Inspecting Your Garage Door Cables
A two-minute check you can do yourself, with the garage door open and closed.
Why garage door cables matter
The cables on each side of a garage door carry its weight and pass the springs’ lifting force to the garage door as it opens and closes. If a cable frays or snaps, the garage door can hang crooked or come down unevenly. Checking the cables only takes a couple of minutes, and it can catch a problem before a cable fails.
Overhead Door Company of Albany has been repairing garage doors across the Capital Region for more than 20 years. We are locally owned and based in Clifton Park, and our technicians repair garage doors of any brand. If you find a problem with your cables, call 1-800-688-4312 and we can help you work out how serious it is.
How to inspect your garage door cables
Inspect the cables with the garage door in both the open and closed positions. Look only, and don’t touch the cables or the brackets they attach to. Look at the cables running along each side of the garage door, and check for fraying or kinking at any point along the cable. A small flashlight makes it easier to trace each cable from top to bottom.
Pay extra attention to the bottom corners of the garage door, where each cable attaches to a bracket. Capital Region winters leave water and road salt at the bottom of the garage door, and both speed up rust.
If the cables look straight and smooth along their whole length, you’re all set.
What the problems mean
- A frayed cable is unsafe and should be replaced. Broken strands mean the cable is already weakening, and it can snap without warning.
- A kinked cable is damaged and needs replacing. It can happen when a cable slips off its drum or the garage door comes off its track, so have it looked at even if the garage door still seems to work.
- A cable that hangs loose, or a garage door that sits higher on one side than the other, can mean a cable has broken or slipped. It can also mean a spring has broken.
- Rust on a cable or its bottom bracket weakens it over time. It is worth having a technician look at it before it gets worse.
If you find a problem
Don’t try to replace or adjust garage door cables yourself. They are under heavy tension, and so are the bottom brackets they attach to. Loosening either one can cause serious injury.
Stop using the garage door and leave it where it is. Keep people and pets away from it, and call 1-800-688-4312. Our repair page explains what we do when a cable fails.
When I first called, the woman who answered was friendly and professional. She gave me an estimate for the job and was very clear regarding the cost. The technician came on schedule and did an excellent job in making the repair. He also noticed and repaired several other minor items.
Torsion and extension spring systems
How the cables are set up depends on the type of springs on your garage door.
Most newer garage doors use torsion springs, mounted on a bar above the opening. On these garage doors, each cable runs from a bracket at the bottom corner up to a drum at the end of that bar.
Some garage doors, often lighter ones or those with little headroom, use extension springs that stretch along each side above the horizontal tracks. On these garage doors, the cables run through pulleys. There should also be a safety cable running through the middle of each extension spring, so a broken spring stays contained. If your extension springs don’t have safety cables, have a technician add them.
How often to check
A quick look a few times a year is enough for most homes. Many homeowners check the cables at the same time as the monthly reverse test on the garage door opener. The garage door industry’s trade association recommends a yearly visit from a trained technician.
