What to Do If My Garage Door Cable Snaps: Tips You Need to Know

Generally, a garage door cable is strong enough to lift and reduce garage door weighing heavy pounds. Therefore, the cables in your garage door system mainly offer support and adequate balance for efficient functionality. Regardless of their weight and strength, they may wear out, experience breakdowns, and lose tension with time. 

These cables play a pivotal role in maintaining the overall efficiency of the garage door system, and when they snap or lose control, it might make you feel annoyed and stressed at one point. If your garage door has a similar error, don’t try to fix it alone. Please continue reading for more information on these cables; they’re working, and sure-shot ways to fix broken garage door cables. 

How do garage door cables work?

Garage door cables differ from one size that fits all garage door systems. They come in different types recognized by the springs installed in them. The two major types of garage door cables which are made of strands of galvanized wires: 

• Lift cables

These cables are installed on garage doors and aligned with torsion springs; these cables attach to the bottom corner of the door and connect to the torsion springs, assisting them to counterbalance the system.

• Retaining cables

Retaining cables are used in garage doors with extension springs and run vertically with each side of the door. If garage door springs are worn out, retaining cables prevent them from falling off the ground. If these cables become corroded or rusty, you can call a professional to resolve errors in your garage door.

Root Causes of Broken Garage Door Cables

Several root causes that lead to broken garage door cables are listed below: 

1. Age or normal wear and tear.
2. Lack of lubrication and regular maintenance
3. Door jacks jammed
4. Bent tracking 
5. The door strikes an object while opening and closing

Reliable Solutions to Troubleshoot If Your Garage Door Cables Snapped

If your garage door spring breaks, it will automatically—impact the door cables. The foremost thing is to check the root causes of broken garage door cables. Here are some maintenance or troubleshooting tips: 

1. Call a professional door repair company with a specialized technician team who has the best tools before commencing your installation.
2. The professional team will deeply assess the root cause of the problem. Where the cable has come loose, there tends to be a space between the horizontal tracks. If you cannot locate the affected area, you may need to remove your garage door panels to access the walkway.
3. In the next move, the technician can slide the track back into place and reconnect the cable back to it. Then tighten the set of screws firmly before proceeding.
4. After releasing the screws, you can reinstall the track and reconnect the cable. Tighten the set screws thoroughly before proceeding.
5. If your garage door has more than two springs, you must repeat these steps for 

each one.

That way, you can troubleshoot your garage door cables and operationalize your door. 

Conclusion

A broken cable might be a normal one that can be a sign of more serious damage. This blog elaborated on garage door cables, their working, root causes, and troubleshooting tips. Feel free to hire a professional company like M & A Garage Doors if your garage door cables get snapped. 

They have the most skilled technicians who can deeply inspect the root causes of the problem and resolve problems to bring back the original functionality of the door.