I have noticed lately several (including mine) garage doors that have needed repair in our neighborhood. One of my springs broke disabeling the garage door using the electric opener. I had both of my springs replaced and discussed the issue with the young man who did the labor. It seems the tension springs that make it easier to raise the door last about 8 years on an average and ours are now about 13 to 14 years old. So it is about time for all of us to expect this expense in the near future if you haven't already had one break. This really isn't a do it yourself fix unless you are qualified. You have to tighten the new springs using rods and clamps to put the tension on the spring and cable and I have heard numerous stories about the rods flying loose and going through walls, windows and people, not a good thing. The two springs cost me about $200 to be installed and I recommend replacing both springs because if you don't the one you don't replace is just a few months away, so save a few bucks and have them both replaced at the same time, I think I used Garage Doors of Indianapolis on the West side, job was done in about 45 minutes. This message is just a heads up so you will know that if your garage door opener is acting up and not opening the door or the door is opening at an angle you might first look at the springs before you screw up your back trying to lift the door manually. Just a preventive maintenance tip, you should have your door serviced or maintained at least every other year. You can look up service hints on line and do this part yourself but this task is primarily lubricating moving parts and checking for loose screws/nuts, roller guides out of line etc. the simple stuff. Pass this information to your neighbors and have them call Affordable to sign up for the Community Notification System vai e-mail, this is the kind of information we could send out that is educational and helpful to us all. JBD