Garage Door Cable Replacement — Metro Vancouver
Garage door cables run from the bottom corners of the door up and around the drums at the top. They work together with the spring to keep the door balanced as it opens and closes. When a cable snaps or frays, one side of the door drops and the whole system goes off-balance.
Signs You Need Cable Service
- Door hangs lower on one side
- Visible fraying or kinking on the cable near the drum or bottom bracket
- Door opens partially then stops or jams
- You heard a snap and the door dropped
- Cable is lying loose on the floor of the garage
How We Fix It
We replace cables in pairs. The cables on a residential door are matched in length and gauge — replacing only the broken one leaves you with mismatched tension, which stresses the drums and the spring system. We use galvanized steel cable rated for the door weight, thread it correctly through the bottom bracket, and wind it onto the drum with the right tension.
We also inspect the drums, bottom brackets, and safety cables (which prevent the spring from becoming a projectile if it snaps) as part of every cable job.
Book a Same-Day Appointment
Call 778-873-7282. We service homes and townhomes throughout Metro Vancouver.
Also worth a look: cable repair in Richmond · cable repair in Burnaby · cable repair in Surrey.
Why Garage Door Cables Fail Around Here
Lift cables are galvanized steel, but they spend their life in a cool, damp garage. Moisture gets into the strands at the bottom brackets, where road spray and puddles collect, and the cable rusts from the inside out. Near the water in Richmond, Steveston, White Rock and along the North Shore, salt air speeds this up. A cable can also fray if the drum is misaligned and the cable rubs, or if the door has been running out of balance and one side carries more load than it should.
Why We Replace Both Cables Together
The two cables were installed at the same time and have done the same number of cycles. When one snaps, the other is usually close behind. They also have to be the same length so the door sits level, so a garage door cable replacement is done as a matched pair. We check the drums and the bottom brackets at the same time, because a worn drum groove or a cracked bracket will chew through new cable quickly.
Snapped Cable or Cable Off the Drum?
A snapped cable leaves one side of the door hanging, often with the cable lying on the floor. A cable that has jumped off its drum looks similar, but the cable is intact and slack. The second one often happens after a door hits something on the way down. Both are repaired the same day, and both mean the spring is still under tension. We explain the difference in our guide to a garage door cable off the drum.
What Not to Touch
The bottom bracket, where the cable attaches at the floor, is under the full force of the spring. Do not loosen its bolts or try to rethread the cable yourself. If the door is hanging crooked, leave it where it is, unplug the opener and keep the car out from under it.
After a Garage Door Cable Replacement
- Both cables wound evenly on the drums with matching tension
- Door sits level when closed and stays put when stopped half-open
- Rollers, hinges and bottom brackets checked for wear
- Opener force and auto-reverse retested
Cables often fail alongside a tired spring. If your springs are near the end of their life, we will tell you and price both so you can decide. See broken spring repair or book a visit online.