Garage Door Cable Repair
Find out how much your garage door cable repair costs.
“Are all garage door cables the same?”
No, not all garage door cables are the same. Garage doors require specific cables based on a couple factors. The Type of spring system and the height of the door must be taken into account when it comes to garage door cable replacement.
Types Of Garage Door Lift Cables We Repair
Torsion Cables
Torsion cables are used on torsion spring systems. The springs are what keeps the tension on the cables. As the garage door opens the cable wraps around the drums as the springs unwind. If a garage door did not have cables it would be extremely heavy and impossible for a garage door opener to move. Torsion cables are required to be a specific length based on the height of the door. This is essential for the door to be balanced correctly.
Extension cables
Extension cables are used on extension spring systems. In an extension spring system the springs stretch front to back over top of the horizontal tracks. All garage doors are counter balance systems and extension springs are no different. The advantage to this system is it can be used with garages that have less ceiling height. Instead of drums the cables work by running over a set of pulleys on each side. Like a torsion spring system the length of the cables is important to properly balancing the door.
safety cable
Finally, some garage doors have safety cables. These are used on garage doors with extension springs, but not on a garage door with a torsion spring. A safety cable is a cable is a cable that runs through the center of an extension spring, that way when the spring breaks the spring will stay on the cable. Without safety cables all of the spring tension is released at one time if a spring or extension cable breaks. This will cause the extension spring to go flying across your garage.
Why do garage cables come off?
Garage door cables come off of the cable drum for a few reasons. Every time a garage doo cable comes off it is because there was a lack of tension. The most common reason is because the garage door system was in motion when something got in the way. When the garage door is closed on something this is going to cause slack in the cable on that side. So one side of the door will hang low and the other side will jump up. This can cause the entire door to go off track by popping the roller(s) out on the the floor.
Another reason that a door cable will come off is from a broken spring . If your door has a single torsion spring instead of two springs, when it breaks, like all garage door spring do , then there will be no tension on the cable. This can cause the cables to come off of the cable drum. If you have a broken spring and the cables come off the spring will need to be replace before the cables can hold tension again.
A heavy doo is another reason cable break/ Garage doo spring that are weak or incorrectly sized may also cause a broken cable. Your garage door is a counter balance system, so when the door is too heavy that puts unnecessary strain on the cables. Over time this will cause your garage door cables to fray and snap.
How Do you fix a garage door cable?
Call AllGood Garage Door Company. We take the headache of the repair.
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Garage door cable snapped
Have you had a garage door cable break? We understand a broken garage door cable can throw a big wrench in your plans for the day. It may be tempting to try and change the old cable yourself. However this is a fix for a garage door repair company. Even if you know where to buy the new cable and know the correct cable length it is not a DIY home home improvement project. Even if you have the correct tools, such as winding bars, and locking pliers. Without experience it is not a great idea, where it may seem cost effective on one hand, on the other end you do not know the proper safety precautions to take in order to avoid injury. The cable is party of the spring system , and many times in order to replace them you will need to release tension from the springs . Even removing the bottom bracket from the door to replace the old cable with a new cable is dangerous. Leave this service to the pros.
Can you manually open a garage door with a broken cable?
If you have a broken garage door cable, you will most likely not be able to get your door open. Your door is designed to have both garage door springs working at the same time. With one cable off the second spring is not working at all. This will cause most garage doors to open unevenly. This will also require the lifting force to be doubled.
On a small very light weight door you may be able to get the door to open, but if you use the garage door opener to do this and you do it numerous times you will cause excessive wear on the garage doo opener. When cables break it is best to leave the door where it is at ( to minimize damage and possible injury. As a garage door company this is one of the most common problems we deal with, so let us handle the problem. We will fix your door, install replacement cables and service the door.
Why any repairs that have to do with a Garage door spring should be left to a pro
In the age of YouTube, it is easy to find a video showing garage door repairs. Everything from maintenance to changing springs. There are always things you cannot see though. Like what parts did they edit out of the video, the crucial step they just skimmed right over or all together skipped. Some of these videos may be made by a pro. However, most of them are not. They are made by homeowners that want a YouTube channel to take off.
It is true not all services for doors require a pro. There are many that we teach to our customers everyday. From maintenance to safety eye alignment, remote programming etc. Matter of fact, we want you to handle the small things so you only need us for the big things. Most homeowners do not have a copy of their owners manual for their garage door opener. If you don’t, download it from the internet, by googling the manufacturer plus the model number and manual. Consulting the owners manual can save you time and money both. We love this because it saves us time and money as well.
However, when it comes to doing any repair that has to do with springs (like cables ) it should be left to a pro. Safety is the main reason. The other big reason is, without the full understanding of how your garage door actually works, there is a big chance you will make the problem worse. We see this all the time with a cable off, or a door off track. The repairs look easy to a do it yourself kind of guy, but what almost always happens is they send the door more off track causing a more serious problem and sometimes even destroying the door. We as a garage door company make life easier, saving you time and most likely money.
Worst case scenarios for anyone that attempts a repair involving the springs, is a trip to the emergency room. It is very possible to lose a finger in the process, if you think the garage door man is expensive, go talk to an emergency room surgeon. Guess who is cheaper? That’s right, us.