How do I maintain my garage door springs?

DASMA, the door manufacturers' association, says to give the door monthly safety checks and maintenance and to book an annual visit from a trained door systems technician. Check the lift cables for fraying, keep springs dry, lubricate them as the door maker's instructions require, and call a professional if the door does not run smoothly, since the spring system may be out of balance. DASMA says spring systems should be repaired only by trained professionals.

Maintenance Guide · Updated 14 November 2026

Spring Maintenance
Extend Their Life

Q: Can maintenance extend garage door spring life?

It helps a spring reach its rating. DASMA's Technical Data Sheet 190 says regular greasing or lubrication of springs, as required in the manufacturer's instructions, will help to maximize spring cycle life, and that rust reduces the effective area of the spring wire. No source we found publishes how many extra years or cycles maintenance adds.

Springs wear out by cycles: a standard spring is rated for about 10,000 opens and closes (see how long garage door springs last). Lubrication and rust checks help a spring reach that rating; no source we found says how many years they add.

Check the door every month

Monthly (DASMA)

DASMA: "you should provide monthly safety checks and maintenance to your garage door system." Look at the springs and cables, and watch the door run.

Look at the lift cables

With the monthly check

DASMA: visually inspect the cables that attach the spring system to the bottom brackets on both sides. Frayed or worn cables are in danger of breaking, and should be replaced only by a trained technician.

Lubricate as your door maker instructs

As the manual says

DASMA's Technical Data Sheet 190: "Regular greasing or lubrication of springs, as required in the manufacturer's instructions, will help to maximize spring cycle life." For squeaky springs, DASMA suggests a spray-on lubricant made for garage doors before calling anyone out.

Keep springs dry and away from corrosives

With the monthly check

DASMA TDS 190: rust reduces the effective area of the spring wire, and corrosion pits can start fatigue cracks that reduce cycle life. Chemicals such as acids containing chlorine can corrode springs.

Notice a door that runs awkwardly

Any time

DASMA: a door that does not go up and down smoothly, even when worked by hand, may have a spring system out of balance, which wears other parts early. Spring systems "should be repaired only by trained professionals", so this is a call-out, not a DIY adjustment.

Book a yearly technician visit

Yearly (DASMA)

DASMA: "an annual visit from a trained door systems technician can keep your door operating safely and smoothly for a long time." Extension springs each need a safety cable through them; if yours have none, DASMA says to call a dealer for a safety inspection. When a spring is replaced on a two-spring door, DASMA says to replace both.

Where these tasks come from

Every task above is from DASMA, the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association: its Safety Tips for Garage Doors and Technical Data Sheet 190, Factors Affecting Spring Cycle Life, both read 14 November 2026. DASMA gives two schedules, monthly checks and a yearly technician visit. It does not name a lubricant or a lubrication interval for springs; it defers to your door maker's instructions, so use the product and schedule in your door's manual.

Why it is worth the time: DASMA's Technical Data Sheet 190 says "Regular greasing or lubrication of springs, as required in the manufacturer's instructions, will help to maximize spring cycle life", and that rust reduces the effective area of the spring wire. A replacement pair of torsion springs is $145 to $520 on our estimate, so every year of spring life you keep is worth having.

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