Loud bang from the garage door in Franklin, Tennessee
It probably was a spring breaking. Stay out from under the door and do not use it until someone has looked at it.
Right now
Do
- Keep everyone out from under the door.
- Leave the door where it is, and leave the wall button and remote alone.
- Take a photo from a distance if you can.
- Unplug the opener if you can reach it without standing under the door.
Do not
- Touching the spring, the shaft or the cables, even if they look still.
- Opening the door by hand to check. Without its spring it is very heavy.
- Running the opener to see what happens.
What to look for, from a few feet back
| A gap in the coil above the door | A torsion spring has broken. |
|---|---|
| A spring hanging at the side of the door | An extension spring has let go. Its safety cable may be holding it. |
| A cable loose, kinked or unwound from its drum | The door has lost lift on that side. |
| The door sits crooked or has a gap at one edge | A cable or roller has failed. |
| No visible damage, and the door still moves normally | It may have been something else, such as a cracked panel. Mention it to the contractor anyway. |
Why not just try the door
With a broken spring, lifting by hand or by motor can drop the door, bend the track or burn out the opener. Opener instructions are required to tell you to have a qualified service person repair cables and spring assemblies. That applies to a spring you have only heard, too.
Source: Federal safety standard for garage door openers, 16 CFR Part 1211.
Ready to talk to a contractor?
Call this number and say what the door is doing. The contractor who answers is independent of this site.