Lift-cable replacement, drum re-spooling, and tension recalibration. We pair new cables with a spring inspection so the door is safe and balanced before we leave.
Garage Door Cable Repair is one part of our garage door repair coverage in Utah. For the full picture — symptoms, costs, and when to repair vs. replace — start with the complete Garage Door Repair guide, or browse every garage door repair service we offer.
Lift cables transfer the spring's stored energy to the door panels — they're under high tension every cycle and degrade slowly through fraying, corrosion, and mis-spooling on the drum. A cable repair visit replaces both cables (always replace as a pair so the door stays balanced), re-spools the drums to the correct number of wraps, recalibrates spring tension to match, and inspects related components like the bottom bracket where one end of each cable terminates.
Cables are galvanized aircraft-grade steel — typically 1/8-inch diameter for residential doors and 3/16-inch for heavier or commercial doors. We carry both diameters along with the bottom-bracket fittings, drum caps, and shaft set-screws that occasionally need replacement alongside the cables.
Cable failure usually leaves the door off-track or hanging crooked. Continuing to operate the opener after one cable has snapped causes the other side to take the full load and is the fastest way to bend tracks or damage panels. Stop the opener and call for repair when you see a frayed or snapped cable — fast service is standard.
Signs you need garage door cable repair
Frayed cable visible at the drum
Strands of steel poking out of the cable indicate active wear. Cables don't self-heal — frays accelerate to snap.
Door hangs crooked when closed
If one corner is higher than the other when the door is fully down, one cable has stretched, slipped on the drum, or partially failed.
A fully snapped cable leaves the door off-track or jammed. Don't try to force it — call for repair.
Rust streaks on cables
Coastal homes see cable corrosion progress until the strands weaken. Visible rust means the cable is no longer at full strength.
Loud bang followed by crooked door
Cable snap sounds similar to spring snap but is usually quieter. If the door is crooked after the noise, suspect cable failure.
Common causes & what we fix
Mis-spooled drum
When a cable jumps off its drum groove, it crosses over itself and wears at the crossover point. Re-spooling fixes the spool but the wear point becomes the weak link.
Drum cap or set-screw failure
If the drum slips on the shaft, one cable unwinds while the other tries to hold. This sudden imbalance can snap the loaded cable.
Bottom bracket failure
The bracket where the cable attaches at the door bottom occasionally cracks or pulls free, letting the cable whip free under tension.
Coastal corrosion
Salt-air pitting on uncoated cables can drop tensile strength 30–40% over 10+ years. Galvanized aircraft cables resist this far better.
Spring imbalance
An over- or under-tensioned spring puts uneven load on the cables and accelerates wear on the loaded side.
Our process
1
Call or schedule online. Call or book garage door cable repair online, pick the 2-hour slot that works, and we lock it in within five minutes — tech name and photo included.
2
On-site diagnosis. Our Utah tech inspects the garage door cable repair on-site first. Diagnosis is free for most repairs ($39 on minor calls, waived if you proceed), and you see the problem before any work starts.
3
Flat-rate quote. Every garage door cable repair is priced flat-rate and written down before we touch a tool. No hourly meter, no commissioned upsell — the techs earn a salary, not a cut.
4
Same-visit fix. Most garage door cable repair jobs are finished the same visit — a 96% first-call fix rate. We test the door with you before leaving and clean up everything we touched.
How much does garage door cable repair cost in Utah?
Garage Door Cable Repair the United States starts at from $149, and every garage door cable repair quote is flat-rate and presented in writing before work begins — no surprise add-ons, no hourly creep. Seniors (65+) and military save 10% on labor across all residential work, and Synchrony financing covers projects over $1,500 at 0% APR for the first 12 months, with fast approval and no prepayment penalty.
Why homeowners in Utah choose us for garage door cable repair
We've been a trusted choice since 1974 — over 50 years of family-owned garage door service across Utah. Our techs are CSLB-licensed (#1098234), background-checked, and complete an internal 12-week training program before rolling on calls alone.
Your garage door cable repair in Utah is covered by a 10-year workmanship guarantee — distinct from any parts warranty the manufacturer provides. If our garage door cable repair fails on us, we fix it free for a decade. Springs built for 30,000 cycles carry a lifetime warranty for the original homeowner, and remaining parts run standard 1–5 year coverage.
Garage door cable repair is quoted on honest sizing and honest scope: we flag only what genuinely needs work, our salaried techs never chase a commission, and the diagnostic is transparent down to the parts in great shape. Repair or replace, we give you the long-term-economic answer — and a written, flat-rate quote good for 30 days.
Areas we serve for garage door cable repair
We provide garage door cable repair throughout Utah, with fast coverage in every major Utah metro.
Since Utah conditions change garage door cable repair reach times hour to hour, we hold the ETA until you call and can give you a real one. The dispatch line goes straight to an on-call tech, never to voicemail.
Frequently asked about garage door cable repair
Top questions homeowners searching for Garage Door Cable Repair near me ask us:
Cables on a balanced door wear at the same rate. The second cable is days to weeks behind the first. Replacing both at once is faster, cheaper than two visits, and properly re-balances the door.
Most cable jobs run 45–60 minutes including spring tension verification and balance test. Add 15 minutes if drums also need replacement.
No — running the opener with a failed cable bends tracks and risks the door coming off the rail entirely. Disconnect the opener and avoid using the door until repair.
Cable repairs are quoted flat-rate before starting; the figure depends on whether the drums or a bottom bracket also need replacement. No surprises once you approve the written quote.
5 years on cables and drums. 10-year workmanship on the install. Galvanized cables in coastal homes typically last well beyond it.