Lower Keys
Extension Spring Repair in Key West
Extension spring repair is for the long coils that stretch beside the horizontal track. They are common on older single-car doors, and a broken one looks like a loose coil above the car. The safety cable running through that coil is what keeps a break from throwing the spring. Color bands on the coil are not a full specification for ordering the replacement. A torsion cone does not repair this layout, because the spring is not on a shaft over the door.
A loose coil above the car
The spring runs forward from a bracket near the door toward the back of the horizontal track. When it breaks, the coil collapses into a loose pile and the door gets suddenly heavy on that side. You may see the safety cable still threaded through where the coil used to be stretched. A door that suddenly pulls hard to one side while opening often has one of these springs gone.
Leave the coils parked and untouched
Park the door fully and keep people clear, because the remaining spring is still under strong pull. Do not touch the coils, the pulleys, or the safety cable, and never unhook a still stretched spring. Never touch the set screws on any torsion hardware that may share the whole opening. A careful look from the floor is enough to see a loose coil, and the stretch stays as it is.
Safety cable pulleys and a matched pair
The repair replaces the broken spring and also checks the safety cable that runs through it. Pulleys and the cable that connects the two sides are inspected then, because a break can nick them. Springs are matched as a pair when one has failed, so the door does not pull to the fresh side. Balance is checked by hand after the new springs are safely on, with the opener disconnected.
Color bands versus the real spring
Painted bands hint at a size, and they are not enough to order from a photo of the coil. Length, stretch, and the door weight decide the spring, and a cone from a torsion door will not fit. The safety cable is a separate part from the coil, and a missing cable is replaced with the spring. Horizontal track that has bent from a flying break is straightened or changed with the hardware.
Extension springs on cottages and stilts
Cottages set on narrow lanes often still have these older side springs on a short single-car opening. Salt air rusts the nearby steel hardware, including the pulleys and the safety cable inside the coil. Some houses are raised and park cars at grade, which leaves those long coils in the open air. Low headroom under a beam crowds that track, and storms or power cuts leave a broken coil alone.
Request this visit.
Call (645) 256-1794 about this door.
We answer any hour Sunday through Friday.
Saturday stays closed.
Keys Door Co is family-owned, local, and insured.
We have worked this coast for over ten years.
Common questions
What does a broken extension spring look like above the parked car?
It looks like a loose coil beside the horizontal track, often with the safety cable still in it. The door feels heavy or pulls to one side because that spring is no longer helping. Leave the coil where it fell and keep people away from the track.
Are the colored bands on the coil enough to order a matching extension spring?
The bands are only a hint, and the door weight and the stretch still have to be known. A photo of those colors still leaves the weight and the stretch to be measured. Both springs are considered together so the door lifts evenly after the repair.
Can a torsion cone or a shaft fix this extension spring system?
A torsion cone and a shaft belong to a different layout above the door. They do not replace a spring that stretches beside the horizontal track. The safety cable, the pulleys, and a matched pair are the parts this repair uses.
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Name the street and whether the door is up, down, or stuck.
- Repairs and replacement parts
- Openers and controls
- New garage doors