Garage Door Cable Repair in Northern NJ

What Does a Cable Problem Look Like?

Garage door cables are the unsung heroes of your door system. These braided steel cables connect your springs to the bottom brackets of the door, transferring the counterbalance force that makes a 200+ pound door feel light. When cables fail, the door becomes dangerous, capable of falling, jamming, or going off-track.

At Literally Garage Door, cable repair is one of our most frequent service calls across Northern NJ. Here's what homeowners typically notice:

• Cables look frayed, fuzzy, or have broken strands: Look at the cables running along the sides of your door. If you see individual wire strands poking out, the cable is weakening and could snap at any time. This is the early warning stage, address it before it becomes an emergency.
• One or both cables are hanging loose: This means the cable has either snapped, come off the drum, or lost tension due to a spring failure. A loose cable cannot support the door's weight on that side.
• Door lifts unevenly or tilts to one side: When a cable on one side fails or loses tension, the other side carries the load alone. The door tilts, binds in the tracks, and can eventually jump off-track entirely.
• Door came off track: A snapped cable is the #1 cause of off-track doors. The sudden loss of support on one side forces the rollers out of the track.
• Cable is tangled or wrapped around the spring bar: When a cable unwinds from the drum (often after a spring breaks), it can tangle around the torsion bar, creating a dangerous mess of stored energy that only a professional should untangle.
• Grinding noise near the drums: A cable that's partially off the drum creates a grinding or scraping sound as the cable wraps unevenly during door operation.

Why Do Garage Door Cables Break?

• Wear and age: Cables flex and bear load with every cycle. Over years of use, individual strands fray and weaken. Most cables last 8–15 years depending on quality and maintenance.
• Rust and corrosion: Northern NJ's humidity, rain, and road salt tracked into the garage accelerate corrosion. Rusty cables lose strength rapidly and can snap without warning.
• Spring failure: When a spring breaks, the sudden release of tension can whip the cable off the drum, causing it to tangle, kink, or fray. Cable damage is common collateral from spring failures.
• Improper tension: If cables were installed with incorrect tension or length, they wear unevenly and fail prematurely.
• Drum wear: Worn cable drums can develop grooves or rough edges that abrade the cable as it winds and unwinds.

How We Fix Garage Door Cables

1. Secure the door: We stabilize the door with clamps to prevent it from moving during the repair. If the door is partially open, we support it to prevent it from falling.
2. Release spring tension safely: Cable replacement requires unwinding the torsion springs. This is done with specialized winding bars and extreme care.
3. Remove old cables and inspect hardware: We remove the damaged cables and inspect the drums, bottom brackets, and spring bar for wear or damage. Worn drums are replaced to prevent premature cable failure.
4. Install new cables: We install aircraft-grade galvanized steel cables matched to your door's weight and dimensions. We always replace both cables even if only one has failed; they wear at the same rate.
5. Set tension and wind onto drums: The cables are carefully wound onto the drums with proper tension to ensure even lift on both sides.
6. Re-tension springs and balance test: We wind the springs back to specification and perform a manual balance test. The door should hold steady when opened halfway.
7. Full cycle test: We run the door through multiple open/close cycles, checking for smooth, even travel and proper safety sensor function.

Cable Repair Cost

Garage door cable repair in Northern NJ typically costs $150–$250, including both cables, hardware, and labor. Costs may be higher if drums, brackets, or springs also need replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

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