Garage door it is far too heavy to lift by hand
This is almost always a the springs are broken or badly under-tensioned. Repair costs $220 to $580 and takes 60 to 90 minutes. Safe to operate: No.
Check this first — it may cost you nothing
You have already done the test. A door that is very heavy by hand has failed springs — do not run the opener, which will strain against the same weight.
Why this happens
A balanced door feels like 10 to 15 pounds by hand regardless of its real weight, because the springs carry the rest. If it feels like the full 150 to 400 pounds, the counterbalance is gone.
Pull the release, lift by hand: a balanced door floats at waist height. One that fights you has lost its counterbalance — that is spring work, not opener work.
Less likely, but possible
- One of a pair of springs broken, halving the counterbalance
- Springs undersized for the door when it was installed
- A cable off its drum, which unloads the spring on that side
What happens if I ignore it?
Every opener cycle from here strains the motor against a load it was never designed for. That is how a spring job becomes a spring and opener job.
The repair: spring repair
Garage door torsion spring replacement costs $220 to $580 for a pair, including parts and labor, and takes 60 to 90 minutes. A broken spring makes the door unsafe to operate — the opener cannot lift the weight without it.
Read the full spring repair guide →Get a tech dispatched
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