The average garage door opens and closes 1,500 times a year. That’s 4.1 times a day! With all that use, the components are bound to wear and eventually give out.
But if you know how to adjust garage door cables, you can perform routine maintenance that will extend the life of your garage door. This will save you time, frustration, and money in the long run.
This guide will show you how to adjust garage door springs and cables.
How to Adjust Garage Door Cable Tension
You go to close your garage door one day and find the garage door cable broken. Maybe it’s not totally broken, and instead, it’s loose and hanging where it shouldn’t be. Clear signs of a problem would be a gap at the bottom of your door, even when the door is fully closed.
Release the Door From the Track
The first step is to release the door from the automatic track when the door is as closed as it can be on its own. This will let you adjust the door without fighting the mechanism. Don’t try to force the door closed if there’s a gap.
Pull the red cord that’s hanging from your garage ceiling until you hear a “click” sound.
Position the Door
Lift the door by hand. It may be heavy or difficult to move, so having assistance is advisable. Once the door is fully open, use the attached bolt or separate C clamps to hold the door in place.
Position the Cables
There is a pulley on the left and right of the top of the door. Tightly wrap the cables around these pulleys. Work your way from the outside in on the pulley so that the cable wraps smoothly.
Adjust the Tension Spring
Close the door and bolt it securely into place. Then use two rods to adjust the amount of tension that’s on the spring. If you have the cables wrapped tightly and you still have a gap, then you need to adjust the center torsion spring.
You can find metal rods that are 18 inches long at a local hardware store that will work perfectly for this part of the project.
Reengage the Door
Once you’ve made your adjustments and there’s no more gap, you can reattach the door to the track. Pull the red cord again to activate the lever and make it reconnect to the door.
You’ll either need to lift the door by hand or hit the remote button to make the door lift and “click” back into place. Then test your door to make sure it works as intended.
Now You Know How to Adjust Garage Door Cables
After reading this guide, you should know how to adjust garage door cables. If you ever find that your door isn’t opening and closing correctly, you can use this guide to fix it yourself.
Start by disconnecting the door, so it doesn’t move while you’re working. Then check the cables and spring tension to make sure they’re right.
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