Garage Door Cable Replacement
Are the cables broken on your garage door? The cables are an important piece of equipment that ensures smooth and efficient operation of your garage door. Depending on your garage door spring system, there are a few different cable configurations, cable lengths, and cable sizes.
Garage Door Cable Replacement and Repair Dangers
Garage door cables can be a very dangerous part of the door to replace or repair without the proper training and tools. The cables are typically under incredible amounts of tension, and therefore, must be handled with care by a trained professional. For safety reasons, we highly recommend that when faced with a broken garage door cable, contact your local and professional garage door repair company.
Types of Garage Door Cables
Depending on the spring system present on your garage door, different cables will be required.
Torsion spring systems located horizontally on a bar above the door, most commonly have cables that are looped at one end and have a crimped stop at the other end. The crimped stop end of the cable is secured at the drum, while the looped end of the cable is secured to the fixture at the bottom of the door. The cable wraps around the drum as the door moves upward, and unwraps from the drum as the door moves downward.
Extension spring systems which stretch down both sides of the track, require safety cables and lift cables. Safety cables are the most important component of any extension spring door. A broken spring or cable on an extension spring door without safety cables can cause serious harm. Safety cables run through the extension springs to prevent any damage or injury if the spring were to snap. Lift cables are also necessary on extension spring doors. These connect from the bottom fixture, up through a pulley, then to the extension spring, and ultimately are secured back to the track.
Regardless of the system, while the spring provides the power to open the door, the cables hold the weight as the garage door moves upward and downward. When a cable breaks, your door becomes inoperable and needs to be repaired in order for it to function properly once again.
What can go wrong with your garage door cables?
While garage door cables are made of metal and designed to be strong, they also remain flexible to wrap around drums or be pulled repeatedly through a pulley system. With that said, garage door cables are not resistant to breaking.
Just like other moving parts, garage door cables take on wear and tear. Over a period of time, the cables can weaken and eventually break. You should inspect your garage door cables several times a year for damage. At the first sign of any fraying, a professional garage door repair company should be called for replacement. Another major cause for broken cables is rust. Rust can corrode the cable, and unless replaced, make your garage door inoperable.
Should your garage door become unlevel, inspect the cables. In case of a torsion spring setup, it’s common to see that the cable has wrapped around the drum incorrectly and become jammed. This will cause one side of the door to catch while being lowered. In other cases, cables may become completely unwound from the drum and need to be reconnected. Keep in mind, reattaching the cables is a dangerous task given the extreme tension the spring is under. In the case of an extension spring setup, inspect the pulleys. When these become warn out, the cables will not slide smoothly and the door may become stuck or uneven. In this instance, the pulleys may need replaced.
Leave This Repair To The Professionals
If you find yourself with a broken garage door cable, it is suggested not to use the door. Opening and closing your garage door with a broken cable could cause more damage to the door, resulting in a more costly repair. Call your local Overhead Door Company™ for professional garage door cable repair services.