Cables and drums · Riverside County
The cables carry the door.The springs only balance it.
Lift cables wind onto grooved drums at each end of the torsion bar. When one frays or snaps, that side drops, the door jams in the opening and the whole assembly goes out of square.
How it works
Steel rope,under real load.
Each cable runs from a bracket at the bottom of the door up to a drum beside the spring. As the spring unwinds, the drum takes up the cable and the door rises. Two cables, two drums, one bar.
Cables almost always fray from the bottom bracket upward, because that is where water sits and where the fitting flexes. A frayed cable looks like a wire brush before it parts.
When one snaps the door drops on that side, twists in the tracks and often jumps a roller. Left alone it is a cable job. Operated a few more times it becomes a cable, track and panel job.
The part itself
- MaterialGalvanised aircraft cable
- Runs toA grooved drum each side
- Fails fromThe bottom bracket upward
- Common causeStanding water and flex
- ReplacedBoth sides together
- Also checkedDrums, bearings and brackets
Warning signs
Catch a frayed cablebefore it fails.
Most of these give you warning. Catching one early is the difference between a scheduled visit and a door on the floor.
- Visible fraying near the bottom bracketIndividual strands lifting away. Look at both sides, not just the one you can see.
- The door sits crooked in the openingOne side lower than the other, or a visible gap along the top edge.
- A cable has come loose off its drumSlack cable coiled beside the drum rather than under tension.
- Grinding or scraping as it movesA cable riding out of its groove, or a roller being pulled sideways.
- Rust at the bottom fittingsWhere Inland Empire irrigation and winter rain do their work.
Stop using it if
- A cable has snappedOne side is unsupported. The door can twist off its track entirely.
- The door is jammed at an angleIt is binding in the tracks and forcing it will bend them.
- A car is trapped underneathDo not operate the opener. Ring us and describe what you can see.
- You can see slack cableNothing is holding that side. Keep everyone clear.
Any of those and the door should not be operated. Running it makes a one-part job into a several-part job.
The repair
Re-cabled both sides,and re-squared.
A cable job caught early is quick. A cable job that has already pulled the door off its track is a longer visit, which is the whole argument for stopping as soon as you notice.
What the visit involves
- Both cables replaced togetherSame age, same exposure. One new cable beside one old one is a return visit.
- Drums inspected and re-seatedA chewed drum groove will destroy a new cable in weeks.
- The door re-squared in the openingA door that has dropped on one side is out of square until it is set right.
- Bottom brackets checkedThese are under full spring tension and are the most dangerous part of the door.
- Balance and safety reverse testedBefore we leave, every time.
Get it re-cabledbefore it comes off.
A snapped cable is a same-day job. A door that has twisted off its track after one is not. Ring while it is still the smaller problem.
Why both sides
- Identical age and exposureIf one has frayed, the other is close behind it.
- Even liftA new cable on one side and a stretched one on the other pulls the door out of square.
- One visitRather than paying the call-out again in a few months.
Questions
Cable questions,answered plainly.
What fraying looks like, why both sides get replaced, and when to stop using the door.
Ring and ask. Bo has been doing this in Riverside County for over thirty years and there is no charge for a question.
(951) 232-9778Mon–Sat · 8am–6pmWhy will you not quote over the phone?
Because a door cannot be priced down a phone line honestly. Weight, spring cycle rating, hardware age and access all change the figure, and none of them can be assessed from a description. A phone number is a guess, and guesses get revised upward on the driveway.
What should I do if my garage door comes off its track?
Stop using it and keep everyone clear. A door off its track is held by very little and can fall. Do not try to lever it back on, and do not run the opener to see if it corrects itself, because that is how a repair becomes a replacement.
My car is trapped in the garage. What now?
Call us and describe what you can see. Sometimes we can talk you through a safe manual release over the phone. Sometimes the honest answer is that the door has to wait until a tech is there, and forcing it risks both the car and you.
How do I know if my door is properly balanced?
Pull the emergency release with the door closed, then lift it by hand to waist height and let go. A balanced door stays roughly where you put it. If it slams down or shoots up, the spring tension is wrong and the opener is taking the strain.
What is the red cord hanging from my garage door for?
It disconnects the door from the opener so you can move it by hand. It is meant for power cuts. Never pull it while the door is open, because with a failed spring the door will come down under its own weight.
How often should a garage door be serviced?
Once a year for an average household. A service means checking spring balance, tightening hardware, lubricating rollers, hinges and bearings, and testing the safety reverse. It is the cheapest way to avoid the calls we get most often.
What should I lubricate on a garage door?
Rollers, hinges, bearings and the torsion bar, using a garage door lubricant rather than a general spray. Do not grease the track itself, because the rollers need to roll rather than slide, and a greasy track collects dust.
Why does my garage door open by itself?
Usually a stuck button, a jammed remote in a pocket or car, or a neighbour's opener on the same frequency, which was common before rolling codes. Occasionally it is a faulty logic board. Clearing the opener's memory and re-pairing is the first thing to try.
Does the heat in Riverside affect my garage door?
Yes, in two ways. Repeated expansion and contraction loosens hardware faster than in milder climates, so bolts and brackets need checking. And an uninsulated steel door on a west-facing garage radiates a lot of heat into the space behind it.