Why Mountain View's Wet Winters Are Hard on Garage Door Springs (And What to Do About It)
2026-03-31 7 min read
Mountain View doesn't get the brutal winters you'd find in, say, the Midwest. no frozen pipes, no road salt, no blizzards. But if you own a home here and haven't thought much about your garage door springs lately, the season we just came through may have done more quiet damage than you realize. Here's why.
The Real Culprit: Moisture, Not Cold
Mountain View has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. summers are warm and dry, while winters are cool and wet. February is historically the city's most humid month, and those weeks of persistent Bay Area fog and rain don't just dampen your driveway. Moisture condenses on cold metal spring coils overnight and evaporates during the day, running a constant wet-dry cycle that promotes rust from the inside out.
Unlubricated springs are especially vulnerable. Dust and debris cling to the coils, trap that moisture against the metal, and rust formation accelerates. Over thousands of open-and-close cycles, the wire develops tiny stress fractures. You won't see them. until one morning you press the opener button and hear a sound like a gunshot from inside the garage.
For Mountain View homeowners, the risk is compounded by something most people don't think about: usage rate. This is a commuter city. Many households use the garage as their primary entrance and exit every single day, adding up to four or more cycles daily. That kind of schedule burns through standard spring life faster than the manufacturer's rating assumes.
What the Warning Signs Actually Look Like
Garage door springs rarely give you a dramatic warning. More often, the door just starts feeling slightly "off" before it fails completely. Watch for:
- The door feels heavier than usual when you try to lift it manually. springs counterbalance the door's weight, so a weakening spring means more effort - Uneven movement. one side rises faster than the other, or the door tilts when in motion - Slower-than-normal operation. the opener motor strains and the door moves sluggishly - Visible gaps in the spring coil. a stretched or partially broken torsion spring will show a gap along the coil above your door - A loud bang from the garage. if you hear this and the door suddenly won't open, the spring has already broken
If your door opens unevenly or slams down unexpectedly, that's not a minor quirk. Those symptoms indicate spring tension loss and are a safety issue, not just an inconvenience. Don't keep using the door. contact a technician before someone gets hurt.
Torsion vs. Extension Springs: What You Have Matters
Most homes in Mountain View built after the mid-1970s use torsion springs. the horizontal spring(s) mounted on a metal rod above the door opening. Older homes, including some of the beloved mid-century ranches and Eichler-inspired homes in the Monta Loma neighborhood, sometimes still have extension springs. the long springs that run along the horizontal tracks on either side.
Torsion springs generally last longer and fail more safely (they stay on the rod when they break). Extension springs, when they snap, can whip free if there's no safety cable threaded through them. If your home has extension springs without safety cables, that's worth addressing during your next service visit regardless of the spring's age.
Standard springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles. roughly 7 to 10 years for an average household. High-cycle springs can last 15 to 20 years and are worth the upgrade, especially in a high-usage Bay Area home.
A Practical Maintenance Routine for Mountain View Homes
You don't need to be handy to do most of this. These are simple habits:
Lubricate twice a year. Apply white lithium grease or silicone-based spray to the full length of the spring coils, the hinges, and the metal rollers. Do this in the fall before the wet season starts, and again in spring. Don't use WD-40. it's a solvent, not a lubricant, and it strips the protective coating off the spring metal rather than protecting it.
Test the balance manually. Disconnect the opener (pull the red cord), then lift the door by hand to about waist height and let go. It should stay in place. If it drops or rises on its own, the springs are out of balance and need adjustment by a professional.
Check the weatherstripping. Damaged bottom seals and side seals let moisture into the garage directly onto the spring assembly. Replacing worn weatherstripping is cheap and protects far more than just the floor.
Schedule a tune-up after each rainy season. Late winter through early spring. right about now. is the ideal time. A technician can check spring tension, spot early rust, and catch wear before it becomes a failure. See our full list of services to understand what a professional tune-up includes.
Cities like Sunnyvale and Los Altos face the same Bay Area moisture patterns, and homeowners across the South Bay tend to underestimate this problem until a spring breaks on a weekday morning with nowhere to park. Plan ahead. a proactive service call costs a fraction of an emergency repair.
When Both Springs Need to Go
If one torsion spring breaks, replace both at the same time. Springs are installed as a matched pair and run the same number of cycles. When one fails, the other is typically within days or weeks of failure. Replacing only the broken spring guarantees another service call shortly after. and often another emergency.
Have questions about your specific setup? The FAQ page covers common spring questions, or you can call the team at Garage Door Company Mountain View for a straight answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I lubricate my garage door springs in Mountain View?
Twice a year is the standard recommendation. once before the rainy season (October) and once in spring (March or April). Given Mountain View's wet winters and February humidity peaks, the pre-season fall lubrication is especially important. Use white lithium grease or a silicone-based spray. Never use WD-40.
My garage door is slow but still opens. Does that mean the spring is failing?
Not necessarily, but it's a warning sign worth taking seriously. Slow operation can mean the spring is losing tension, the opener motor is straining, or the rollers and hinges need lubrication. Test the balance manually: disconnect the opener and lift the door to waist height. If it doesn't stay put, call a technician for a tension check.
Do I really need to replace both springs if only one broke?
Yes. Both springs run the same number of cycles and experience the same wear. When one breaks, the other is almost always near failure. Replacing just one means you'll likely face another breakdown. and another service call. within weeks. Most professionals will replace both during the same visit.