2026-04-18 7 min read
If you've lived in Ferndale for more than a summer or two, you already know what the humidity does to things. Wood swells. Paint peels. And garage door springs. those tightly wound metal coils doing the heavy lifting every time you leave the house. rust out far faster than the manufacturer ever intended.
Ferndale sits in Lake County, right along the northern shore of Lake Apopka. That proximity to open water means moisture hangs in the air almost year-round. Add in the afternoon thunderstorms that roll through from June through October, and you've got a metal component living in a near-constant state of wet-and-dry cycling. That's the fastest way to corrode steel.
Garage door springs are under enormous tension. often hundreds of pounds of force at any given moment. That tension creates microscopic stress points in the metal surface where moisture can penetrate. In a dry climate, this wouldn't be a major issue. In Ferndale, where summer heat index values regularly push past 100°F and thunderstorms are practically a daily occurrence from July through September, those stress points become rust nucleation sites.
Torsion springs (the horizontal coils mounted above the door) are the most common type on the ranch-style and newer construction homes you'll find throughout Ferndale and over toward Clermont. Because they sit inside the garage. often an unconditioned space. they're constantly exposed to whatever humidity is coming in under the door, through gaps in weatherstripping, or simply from the ambient air.
Extension springs (the long springs running parallel to the horizontal tracks on each side) face the same problem and have the added risk of flying apart violently if they snap. Both types rust, but both fail differently.
You don't need to be a technician to catch early corrosion. Here's what to look for during a quick visual check:
- Orange or reddish discoloration on the coils. surface rust you can see - Gritty texture when you run a dry cloth along the spring - Squeaking or grinding when the door moves, especially in the morning after a humid night - Uneven door movement. one side dragging or the door appearing lopsided as it opens - A loud bang from the garage. that's often a spring that's already failed
If you're hearing that grinding noise, don't ignore it. A rusted spring that hasn't broken yet is still a weakened spring. It may hold for weeks, or it may snap the next time you hit the remote. Our services page covers spring inspection and replacement if you want to know what a professional evaluation looks like.
Ferndale homeowners. and folks in nearby Tavares and Mount Dora. deal with something slightly different from coastal Florida. You're not getting salt air, but you are getting sustained high humidity from the chain of lakes that define this part of Lake County. Lake Apopka alone covers over 30,000 acres and generates significant moisture evaporation, especially on warm evenings.
That ground-level humidity is often worse than a quick rainstorm because it lingers. Springs that get wet from a thunderstorm and then dry out quickly in direct sun actually fare better than springs sitting in a garage that stays at 80% relative humidity for days at a stretch. Older homes in Ferndale. some dating back to the early 1900s. often have garages with minimal insulation and ventilation, which makes this problem worse.
The good news is that rust acceleration is largely manageable with the right habits.
Use a dedicated garage door lubricant. not WD-40, which is a solvent that actually strips protective oil from metal over time. Products like 3-in-1 Garage Door Lube or LiftMaster's silicone spray form a protective barrier against moisture. Apply it to the coils of the spring, working it in by cycling the door a few times. Do this before summer hits and again in October before the weather cools.
For more on what a full maintenance routine looks like, check out our post on preparing your garage door for hot weather. it covers lubrication alongside several other Florida-specific tips.
If your garage has no windows or vents, humidity has nowhere to go. Even a basic louvered vent installed in a side wall can meaningfully reduce the moisture level inside. If your garage is attached to the house, a door sweep on the interior door also helps prevent conditioned air from escaping and warm humid air from creeping in.
When it's time to replace springs, ask specifically about galvanized springs or springs with a factory-applied oil-finish coating. These cost slightly more but are engineered to resist rust in high-humidity climates. For Ferndale homeowners, the modest price difference is almost always worth it. Contact us to ask about the spring options we stock for Lake County homes.
This is worth saying plainly: garage door spring replacement is one of the most dangerous DIY tasks a homeowner can attempt. Torsion springs store enough energy to cause serious injury when they release. Even if you can find a video online that makes it look simple, the risk isn't worth it. Call a professional. it typically takes under an hour and the cost is reasonable compared to an ER visit.
Standard springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles. If you use your garage door twice a day, that's roughly 13,14 years. In Ferndale's climate, plan for the lower end of that range, especially if your garage isn't climate-controlled. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000,30,000 cycles are available and make particular sense here. the higher upfront cost is offset by fewer replacements over the life of your home.
Garage Door Ferndale has seen plenty of springs come out of Lake County garages that were barely 7,8 years old but looked like they'd been submerged. The humidity here is real, and it compounds with every storm season.
Q: Can I just paint my garage door springs to prevent rust?
A: It's not recommended. Regular paint doesn't adhere well to the tight coils of a torsion spring, and any paint that does stick can flake off and interfere with the spring's movement. Proper lubrication and galvanized springs are more effective solutions.
Q: My spring broke and now my door won't open. Is it safe to try to open it manually?
A: You can use the manual release cord to disengage the opener, but be careful. a door with a broken spring is extremely heavy and can fall quickly. If the door is only open a few inches, don't risk it. Call for service before trying to move the door yourself.
Q: How do I know if I have torsion springs or extension springs?
A: Look above the door when it's closed. If you see a single horizontal coil mounted to a bar running across the top of the opening, that's a torsion spring. If you see long springs running along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door, those are extension springs. Both need regular lubrication in Ferndale's climate.