Springs · Mulmur
Garage Door Cable Replacement in Mulmur
Your older door has springs along the tracks, and one cable has slipped off its pulley and dangles slack.
In plain words
Cables are replaced as a pair, and there is a practical reason. Both went on the door together, have made the same number of trips and have sat in the same slush, so when one fails the other is close behind. A new cable beside a stretched one also pulls the door slightly out of level. Fitting two matched cables of the same length and construction lets the technician set the door dead level, tension both sides equally and leave a counterbalance that shares the work evenly for years. It also means one visit rather than two.
How the visit goesYour older door has springs along the tracks, and one cable has slipped off its pulley and dangles slack. The door lifts crooked and needs a shoulder to close, when it used to glide.
Garage Door Cable Replacement
How the visit goes
The drums and their set screws
On a torsion door the cable drum is where most trouble starts or shows. The technician checks that each drum is tight on the shaft and that its set screws have not loosened and let it creep, which shortens the effective cable on that side. The groove is inspected for wear ridges, cracks and burrs that would chew through a new cable, and the slot that holds the cable stop is checked for damage. Where the old cable jumped its groove, the drum is examined for the mark it left and for whether the drum or an obstruction under the door was the cause. A worn drum is replaced with its mate.
Removing the old cables
Each drum's set screws are backed off so the drum spins freely on the shaft, and the old cable is unwound from its groove and the stop slipped out of its slot. At the floor, the loop is lifted off the bottom bracket pin, or the clevis pin and cotter pin are withdrawn where the door uses them. The old cable is kept for a moment to measure against its replacement and to show you the wear that caused the call. On an extension door the cable comes off its pulleys and the adjusting clip at the track hanger. Both sides are stripped before anything new goes on.
A clear threshold
Most cables that jump their drums do so because the door came down on something. Keep the opening clear of bins, bikes and the snow shovel, and in winter clear the ridge of packed snow and ice that forms at the threshold before running the door. If the door does meet an obstruction and stops, leave it where it is rather than pressing the button again, since a second attempt is what turns a slack cable into a tangled one. The photo eyes near the floor should be clean and aligned so they catch anything in the path; a wipe with a soft cloth each season keeps them working.
Garage Door Cable Replacement
In the van
Drum set screws
Galvanized aircraft-type lift cables
Bottom rollers and hinges
Winding bars
Clevis pins and cotter pins
Garage Door Cable Replacement
What affects the quote
Whether a matching part has to be special-ordered
Most drums, brackets and cable sizes are common stock, but an older or uncommon door sometimes needs a part matched to its exact dimensions. When that happens the technician identifies it on the first visit and arranges the part before the return trip.
How the door is sitting
A door resting closed is simpler than one wedged crooked in the opening or off its track, which has to be supported and straightened before the cables can be handled.
One cable or the pair
Cables are normally renewed together, and the quote reflects two cables and the work of setting both sides level. Where one side was recently replaced, that is discussed on site.
What to have ready
- Is there one spring above the opening, or springs stretched along the tracks?
- Is the door sitting level, or is one corner higher than the other?
- Is the door closed, fully open, or stuck partway?
Garage Door Cable Replacement: questions
QuestionsShould I lubricate the cables?
A light film, yes. A mist of silicone or a lubricant made for garage doors on the cables, especially the lowest stretch near the brackets, sheds moisture and slows rust. Avoid heavy grease or oil, which holds grit and salt against the strands. The springs, hinges, roller bearings and bracket pins take the same product a couple of times a year, and the tracks are simply wiped clean.
Does the new cable have to match the old one exactly?
It has to match the door, which may not be the same thing if the old cable was wrong. Length is set by the door height, the drum profile and the lift type; diameter and construction by the door's weight. A cable that is a little long overlaps on the drum and wears; one that is short leaves the door out of level. The technician measures the door and the drum rather than trusting the old cable.
Should both cables be replaced when only one has failed?
Yes, as a rule. The two cables were fitted together, have flexed around their drums the same number of times and have sat in the same slush, so the survivor is close to the end of its life. A new cable beside a stretched one also makes it harder to set the door level. Two matched cables give an even lift and one visit instead of two.
Related services
- Garage Door Hinge ReplacementPressing a hand against one of the middle hinges makes it rock on the panel.
- Garage Door Track Repair or ReplacementBacking out this morning, the mirror caught the track beside the door.
- Torsion Spring ReplacementOne side of the door sits higher than the other in the tracks, and a lift cable is hanging slack or has jumped off its drum.