Anytime garage door springs break the spring has reached the end of its life. Torsion springs (Torsion springs are tubular and attach to metal pole above door opening) are rated by cycles. (Cycles: 1 cycle is equal to a garage door opening and closing one time.) Most torsion springs are rated between 10000 and 15000 cycles)

Obviously you can’t count how many times your door goes up and down. A good estimate is about 5 to 10 years depending on how many times a day you use your garage door. If your garage is used for storage and you open it only twice a month than the springs can go past 10 years. I have seen some springs last almost 30 years.

There are telling tales signs that a spring is about to break. But when they do and you are anywhere near the garage – you will definitely hear it. It’s about as loud as a shotgun