Garage Door Cable Repair and Replacement in Virginia Beach
Garage Door Cable Replacement in Virginia Beach
All garage doors rely on heavy-duty springs to operate. These springs – both torsion springs and extension springs – rely on cables to help move your garage door smoothly.
On extension spring systems there are two cables, one on each side of your door, that distribute tension to keep your door balanced. If one cable breaks, the other will soon follow.
Broken cables impact your entire garage door system. A broken cable means the weight is unevenly distributed, which puts strain on your springs, tracks, rollers, and other components.
Are Your Garage Door Cables Broken?
Aside from visually seeing a broken cable, you may notice your door is louder, off-balance, and has difficulty opening.
Not sure your cables are the problem? No worries – we always perform a full 25-point inspection to pinpoint the issue before servicing your door.
Longer-Lasting Cables
Precision Garage Door stocks quality cables and our technicians are trained to evaluate and fix your broken garage door cables.
The cables we use are more flexible and quieter aircraft-grade cables with 19 wires per strand. Other companies use standard cables with only 7 wires per strand – these are less flexible, noisier, and don’t last as long.
Other companies use standard cables that only utilize 7 wires per strand, and are less flexible and noisier.
When Should I Replace My Garage Door Cables?
Several factors can influence the decision to replace the cables on your garage door. In most cases, the cables will show clear warning signs of wear and tear long before they actually break.
Being aware of these issues ahead of time can prevent a sudden breakdown, which can save you and your family from the danger and hassle of a fully stuck or unbalanced garage door. Here are some of the most common cable problems our technicians encounter.
Frayed Cables
When you are faced with frayed cables, you can see visibly broken wire strands or a fuzzy appearance on the cable. This is often caused by normal friction as the cable moves against the drums, pulleys or track. However, fraying can be accelerated by misaligned tracks, which force the cable to rub against components it shouldn’t, or by underlying corrosion that weakens the steel. A frayed cable has lost its structural integrity and is significantly weaker, meaning it is only a matter of time before it snaps completely, often at the worst possible moment.
Slipped Cables
A slipped cable occurs when the cable comes off the drum. When this happens, the cable will appear loose, may hang down or look tangled. This will almost always cause the door to be crooked, with one side hanging lower than the other, and it will be completely stuck.
It can be caused by an obstruction that the door hits while closing, which creates slack. Slipped cables can also result from improper spring tension, a broken torsion spring (which instantly releases all tension) or even from someone trying to manually force the door open or closed too quickly.
Rusted Cables
Rusted or corroded cables are a slow-developing issue that severely compromises the cable’s strength over time. This problem is easily identified by the visible rust appearing on the steel wires. The primary cause is moisture, making it a common problem in humid climates or regions that get a lot of rain.
This corrosion is dramatically accelerated by salt, either from the ocean air — a major factor in the Virginia Beach area — or from road salt melting off cars in the winter. Rust is a serious issue because it eats away at the metal, causing the wires to thin and become brittle. A rusted cable can snap suddenly, even if it doesn’t show other signs of wear like fraying.
Loose Cables
A loose cable is a sign that something is wrong with your garage door’s balance or tension. You can identify this when one or both cables are visibly sagging when the door is closed. This can happen because the cables may have stretched slightly over many years, or a pulley on an extension spring system may be worn out. A loose cable is a serious concern because it is the first step toward the cable slipping off the drum. It also means the door is unbalanced.
Professional Cable Replacement
When you call Precision Garage Door, you can count on us for garage door cable replacement in three easy steps:
- Replacing both cables: Most garage doors are installed with two cables at the same time. If one of your garage door’s cables breaks, it’s likely that the other is nearing the end of its lifespan as well. After evaluating your garage door, if it is determined that a broken cable is the problem, our technicians will usually recommend replacing both cables.
- Using the right cables: Garage doors come in all styles, sizes, and weights, and Precision Garage Door’s qualified technicians are trained to install the correct cables for your individual door. After installation, our technicians will check to ensure the correct cables have been used by performing a balance test.
- Safety inspection: Precision Garage Door understands that your family’s safety is your top priority. After performing a garage door cable replacement, our technicians will provide a free safety inspection to ensure all the hardware and moving parts of your door are in proper working order.
Press the button and we'll respond in nanoseconds.
We are licensed and insured to repair every make and model of garage door and opening systems. We carry all the tools and parts we need to repair your door, opener or remote today.
