Garage Door Cable Repair
Frayed and snapped lift cables replaced, drums checked, door brought back to level.
The two lift cables run from the bottom corners of the door up to the drums on the spring shaft, and they carry the door's weight whenever the springs lift it. Clopay describes them as strong, flexible steel that is under a lot of tension and can snap once worn or frayed. DASMA tells owners to inspect them visually and says frayed cables should be replaced only by a trained technician, because of the high spring tension in the system.
When a cable breaks, the door usually hangs crooked, jams in the track or comes down on one side. We secure the door, replace both cables rather than only the broken one, and inspect the drums for wear and the bottom brackets for damage. A cable that has jumped its drum is repositioned and the tension equalized, so the door rises level again.
Signs a lift cable is failing
- A cable hangs loose or lies coiled at the bottom of the door
- The door rises crooked with one corner higher than the other
- Strands are visibly frayed or bristling on a cable
- The cable has slipped off the drum and sits loose on the shaft
- The door jams in the track partway up or down
- A loud snap, then the door sags on one side
🔥 The Santa Clara Foothills Factor
Cables rarely fail from rust here. With about 22 inches of rain a year at the Los Gatos station and almost none from June through August, steel stays dry for much of the year. They fail from wear and from the weight they carry, and heavy wood or custom doors put more load on each cable than a stock steel door does.
We check the cable condition on every visit that touches the springs, because the two parts wear on the same schedule.
How We Handle It
Secure and inspect
We secure the door, relieve the load safely and inspect both cables, both drums and both bottom brackets.
Exact quote
You approve one price for replacing both cables and any damaged drum or bracket.
Replace and tension
We fit new cables to the correct length, seat them on the drums and equalize the tension on both sides.
Run and level check
We cycle the door several times, confirm it rises level and rests flat on the floor, and reset the opener's travel.
Garage Door Cable Repair — FAQs
What makes a lift cable jump off its drum again and again?
What should I do if my garage door cable snapped?
If only one cable broke, do you change the other one too?
Can I tell if a garage door cable is about to fail?
What does a new lift cable cost here?
Cable replacement price
Cables are priced per cable, and we check the other side while we are there.
- Garage Door Cable ReplacementFrom $150 per cable
- Diagnostic Service Call$0 with a completed repair
