Broken or damaged Garage Door Cable?
Garage door cables are an essential part of a garage door’s construction. Twisted wires make up these thick cords. The cables work with torsion or extension springs to counterbalance the garage door’s weight and facilitate smooth movement as the door opens and closes. Garage door cables are subject to a great deal of strain and eventually need replacing.
Understanding how a garage door works is important so you can promptly diagnose and address any problems with the cables or other essential components. Read as our team at Overhead Garage Door in the Greater Chicago area discusses everything you need to know about what to do when dealing with broken garage door cables.
Garage Door Cable Repair and Replacement in Greater Chicago
Overhead Garage Door, Inc. is a full-service garage door installation and repair company. We offer same-day, 24-hour emergency service throughout greater Chicagoland and southeast Wisconsin.
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- Quality: The higher the cable quality, the longer it’ll last. If you don’t want to worry about replacing garage door cables, it’s worth investing in good-quality ones.
- Weather: Extreme temperatures and high humidity will cause garage door cables to deteriorate more quickly.
- Use: The cables will naturally wear out faster if you use the garage door frequently. You can purchase high-frequency cables that can last for as many as 15,000 cycles of opening and closing the door, giving the cables a life span of up to 15 years.
- Installation: Proper installation is important. The cables will wear out faster if a garage door isn’t aligned properly and set to the appropriate tension. The cables also need equal tension on both sides, or one will shoulder an excess burden. Have a skilled professional install the garage door to ensure you don’t have to worry about garage door cable replacement sooner than expected.
- Maintenance: Regular maintenance extends the life of garage door cables. Our team at Overhead Garage Door can provide the routine care they need to last as long as possible.
North Shore:
Lake Forest, IL | Highland Park, IL | Glenview, IL | Deerfield, IL | Northbrook, IL | Lake Bluff, IL | Glencoe, IL | Wilmette, IL | Winnetka, IL | Lincolnshire, IL | Riverwoods, IL | Northfield, IL
Northwest:
Barrington, IL | Long Grove, IL | Hawthorn Woods, IL | Buffalo Grove, IL | Schaumburg, IL | Lake Zurich, IL | Arlington Heights, IL | Mt. Prospect, IL | Palatine, IL | Des Plaines, IL | Kildeer, IL
Lake County:
Gurnee, IL | Libertyville, IL | Mundelein, IL | Vernon Hills, IL | Grayslake, IL | Lindenhurst, IL | Green Oaks, IL | Round Lake Beach, IL | Wauconda, IL | Lake Villa, IL
McHenry, IL | Crystal Lake, IL | Woodstock, IL | Algonquin, IL | Cary, IL | Lake in the Hills, IL | Fox River Grove, IL | Spring Grove, IL | Harvard, IL | Huntley, IL
DuPage County:
Naperville, IL | Wheaton, IL | Bloomingdale, IL | Glen Ellyn, IL | Glendale Heights, IL | Downers Grove, IL | Lombard, IL | Bartlett, IL | Carol Stream, IL | Oakbrook, IL | Itasca, IL
Kane County:
St. Charles, IL | Geneva, IL | Batavia, IL | Elgin, IL | Hampshire, IL | Dundee, IL | Aurora, IL | South Elgin, IL | West Dundee, IL | Carpentersville, IL
Winnebago County:
Rockford, IL | Loves Park, IL | South Beloit, IL
Kenosha County:
Kenosha, WI | Brighton, WI | Paris, WI | Randall, WI | Somers, WI | Wheatland, WI
Racine County:
Racine, WI | Burlington, WI | Dover, WI | Norway, WI | Waterford, WI
Walworth County:
Delavan, WI | Elkhorn, WI | Lake Geneva, WI | Whitewater, WI
Common Signs Cables Need Replacement or Repair
You should have a professional inspect the garage door once a year. Between these inspections, keep an eye on the door and its components so you can quickly spot any cause for repair.
Strange Noises
When a garage door cable or spring breaks, it makes a loud bang. If you hear a sudden explosive sound from the garage door, the springs and cables are the first thing you should look at.
Loose Cables
Garage door cables should be taut with good tension. If the cables are sagging or loose with visible slack, they can’t do their job properly. You should also ensure the cables are wound around the drums. They need professional attention if they’re falling in loops to the floor.
Loose cables could mean the door has the wrong size drums, which will cause the cables to slip right out of the grooves. Weak springs will also result in loose cables falling off the drums. Our repair technicians at Overhead Garage Door can adjust the tension in the cables so the door functions properly.
Slow Movement
If the garage door suddenly opens more slowly than usual, this can indicate the cables don’t have the proper tension or aren’t working properly because of other damage. The door may also have worn pulleys, a blockage on the garage door track, or stiff moving parts that need lubrication. A thorough inspection of the garage door components will reveal the cause of this malfunction.
A Burning Smell
Garage door cables pass through bearings that can become worn. The worn bearings may create undue friction on the garage door cables, giving off a burning smell.
Frayed Cables
Fraying is one of the first signs of an aging or damaged garage door cable. If the cables are beginning to fray and have small singular wires sticking out, you should plan to replace them soon. Fraying cables are likely to break, which can cause further damage to other garage door components.
If the garage door cables are under five years old, they shouldn’t be at the end of their life. You may need to check the cable’s strength rating to ensure you have the right type of cable for the garage door. Contact our professionals at Overhead Garage Door for help.
Door Misalignment
When you open and close the garage door, it should stay even from the right to the left. If one corner sits higher or lower than the other, the cables may have an issue. It can indicate that one of them is loose or even broken. When one cable breaks or has too much slack, the opposite cable must work harder to compensate, which often causes the other cable to fail before long.
Inability To Open or Close
Broken cables could cause a garage door to become stuck and unable to move. It’s just one of many things that can go wrong with a garage door, so you should consult a professional to diagnose the problem accurately.
How To Replace Garage Door Cables
Though it’s tempting to tackle garage door cables yourself, you shouldn’t try to do this job on your own. Garage doors can weigh anywhere from 100 to 600 pounds. This weight is hazardous when unsecured, as the door may be while you’re repairing or replacing the cables. The garage door springs are another dangerous element. If the springs pop out, they can cause severe damage or injury.
Calling a professional is the best way of replacing garage door cables. Proper repair or replacement requires specialized tools and detailed knowledge of the job. Our team members at Overhead Garage Door can do the job quickly, efficiently, and safely.
Schedule Garage Door Cable Repair in Greater Chicago
If you need garage door cable repair or replacement, contact our team at Overhead Garage Door. Our garage door cable repair cost is reasonable if budget is a concern. We offer 24-hour emergency garage door repairs, so you don’t have to worry about being able to get into your garage. Overhead Garage Door proudly serves customers throughout Ingleside, Illinois, southeast Wisconsin, and the greater Chicagoland area.