Garage Door Cable Repair in Faribault, MN
A snapped, frayed or slipped lift cable is replaced or re-seated, both sides are set to lift evenly, and whatever made the cable fail is found so it doesn't happen again.
If your door in the Faribault area is hanging crooked, has one corner higher than the other, or a loose steel cable is dangling beside the door, a cable has let go. Stop using the door until it's repaired.
Signs of a cable problem
The door is lopsided
One side of the bottom edge is higher than the other, open or closed.
A cable is hanging loose beside the door, or has unwound from the drum at the top of the track.
Visible fraying or rust, usually right at the bottom corner of the door where the cable attaches.
The door jerks or twists as it moves, or a corner catches in the track.
A loud snap, then the door refused to move or dropped on one side.
Door hanging crooked or a cable loose? Leave it where it is and tell us what you can see.
Contact UsWhat the cables do
The springs hold the energy; the cables deliver it to the door. On a torsion system, a cable runs from a bracket at each bottom corner of the door up to a drum on the spring bar.
As the springs unwind, the drums reel the cables in and the door rises evenly. On an extension-spring door, the cables run through pulleys attached to the springs along each track.
Both cables have to carry the same share of the load.
When one slips or breaks, the other side takes all of it, the door racks sideways, and rollers, track and panels start to take damage that wasn't there before.
Why cables fail
Rust at the bottom bracket
The lowest part of the cable sits in water, salt and grit, and it rusts from there up. This is the most common failure in towns with snowy winters and salted roads.
Age and fraying
Steel cable wears at the drum and the bracket every cycle.
A broken spring
When a spring lets go, the cable on that side goes slack and often jumps off its drum.
The door hitting something while closing, which lets a cable go slack and unwind.
Drums or pulleys out of line, which rub the cable until it frays.
Make it safe
Don't run the opener on a door hanging crooked. It will twist the door further and can pull it out of the tracks.
Don't touch the bottom brackets
On most doors the cable is attached to them under full spring tension, and loosening one can release it violently.
Leave the door where it stopped, keep people and vehicles out of its path, and if it's stuck partway open, don't try to force it closed.
What a cable repair involves
Spring tension is released before anything is disconnected. This is the step that makes cable work dangerous for anyone without the right tools.
The cause is found
A cable that jumped off its drum because a spring broke needs the spring fixed too.
Cables are replaced in pairs in most cases, since both have done the same work and a new one beside a worn one lifts unevenly.
Drums, pulleys and bottom brackets are checked, and replaced if they're what wore the cable.
Tension is restored and both sides set level, then the door is run through several full cycles to make sure it lifts square.
Tell us what the door is doing
A sentence or two is plenty to start. You don't need to know the name of the part that's failed.
What drives the cost of cable repair
Whether it's one cable back on its drum or a pair of new cables
Torsion or extension system, since the parts and the work differ.
Damage the cable caused on the way out
Bent track, a rolled-out roller, a cracked bottom panel.
Worn drums, pulleys or rusted bottom brackets that need replacing along with the cables.
A spring that also needs replacing, which is common, because one failure often causes the other.
When it isn't the cable
There's a gap in a spring coil above the door
Start with spring repair. The cable is usually a casualty, not the cause.
Common questions
Can I put a cable back on the drum myself?
Not safely. The cable is under spring tension, and re-seating it properly means unloading the spring first. It looks like a small job; it's the kind that sends people to the emergency room.
Should both cables be replaced if only one broke?
Usually. Both have the same wear, and mismatched cables make the door lift unevenly. If the other cable is nearly new, ask whether it's worth keeping.
How do I stop the bottom of the cable rusting?
Keep the bottom seal in good shape so water doesn't pool at the corners, sweep out salt-laden slush in winter, and have the cables looked at during a maintenance visit.
Other garage door services
Garage Door Spring Repair
Broken torsion or extension springs replaced with springs matched to your door's weight.
Read more →Garage Door Off Track Repair
Doors out of their tracks re-hung, bent track straightened and worn rollers replaced.
Read more →Garage Door Maintenance
A tune-up that checks springs, cables, rollers and safety reversal before anything fails.
Read more →Get in touch
Describe which side is lower, whether a cable is visibly loose or broken, and whether the door is closed, open or stuck partway. A photo from a safe distance showing both bottom corners helps.