Garage Door Cable Replacement

[bob-the-builder]

 

[BREAKALEG]

I have replaced cables on other brands of canopy doors and although there are short cuts i think for the likes of me and you it may be easier to release the spring tension.
There will be grub screws of some sort at the end of the spring, before releasing you will se either holes for tensioning rods or room to get a couple of spanners in, u need to hold the tension and release the grub screws then slowly let the spring unwind using the rods or spanners counting the turns as you go.
Once the tension is off you can change the cables safely and re-tension the spring tightening the grub screws (make sure the cables are wrapped around the cones in the correct grooves).

Has been many years since i've carried this out but hopefully some of this procedure may still be relevant, would take a pro around 20 mins.

Good luck

 

[bob-the-builder]

 

[Chukka63]

you shouldnt release the tension but take the tension up( via a nail if you havent got the correct clip)by placing through a hole on the top bar near the end of the spring.my knowledge on garage doors is limited but wouldnt release the tension.wait for a garage door knowledgeable person explain in more depth.

 

[BREAKALEG]

Chukka is right you can keep the tension on but my memorys a little vague and its difficult for me to type explanations.
What would make life easy is if you can get a mate to take the tension off the spring by inserting rod into the hole and twisting half a turn and holding (leave grub screws as they are) this will take the pressure off the good cable giving you the slack to re-connect the new cables at both ends, do the broken one first.
Keep the door closed.

Thats the way to go i think.

 

[Chukka63]

good point.depending on how old/new the door is,may be well worth your while doing both if not a fairly new door.

 

[Terry7556]

hi bob i changed the cables on my henderson garage door 3 weeks after my pr£ck builder on my extension fitted them out of vertical. (dont say get him back, because when you lose confidence in someone, especially a bull ****ter, then enoughs enough)
henderson wanted £32 for a pair of cables, and refused to change them on warranty, because the only way they break is by being poorly fitted. it did,nt snap, it just went over the edge of the spool the cable is supposed to wind onto and snapped the edge of the spool.
the job you need to do, as already stated, is to take off the tension with a lever/small bar and insert a crook pin in a hole to hold it slack while you take off the wire and if necessary the spool.also check your door for vertical in case its out and has contributed to the problem
as its not a job you do often i would,nt ask a mate to stand holding the tension, as it will take a few minutes but once you have done it you will be surprised how straightforward it is
a crook pin is like a circlip or the top of a shepherds staff. if you look on ebay for cable sets you will see them in a pack of cables. you might make your own with an adapted nail
would,nt be surprised to see a demo of the job on youtube, pretty good that way