame. It's one of the most common service calls we see every winter. and it's no coincidence. Goshen, NH sits on the backside of Mount Sunapee, and the climate here is genuinely punishing on mechanical hardware. January average lows hover around 13°F, and snow covers the ground roughly 82 days per year. That's not just cold. that's the kind of sustained, deep cold that quietly works against your garage door springs all season long.
Garage door springs. whether torsion springs mounted above the door or extension springs running along the sides. are made of tightly coiled steel. Steel contracts when temperatures drop, and that contraction adds extra tension to coils that may already be under significant stress from normal daily use. When that steel also becomes more brittle in the cold, the combination can be the last straw for a spring that's been quietly aging.
What makes Goshen's winters especially hard on springs isn't just how cold it gets. it's the repeated freeze-thaw cycling. A day might start at 15°F and climb toward 40°F by afternoon, only to plunge again overnight. Each of those swings forces the metal to expand and contract, accumulating microscopic fatigue damage with every cycle. By late February or early March, springs that seemed fine in October are working on borrowed time.
Most torsion springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles. one open and one close counts as one cycle. If your door gets used twice a day and you've lived in your home for seven or more years without a spring replacement, the math is not in your favor heading into another Goshen winter.
Springs rarely fail without giving a few hints first. Here's what to pay attention to:
- The door feels unusually heavy when you lift it manually. This is a strong indicator that a spring is failing or already broken. - Popping or creaking sounds during operation. these indicate metal stress building up in the coils. - Jerky, uneven movement as the door opens, especially if one side seems to lag behind the other. - A visible gap in the spring coil above the door. A broken torsion spring will often show a clear separation. - The door closes faster than normal. with a weakened spring, the door can drop quickly, which is a genuine safety hazard.
If you're seeing any of these signs and you're heading into a stretch of cold nights, don't wait it out. Getting stuck with a broken spring on a January morning. whether you're trying to get to work in Newport or heading to Claremont for errands. is a problem you can avoid entirely.
One of the most effective things you can do yourself is keep your springs properly lubricated. Standard lubricants thicken in cold weather and can actually make things worse. Use a silicone-based spray or white lithium grease. not standard WD-40, which will evaporate quickly and leave the metal unprotected. Apply a light coat to the spring coils, rollers, and hinges in the fall before temperatures drop, and again mid-winter if you notice any stiffness.
Disconnect your opener and lift the door manually to about waist height, then let go. A properly balanced door should stay in place or drift only slightly. If it falls or shoots upward, the spring tension is off and the system needs professional adjustment. Check out our full garage door services to understand what a professional tune-up actually covers.
This part is non-negotiable. Garage door springs are under extreme tension. enough to cause serious injury if they snap or uncoil while you're working on them. This is strictly a job for a trained technician with the right tools. If you suspect a problem, the safest move is to call for an inspection before the spring fails completely. You can book a service visit with Garage Door Goshen and we'll assess whether your springs are due for replacement before they leave you stranded.
If your garage is attached to your house, even a modest amount of insulation can make a real difference. Keeping the garage temperature even a few degrees above freezing helps maintain the metal's flexibility and reduces the severity of overnight contraction. We cover this more in our guide on preparing your garage door for storm season, which is worth a read before the next cold snap.
If your springs are approaching that 7,10 year mark, or if you've already had one spring replaced (springs typically fail in pairs over time), it's worth having a professional assess both springs at once. Replacing them proactively is significantly less expensive and disruptive than an emergency call on a Sunday morning in February. The homes around Goshen. from the gambrel farmhouses on the rural roads to the newer builds near Gunnison Lake. all put their garage doors through the same tough New England winters. The ones that avoid emergency repairs are the ones with homeowners who stay ahead of maintenance.
Q: How do I know if my garage door spring is broken and not just stiff from the cold? A: Disconnect your opener and try to lift the door manually. If it feels extremely heavy. like it weighs hundreds of pounds. you likely have a broken spring. A stiff door from cold will still move with reasonable effort. You can also look above the door for a visible gap or split in the torsion spring coil.
Q: Can I use my garage door with a broken spring? A: Technically sometimes yes, but it's not safe. Without a functioning spring, your opener is forced to lift the full weight of the door, which can burn out the motor. The door can also drop suddenly. Stop using the door and call a technician.
Q: How long do garage door springs typically last in a cold climate like Goshen's? A: Most springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles. With daily use, that works out to roughly 7,10 years. Cold climates with repeated freeze-thaw cycles can accelerate wear, so springs here in Goshen may reach the end of their lifespan closer to the lower end of that range. Check out our FAQ page for more common questions about spring lifespan and maintenance.