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Garage door cables help to extend the life of extension and torsion springs by reducing tension. They also help your garage door operate more smoothly and can serve as a safety net should a spring break. Properly functioning garage door cables can be the difference between a minor annoyance and a serious injury.
There are three types of garage door cables: torsion spring cables, extension spring cables, and safety cables. They come in various lengths, thicknesses, and strand counts.
DIY Tip: Replacing your Garage Door Rollers can make a huge improvement in the function of the garage door. If your door is noisy and doesn’t roll smooth, you need new rollers. Factory rollers are only rated for about 10,000 cycles. We recommend sealed nylon rollers which can last up to 25,000 cycles. These will dramatically make your garage door smoother and quieter!
What Garage Door Cables Do You Need?
Torsion Spring Cables
Standard torsion spring garage door cables are 7x7 strand 1/8-inch thickness. This means there are seven strands in a bundle. Those seven bundles are twisted together to form a cable with a diameter of 1/8 inch. These cables have a strong weight capacity of 1,650 pounds. However, they aren’t very flexible and can cause noise by rubbing as they wind around the cable drum when the door approaches a fully open position.
A 7x19 strand 1/8-inch thickness cable represents an upgrade due to a greater number of thinner cable strands. This garage door cable has a much stronger weight capacity of 1,950 pounds. This cable is much more flexible than the 7x7 strand 1/8-inch torsion spring cable.
3/32-inch torsion spring cables are more flexible than the 1/8-inch cables and have a weight capacity of 950 pounds. This is much lower than the previous two cables but still more than enough for the average garage door. The main advantage is the thinner diameter of the cable. The smaller diameter results in a quieter operation. It does this by reducing the likelihood of the cable rubbing against the cable drum as the door opens.
DIY Garage Door Parts Bonus Tip: Use 3/32-inch torsion spring cables with Torque Force 400-144 drums to create more separation for your cable and make them virtually silent.
Extension Spring Cables
Extension spring garage doors usually come standard with 3/32-inch cables. They have plenty of weight capacity at 950 pounds. Since an extension spring setup has more moving parts than a torsion spring setup, there’s a greater risk of frayed cables.
A 7x19 strand 1/8-inch extension spring cable is an upgrade over a 3/32-inch, thanks to a higher number of thinner cable strands, greater flexibility, and more than twice as much weight capacity at 1,950 pounds.
Safety Cables
Safety cables are used to restrain the extension spring when the cable or extension spring breaks. They are run through the center of the extension spring and tied off at both ends. If you have extension springs on your garage door, safety cables can prevent costly damage to your car or serious injury to you and your family. With extension springs and cables, it’s not a matter of if they’ll break. It’s a matter of when they break.
Safety cables come in 3/32-inch and 1/8-inch diameters. They should be 108 inches for a seven-foot door and 120 inches for an eight-foot door.
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Watch our videos about replacing garage door torsion cables and garage door torsion cable replacement. Call us at 1-866-813-7899 if you have any questions about choosing the right cable for your garage door.