Your garage door just failed — maybe a spring snapped with a bang, maybe the door is stuck half-open, maybe it is crooked in the tracks. Help is on the way, but what should you do right now? Here is your safety checklist while you wait for the technician.
1. Keep everyone away from the door
A door with a broken spring or cable is holding unpredictable tension. Keep kids, pets and curious helpers clear of the opening — especially under a door stuck partway up.
2. Do not operate the opener
Running the motor against a broken spring can burn it out and strip the trolley — turning one repair into two. Unplug the opener or leave it untouched.
3. Do not try to force the door
Prying a jammed door, or lifting a spring-broken door by hand, causes most of the injuries we hear about. A standard double door weighs well over 100 kg — without its spring, that weight is all yours.
4. If the door is stuck open, secure the opening
Move valuables out of sight, and if you must leave, block the opening with a vehicle where practical. Let the technician know it is a security situation — at Pro Entry, stuck-open doors get priority dispatch.
5. Take photos for the technician
A quick photo of the spring area above the door, the cables at each side, and the overall door position helps us confirm the right parts are on the truck before we arrive.
6. Clear the driveway
A clear workspace in front of the door shaves real time off the repair.
Making the door safe while you wait
If a spring has snapped or a cable has come off, the door is no longer balanced and it can drop. Leave it in whatever position it is in, keep people and cars away from underneath it, and unplug the opener so nobody presses a button by reflex. If the door is stuck open and you need to secure the garage, do not try to lower it by hand; a 16-foot door with a broken spring weighs more than two people can safely control. Lock the interior door to the house instead and wait for the technician.
If a car is trapped inside
This is the most common reason for an emergency call and there is often a safe way out. If the door is closed and the opener is dead, the manual release lets you lift a balanced door by hand. If the door is closed and a spring is broken, the door will be far too heavy to lift safely and you should not try. If the door is partly open and jammed, do not force it up or down. Tell us the situation when you call: it changes what the technician brings and how fast we prioritise it.
What to have ready when the technician arrives
Clear the space under the door and along both sides of the track so the technician can work. Move anything stored against the wall near the springs. If you have the opener’s model number, or a photo of the label, it saves a trip to the truck. Know roughly when the door was installed and whether the springs have ever been replaced, because that tells us whether the second spring is likely close behind the first. Most emergency repairs are completed on the first visit with parts carried on the truck.
What happens when we arrive
Your technician inspects the full system, explains what failed and why, and gives you an upfront price before touching a tool — the service call is free with any repair. Most spring, cable and track repairs are completed the same visit.
Garage door emergency right now? Pro Entry Garage Doors runs 24/7 emergency repair across Burlington and the GTA: 416-666-6745.