Garage Door Cable
Repair Chicago

THE REPAIR PROCESS

How Fairway Replaces Garage Door Cables in Chicago

Cable replacement is a job that requires managing spring tension safely, which is why it’s classified as a professional repair rather than a DIY task. Here’s what our technicians do on a cable replacement visit:

Step 1: Assess the Full System

Before touching anything, we assess the door, springs, drums, and cables to understand the complete picture. A cable failure rarely happens in isolation — it’s usually connected to a spring under extra stress, a drum with worn grooves, or hardware that hasn’t been lubricated in years. We identify everything that needs attention before quoting a price.

Step 2: Release Spring Tension

Spring tension must be fully released before cables can be removed and replaced safely. This is the step where DIY attempts go wrong. We use proper winding bars and follow established safe procedures for torsion spring tension release.

Step 3: Replace Both Cables

We always replace both cables simultaneously. Cables wear at the same rate — if one broke, the other is close behind. Replacing only the broken cable leaves a mismatched system and a repeat service call in your near future. Both cables are included in our flat-rate price.

Step 4: Inspect and Replace Drums if Needed

Cable drums develop grooves over thousands of cycles. When grooves become too deep, cables can slip off the drum during operation. We inspect both drums during every cable replacement. If grooves are significant, we recommend drum replacement at the same visit — which saves a future service call and extends the life of the new cables.

Step 5: Re-tension Springs and Test

After new cables are installed and wound onto the drums, we re-tension the springs to the correct specification for the door’s weight. We test the door balance, check the opener’s performance with the new cable tension, and lubricate all moving components before we leave.