In a recent guestbook entry someone asked how to replace the cables on his garage door. He had also loosened the setscrews on both drums to level the door, and asked if the cables can be replaced and the drums secured without having to unwind the spring. Working with spring tension is dangerous. I would first recommend that you view the dangers and warnings described in our tutorial on torsion spring replacement. The simplest solution would be to insert a winding bar in the winding cone of the spring, loosen the set screws, and let the other end of the winding bar rest against the top of the door. Do this to both springs if you have two springs. The shaft will be free to turn and you can replace the cables and reset and secure your cable drums. To reset your spring tension follow the necessary steps for reinstalling the garage door cables and winding the springs. If you are more of an audio-visual learner, we have videos below on how to replace cables for your garage door.
The Wayne Dalton Torquemaster System can be a bit confusing to repair when you do not have a lot of experience working with it. Below, we have made a tutorial video on how to replace your Wayne Dalton Torquemaster cables safely and easily.Before beginning any project ensure that you have all the materials necessary to complete the job. The size of the door will determine the cable size, for example a 7ft door you will use an 8’6” cable. Sizes of the tools used for this project may also vary in size, have various sizes available. You will need vice grip or locking pliers, replacement cables, winding bars, wrenches, sockets, ratchet stepping ladder, gloves, and safety glasses. No loose fitting clothes or jewelry should be worn, proper foot wear like work boots, gloves and safety glasses are all recommended to be worn at all times. Beware of pointed edges and small frays on cables to avoid injury. To begin unplug and you must disengage the garage door opener by pulling on the emergency release handle this should be a red rope with handle that is located near the opener or the top rail depending on your opener .
By doing so this allows you to open and close the door manually. Open up the door and use a vice grip just below the bottom roller on both sides to hold the door open while you change the cables. Go to the center of your door and loosen the sets screws on the springs with 1/4 turns. Remember to fully insert winding bars and use both bars at the same time to prevent injury. Do not get in the way of the bars. Continue to unwind the spring until all of the tension has been removed, if your door has two springs do the same with the second spring After all of the tension has been removed from springs take your wrench and begin to loosen set screws on cable drum at the top left of the door, then remove cable from cable drum. Towards the bottom the of the door take your ratchet and socket of appropriate size and remove the bottom lag screw from the jamb bracket. Remove bottom bracket, then remove the cable from the bracket. Install new cable onto bottom bracket, thread this cable up to the cable drum at the top of the door.
Remember to do this for both sides of doors. Insert cable into the slot of the cable drum, make sure that the cable is property set and not overlapping. Wind cable onto cable drum and slide the cable drum over to the bearing plate and turn the drum counterclockwise direction until the cable is tight, now tighten the set screws. Do not over tighten. While holding the cable use your vice grip pliers on the metal rod that goes across entire door against the wall to hold it in place and go onto the right side of the door and follow the same steps. After these steps have been completed you can now increase the tension on the springs using your winding bars remembering to only increase tension at ¼ turns at a time to not over wind springs. Remove locking pliers from metal rod at the top of the door, re-engage door by pulling down emergency release and lifting door until you hear it double click into place and plug opener back in. It is impossible to predict all repair circumstances.
These steps must be followed in order to prevent any damage to your door and or person.10. Lay the new spring on the garage floor or work bench and measure the length, inside diameter, and 20 coils to determine the wire size. Check the wind on both your broken spring and your new spring to ensure that they are the same. If you are converting from a different spring system, and if you have a left wind spring, you will need to install the spring on the right side of the spring anchor bracket. If you have a right wind spring, you will install the spring on the left side of the bracket as we are doing here.Did you know that the average American garage door opens and shuts over 1500 times a year? Similar to any other hard working home appliance, garage doors need maintenance to keep them opening and closing on demand. Before calling Gold Label Door, review the checklist below to troubleshoot what may be happening with your garage door. For more information about our garage door service offerings, please click here.
Broken Garage Door Springs - If a garage door is stuck and won't open, this may mean that the torsion springs are broken. The springs are located above the door. Get a flashlight and see if you can tell if the spring is broken. Because garage doors are used as the front door in many homes, garage door springs break more often. More use means shorter lifespans. Be careful, garage door springs are very powerful, and can prove quite dangerous for a homeowner attempting a DIY. For more information about broken spring replacement, click here. Cables - Garage door cables are made of steel and can wear out and become frayed due to constant use. The torsion springs wind or unwind the cables to open and close the doors. If the garage door is not opening or closing properly, check the cables. Frayed or broken cables can turn your garage door into a safety hazard. Call the professionals at Gold Label Door to replace your cables . While we are there, we will check all the components of your garage door to make sure they are in good working order.
Balance - The garage door springs are what lift the door, not the opener. If the door can be easily lifted by one hand, it is in balance. The weight of the door and the torsion spring must be in sync. If they are not and the door becomes unbalanced, the torsion springs may need to be adjusted or replaced. For your safety and the safety of your family, Gold Label Door strongly recommends contacting a professional for any work involving garage door springs. Hinges - Steel hinges can and do wear out. Check each hinge and confirm that they are screwed in tightly to the garage door. Worn out hinges should be replaced immediately to avoid future problems. Garage door hinges should periodically be lubricated with a silicon-based lubricant. Don't ever use WD-40; it is a solvent-based lubricant, and will eventually cause degradation to your door hardware. One of our technicians would be happy to come by and check your hinges, and other components of your garage door. Rollers - If your door makes a lot of noise when opening and closing, your rollers may be wearing out.