Garage Door Cable Repair
Lift cables replaced on both sides, wound evenly on the drums and set so the bottom of the door meets the floor level again.
Two steel lift cables carry the door up and down, one at each bottom corner, and each runs up to a drum on the spring shaft or over a pulley, depending on the system. Once one frays, parts or climbs off its drum, the door cocks sideways, wedges in the track or sags on one end. The cables are loaded by the springs even when the door is closed, so cable work is never a quick do-it-yourself job.
We take the spring tension out of the system safely, replace the cable on both sides, re-seat each one in the drum groove with the correct number of wraps, and look for what caused the failure: a broken spring that let the cable go slack, a worn drum, a rusted bottom bracket, or an impact from a bumper. Fixing only the cable would leave the cause waiting to repeat.
Signs of a Failing Lift Cable
- The bottom edge sits crooked, with one corner off the floor
- A cable is frayed, kinked or hanging loose
- A cable has jumped off the drum
- The door jerks or catches as it travels
- Broken strands or rust at the bottom bracket
- The door jams partway after a spring breaks
Salt, Moisture and Steel Cable
A lift cable is braided steel, so it has many small gaps where moisture can sit, and on a barrier island that moisture carries salt. The damage starts where it is hardest to see: inside the strands, at the bottom fitting near the floor, and on the drum. Sea-spray chlorides break down the protective zinc layer, so galvanized cable and fittings near the floor are the first parts to rust. A cable can look sound on the outside and still be weak within, which is why we pull and inspect the old cable, the bottom bracket and the drum groove instead of trusting the surface.
How We Handle It
Take the load off
We lock the door in place and bleed off the spring force first, so no cable is handled while it is still loaded.
Replace both cables
Cables are replaced on both sides, so the door pulls evenly and neither side is weaker than the other.
Re-seat the drums
Each cable is wound into its drum groove with the right wraps and checked for even tension.
Find the cause
Bottom brackets, drums, rollers and springs are inspected so the failure does not repeat.
Cable Drum, Spring and Balance Work
