What You Might See
- A steel cable hanging loose beside the door.
- The door tilted, with one side higher than the other.
- A gap at one bottom corner when the door is closed.
- Frayed strands on the cable near the bottom corner.
If you see any of these, stop running the door. Keep cars and kids out from under it.
How Cables Work
Each side of the door has a steel cable. It runs from a spool on the spring bar, called a drum, down to a bracket at the bottom corner of the door.
As the springs turn the bar, the drums wind the cables and lift the door. Both sides have to wind evenly, or the door goes up crooked.
Why They Come Off
A cable usually jumps off its drum when it goes slack. That can happen when the door hits something on the way down, when a spring breaks, or when the door binds in the track and stops while the bar keeps turning.
Cables also wear out. Moisture and salt rust the strands from the inside, especially near the bottom where water sits. Rusty cables fray and then snap.
What the Technician Does
They secure the door so it can't move, take tension off the springs, and reseat or replace the cable. If one cable is frayed, replacing both is common, since they're the same age.
They also look for the reason it came off. A broken spring, a bent track or a worn drum will throw the new cable right back off.
Then they rebalance the door and check that it closes evenly across the floor. Expect them to test the opener force too, since a door that binds can trick the opener into pushing harder than it should.
Cable or Spring
A snapped cable and a broken spring often show up together, because one failure strains the other. If you heard a bang first, read about a broken spring.
If the rollers have popped out of the track too, see door off track.
Ask About Coated Cable
Close to the bay or the Gulf, galvanized or stainless cable holds up better against rust. It's a small upgrade when you're already replacing one. See rust on springs and hardware.
Door hanging crooked now? Send the form or call (850) 555-0147.