What is the purpose of garage door cables?
Garage door cables help your garage door to open and close smoothly. They are attached to both sides of you garage door, and work with your garage door springs, (either torsion springs or extension springs) to lift and lower the garage door. when one garage door cable breaks, it puts more pressure on the other garage door cable, which can cause it too break as well.
The garage door cables can be found on the bottom of your garage door, they wrap around garage door drums as the garage door springs turn, helping the garage door open and close. If one of the garage door cables breaks, the garage door won't be balanced anymore, which may lead to more problems with the other parts of your garage door. Therefore, it is very important to replace broken cables quickly, in order to avoid more expensive garage door repairs.
Types of garage door cables:
1. Torsion spring cables- these garage door cables work with garage door torsion springs, which are the most common springs used in Arizona. These garage door cables, help to wind and unwind the garage door springs, allowing the door open and close smoothly. If these garage door cables snap, the garage door springs cant release their energy in order to lift the door.
2. Extension spring cables- These garage door cables are used with garage door extension springs, which stretch and contract in order to close and open the garage door. Extension springs are often used when there’s not enough space above the garage door. However, they’re not as safe as torsion springs, and if one of the garage door cables break, the garage door spring can become loose and cause damage.
3. Lifting Garage Door Cables: This type of garage door cable is under a lot of stress and is often the first to snap. It powers the axle that helps open and close the garage door.
4. Safety or Retaining Garage Door Cable: Used in extension spring systems to prevent the garage door spring from falling if the main cable snaps.
5. Emergency Release Garage Door Cable: This lets you manually open the garage door if the spring system isn’t working properly.