A shaky or noisy garage door can indicate damage on the drum. Call A1 Garage Door Service at (844) 236-8448, and our technicians will effectively diagnose and fix the issue.
At A1 Garage Door Service, We Take Pride in Providing Unparalleled Workmanship
At the earliest signs of garage door issues, you should call expert technicians immediately. Otherwise, the problem will affect other components and cause more expensive damages. Even worse, the door may crash unexpectedly, causing fatal injuries.
So, do not hesitate to contact A1 Garage Door Service. We have a team of qualified, fully trained, and experienced technicians who are equipped to properly maintain your garage door. We value your confidence and trust. As such, we promise the most cost-effective and practical solution to your garage door drum problem.
What Is a Garage Door Cable Drum?
You will find garage door drums in various sizes, depending on the garage door’s height and the amount of high lift it needs. The size of the drum will also depend on the lift cable’s size. Usually, residential garage door drums have a standard hub. Meanwhile, commercial garage doors have a keyed hub.
To understand how garage door drums work, you must learn the role of the spring system. It functions as the door’s counterbalance while the cables and drums provide the lifting capability. The bottom corners of the garage door have cables attached to them. These cables travel up the door’s height, then wind around the drum that’s connected to the spring bar.
The cables wind around the drum as the garage door opens. When the door closes, the cables unwind off the drum. If the cables or drum malfunction, the garage door will fail to open or close smoothly.
What Are the Types of Garage Door Cable Drums?
Cable drums usually come in standard-lift, vertical-lift, and high-lift variants. As we’ve mentioned, cable drums work with torsion springs to keep the garage door balanced while it opens and closes.
Standard-Lift Garage Door Drum
For the most part, standard-lift cable drums are flat. The cable drum’s grooves, toward the outside of the door, are slightly raised. This design keeps the garage door balanced while it opens.
Vertical-Lift Garage Door Drum
Vertical-lift garage door drums are higher in height than standard-lift drums. You’ll find the cable farther from the shaft when the garage door is closed. While the door opens, the cable winds itself on the drum and gets closer to the shaft.
High-Lift Garage Door Drum
Like standard-lift drums, high-lift cable drums also have a flat portion. Moreover, they also have a raised portion like the vertical-lift drums. As the door opens vertically, the cable runs on the raised portion. Once the door begins to move on the horizontal track, it switches over to the flat portion.
Why Do Cables Slip Off the Garage Door Drums?
Once the springs apply the ideal amount of tension to the cables, the garage door begins to open. So, when the cables are functioning well, they can wind around the drums and lift the door. However, cables can slip off the rollers. Here are some of the reasons why that may happen:
Damaged Torsion Springs
Some garage doors have a single torsion spring while others have two. If one of the springs breaks, tension leaves the cables, causing it to unwind from the drum. When this happens, the door is likely to come crashing down.
However, if there are two torsion springs, the functioning spring may still hold the door. It’s important that in both situations, you shouldn’t use your garage door. Instead, call A1 technicians for emergency garage door repair services.
Obstruction
A garage door’s auto-reverse mechanism and photo safety eyes prevent it from closing on objects below. If these features are malfunctioning, the door crash on your car bumper or anything on the ground. When this happens, the cable will slack on one side while the door rests on the object. So, call A1 technicians for regular safety inspections and tune-ups.
Improper Spring Tension
The amount of tension on the springs will depend on the size of the door. Once springs are installed, they are already tensioned. However, when they do not have the proper tension, they can affect the function of the cables.
It’s possible that the spring has too little or too much tension. If it’s too strong, the cables may jump off the drum. Now, if the tension’s too weak, the cables will unwind from the drum.
Incorrect Cable and Drum Sizes
If you have a heavier door, it will need a heavier cable. Now, if the cables are too small for the garage door, it will be under too much strain, causing it to wear out prematurely.
Meanwhile, the drums should be appropriate for the height of the door. You’ll need a larger drum if you have a taller door. It should be big enough to hold the length of the cable.
How Do You Put a Drum Cable on a Garage Door?
Remember that replacing a garage door drum cable is a complex process. You’ll need the right tools, training, and expertise to perform this successfully. To help you understand why your best option is to hire professionals, we’ll explain how it’s done:
What You’ll Need
The size of the cable will depend on the garage door size. If you have a common, residential door that’s seven feet tall, you’ll likely need an 8’6” cable. Keep in mind that the sizes of the tools for cable replacement may vary in size.
Some of the tools you’ll need include wrenches, vice grip, cables, sockets, and safety glasses, among many others. Remember that the cables have pointed edges. So, you need to avoid them to protect yourself from injuries.
Taking the Drum and Cable Apart
The door should be closed, and it should be touching the ground evenly. The process also involves loosening the screws on the springs and fully inserting the winding bars simultaneously to avoid injuries.
The next step is to remove the tension by unwinding the springs. After that, use a wrench to loosen the screws on the drum at the garage door’s top-left corner. Once that’s done, you can remove the cable from the drum. This can be accomplished by releasing the cable’s connection to the bottom bracket.
Installing the Drum Cable
Take the new cable and attach it to the bottom bracket. Next, you need to thread it up toward the drum. Ensure that the cable is running between the rollers and tracks. This should be done for each side of the door.
The next step is inserting the cable into the drum’s slots. The cable should not be overlapping. Instead, it should be set properly. Begin winding the cable onto the drum, and once you’re done, slide the drum over to the bearing plate.
Now, if you’re working on the left drum, turn it counterclockwise. For the right drum, turn it clockwise. Tighten the screws but leave some space.
Lock the cable tightly onto the metal shaft across the door using your vice grip pliers. You’ll have to perform the same process on the other side of the door. Once that’s done, use your winding bars to increase the tension of the spring. However, you should only do so a quarter turn at a time.
Disconnect the locking pliers from the metal shaft, then check if the entire door is balanced. Try to lift the door manually before you plug the opener back in. There should be an even tension between the cables and the drums.
If you notice that one side doesn’t have enough tension, you’ll have to repeat the process. Pull the emergency release to engage the door. Then, plug the opener. When you’re fully opening the door, make sure that there’s adequate tension between the cables and the drums.
We Understand the Entire Process for Replacing a Garage Door Drum
Garage door drums can fail because of rust and dirt buildup. When this happens, the garage door will become shaky and noisy.
We cannot stress enough how important a garage door is. It ensures the smooth operation of the entire system by working alongside the springs.
However, we’ve already mentioned that replacing the drums and cables can be a complicated and dangerous process. What’s more, it’s challenging to choose the right variant if you don’t have the technical knowledge.
As we’ve mentioned, the type of cable drum you need will depend on the door’s height and weight, as well as the cable’s length and thickness. Indeed, your best bet is to hire A1’s expert technicians.
When you need a garage door drum replacement, you can rest easy knowing that we’ll provide you with the right type. What’s more, we only carry the best brands for garage door components. Besides, when you hire us, you can access special deals and discounts on our services and products.
We Take Pride in Providing Unparalleled Service
A1 Garage Door Service takes pride in employing qualified, trained, and experienced technicians who can immediately fix garage door problems. They are the reason why we have consistently great ratings on Yelp (5 Star), BBB (A+), and Angie’s List (Super Service Award).
- Proper problem diagnosis and solution
- Guaranteed cost-effective advice
- Wide range of brands
- Guaranteed efficiency and reliability
- Accurate on-site cost estimate
Discover why many people call us “reliable” and “experts”. Give us a call at (844) 236-8448.