How To Adjust Garage Door Side Springs And Cables

The garage door tension springs provide lifting force for the heavy door and are under tremendous tension get careless and they can hurt you.

How to adjust garage door side springs and cables.

Use steel rods at least 18 inches 46 cm long. Side mounted springs are long heavy springs mounted on each side of the upper garage door track. Learn how to repair overhead garage door springs and cables without winding up in the emergency room. Garage door cables can be adjusted by the home handyman with a little bit of patience and a few simple hand tools.

This tension makes it easier to lift the garage door from its closed position. If the door was closing too quickly move the spring to the next higher hole on the bracket. You might be wondering what purpose does a garage door cable serve. Adjusting the garage door cables and the springs is a typical do it yourselfer s kind of a job.

If it was opening too quickly move it to the next lower hole. If your cables are tightly wound on the pulley but 1 side of the door is uneven then you need to adjust the tension on the torsion spring mounted above the center of the garage door frame. The cable runs through the torsion springs literally doing the heavy lifting each time the door is raised. Retest the door balance as you did in step 1.

Here s a breakdown of how to adjust garage door cables. What a garage door cable does. It s actually one of the most important safety mechanisms of your garage door. The springs extend along the shaft and work by twisting as the garage door closes by means of cables attached to each side of the lowest garage door panel.

Once your garage door is secured remove the spring hook from the track hanger which will allow you to move the hook and adjust the spring s tension. Follow along as a pro explains how it s done. A loose garage door cable is not difficult to deal with but you will need a few key tools to tighten it properly. Automatic garage door openers make getting in and out of your garage easy although the machinery does require periodic maintenance to ensure proper operation.

Adjust the springs on both sides of the door the same way.