If you ever attempted to lift your garage door and found it way heavier than expected, you already know the importance of a garage door cable. If it reached the end of its lifespan, your garage door is most likely stuck.
In almost every case, it’s stuck in the down position. This means you likely have some things trapped inside of the garage. There are some things you can do to temporarily open the garage.
We recommend a quick call to your local garage door expert. Hopefully, you choose Overhead Door of Mohawk Valley™. In every case we recommend having the repair done by a trained technician with experience with this sort of issue.
The garage door cable plays a major role in the counter balance system. When a garage door cable is broken, it directly affects the springs. The springs provide the pulling power. The cables do the lifting.
There you are with your garage door down. You need to get out. It’s time for work. First, you need two people and a pair of vice grips.
Above all else, you need to disconnect your garage door opener. Attempting to use the garage door opener with an improperly balanced door can damage to the top section of the door or the motor. You don’t want to make things worse.
Before attempting to lift the door, inspect the broken cable. Make sure it did not twist itself around the tracks, pulleys, or anything else. You don’t want it binding at any point when you try to lift the door. With one person on either side of the door, begin to lift simultaneously.
The person on the side of the door where the cable is still attached will have a much easier time. The door on the other side seems heavier. Slowly raise the door until it reaches the upmost position. At this point, the person on the side with the good cable can let go.
The other person continues to hold the door up and stays there until it is secure. Take the pair of vise grips. Clamp it on the door tracks under the bottom roller on the side where the cable broke.
Once confident that it locked in place, let go completely. The door stays up. If possible, secure both sides with vise grips.
Pull your car out. Do not attempt to lower the garage door. You already felt the weight of the door when lifting. Imagine how difficult it could be to control when coming down. Leave it in the up position until a technician can come out repair it appropriately.
We’re happy to help!
If you have a broken garage door cable on any door more than 7-8 feet high or 16 feet wide, do not attempt this. There is simply too much weight to be performed safely. If you have any questions at all, please give us a call.
Your Overhead Door™ Team
