Tricks you need to know about Garage Door Cable Repair

The garage door is not like the door found in households.  It is a vertical doorway that needs enough pressure to pull up to open and to pull down for closing. There is a spring attached to the door.

The whole system works like a machine where many wires and cables are connected. If one part stops functioning, the other can’t work. So each part of the system needs to function properly to run the door opening and closing.

The garage door cable is considered a fundamental part because this pull-up and down are impossible without it. If the cable stops working, the door will not be able to function. To repair the garage door cable, here are the solutions.

To repair the garage door cable if it’s not working, here are the solutions..

1.Tools You Will Need to Replace Your Garage Door Cables:

For replacing your garage door cables, you should gather the following tools- 

• Winding bars
• Replacement cables
• Vice grip or locking pliers
• Wrenches
• Ratchet
• Sockets
• Step ladder 
• Work Boots
• Gloves
• Safety glasses 

During working with the cable, be careful from pointed edges and small frays to avoid injury.

2.Parts of a Garage Door System:

A garage door system has ten parts that needs to operate different functions. An overview of each of the sections given below-

1.DOOR OPENER:

The door opener is the most necessary section of a garage door system. It is a box that hangs from the ceiling with a cord. 

It comes with a motor that helps in opening mechanisms.

2.SPRINGS:

Garage doors don’t require a motor to lift the door. It has torsion and extension springs that help to pull up and lower the door

3.DRUMS:

Drums are pulley wheels that are attached to the tube shaft and help the cables to move.

4.CABLES:

Each side of the door has metal lifting cables that connect the opener and the door. The door cables along the drum connect on the door.

The cables wrapped up with the rotation of the drum also lift the door.  

5.TUBE:

The tube shaft is placed above the door and allows the torsion spring to function accurately.

6.TRACKS AND ROLLERS:

Rollers move along the metal tracks to move the door up and down. If you don’t maintain them in the right way,they may crash into the ceiling.

7.BRACKETS AND HINGES:

Brackets attach the door cables and rollers with the sides of the door. This attachment helps in door lifting. The hinges connect the different panels of the door and help them to fold.

8.WEATHER SEALS:

A garage door is designed with weather seals in the sides and bottom of the opening.  

9.SENSOR:

Though garage doors are heavy, they come with photo-eye safety sensors to prevent any accidents.

Eye safety sensor has two sensors-

• One sensor of the photo-eye safety sensors projects a beam of light into the other lens and helps the door function properly.
• The second sensor blocks the beam. So, the door don’t shut often.

10.EMERGENCY CORD: 

An emergency cord is essential for garage safety. It usually hangs from the door operator with a red tag. If any emergency arises in your garage, pull the emergency cord, and it separates the motor.

3.Garage Door Cable Purpose:

Garage door cables help to lift the door up and down accurately. If one cable breaks, it affects the other door cable and fails to lift the door evenly.

They work with torsion and extension springs. While the torsion spring moves the drums, it causes closing the door.

Though the garage door is heavy, it provides lots of pressure on the torsion spring. Replacing a garage door cable is safe.

4.Replacing The Cable:

Be careful while replacing the garage door cable. Before starting, move the cars to prevent accidents. Follow some steps to replace the garage door cable:

First, release the spring tensions.

For stopping the door from closing, use some C clamps on the track below the lowest wheels. You can use a ladder to keep it open.

While working, unplug the door opening.

Then remove the spring and replace the cable.

Join the spring again in the old place.

It’s an easy process. But if you have any doubt, you can call specialists or see the door manual.

5.Why Do Lifting Cables Snap?

The lifting cable is responsible for the mechanism of the door opening and closing. If your door is struggling, it’s a sign that the lifting cables are snapped. 

All the friction from moving up and down causes the cable to snap. When the steel cable operates in excessive moisture of the garage door or pulls faulty bearings, this weakens the lifting cable over time.

Wear, tear, rust, and corrosion happens.

6.Why Your Garage Door Cable is Important?

Garage door cables are important for controlling springs.These cables come with the bottom of each side of the door and help the garage door springs for lifting and lower the door weight. These cables pull off the garage door springs toward the lift or lowering of the door.

7.Signs of Broken Garage Door Cables: 

It is necessary to find out the signs of broken garage door cables. Once you find them, you can repair or replace the broken garage door cable.

Here are the signs of the broken garage door cables-

• Loose cables:

If the garage door cables are loose, it creates problems for torsion springs to function correctly. When the springs break, the door cables slip out from the door.

• A Visible Gap:

Torsion Springs and extension springs handle the weight of the door. When the springs break, a gap is visible on the surface.

• Crooked Garage Door:

Broken garage door extension springs cause crooked garage door. Hence, you do not solve this problem, the garage door will be stuck on the tracks.

• Garage Door Is Heavy:

If a garage door seems heavy, it means the door extension spring has broken. It gives us reminders that the garage door cable is damaged and needs maintenance.

• Opens only about six Inches:

The torsion spring helps to support the weight of the garage door. If the door opened six inches only, the safety system alerts the whole garage door system. 

• Loud Banging from Your Garage:

If one torsion springs break, a loud noise will come from your garage door. Unwind spring will also create a loud noise. 

8.Types of Garage Door Cables:

Three types of garage door cables can be found in the market. They provide the same performance but in a little different manner. Let’s have a look-

• Torsion Spring Cables:

The torsion spring cables are attached to the bottom corners of the garage door. It helps to lift the garage door. When the torsion spring cables have broken, springs can’t unwind, and the door remains shut.

• Extension Spring Cables:

The extension spring cables are attached with a pulley at the bottom corners of a garage door and help to lift the door. A broken extension spring cable prevents a door from opening.

• Safety Cables:

Safety cables are attached with the door track and hold the broken door spring in the air. Thus, they help to prevent damages.

Frequently Asked Question(With 3 Examples)

Final Verdict:

The garage door goes up-and-down, and then down-and-up, many times in a day. Because of the heavyweight of the door, wear-and-tear happens. Garage door cable plays a vital role in lifting and lowering the large door. So, choose a garage door cable that has energy efficiency. Always make time for the maintenance and repairs of the door cable to get a proper door function.

If you find any problem with the garage door cable, you will need to perform repairs. Before repairing, open the garage door fully and released the torsion springs. Ensure all safety-catch features if you want to do this by yourself.

In this article, we enlighten you with a vast knowledge of garage door cable repair. Now, you can repair your garage door cables confidently. If you are still not confident, contact a pro-garage door service company. They assist you to repair or replace the door cables.