Stop using the door
Cable snapped in West Palm Beach, FL
If there is a cable hanging loose and the door is sitting crooked, one of the lift cables has come off the drum or broken. The cable carries the weight of the door on that side. With one gone, all of that load moves to the other side, which is why the door tilts, binds in the track, or stops partway. The opener may still hum and try to pull, and that makes it worse. Leave the door where it is.
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Cables let go here more often than people expect, and it usually starts with rust. West Palm Beach has high humidity all year and heavy summer rain, and salt-laden air off the ocean and the Intracoastal eats at steel hardware fast. Rust at the drum is a common cause, because the cable frays where it winds and wears through strand by strand. Homes on the barrier-island side, along Flagler Drive and near the water go through cables, springs and rollers far faster than properties further inland.
While you wait — please don't
- Do not use the door. A crooked door under tension is the most dangerous state a garage door gets into, and every cycle can drop it or pull it further out of the track.
- Do not pull on the hanging cable. That cable is still connected to a loaded spring system, and tugging it can release stored tension without warning.
- Do not run the opener. The opener will keep pulling on a door that is no longer balanced, which can bend the track, twist the panels or break the second cable.
- Do not try to fix it yourself. Cables and springs are under high tension and need the right tools and winding procedure, so this is not a weekend job.
- Do not park under it. If a car is already inside, keep people out of the opening until a technician has looked at it.
What the technician does
- The door gets looked at firstThe technician inspects the cables, drums, springs and track, then gives you the price before any work starts. The estimate is free and you approve it first.
- Cables replaced in pairsBoth cables get replaced, not just the broken one, because the surviving cable has done the same years of service in the same salt air. New cables are sized to the height of your door.
- Drums re-seated and re-setThe drums are re-seated and re-set so both sides wind evenly. If the drum is pitted with rust, that gets flagged, since a rough drum chews through a new cable.
- Springs checked at the same timeSprings and cables age together, and a tired or rusted spring puts extra strain on fresh cable. Checking them while the door is open is the sensible time to do it.
- Door re-squaredOnce tension is restored on both sides, the door is brought back square in the opening so it is no longer riding crooked in the track.
- Cycle testedThe door is run up and down and checked for even travel and balance before the technician leaves.
Why this happens in West Palm Beach, FL
Salt-air corrosion is the dominant maintenance issue in West Palm Beach. Steel cable, drums, springs, rollers and lock cylinders all rust faster within a mile or two of the ocean and the Intracoastal, so a cable that would last for years inland can fray early in El Cid, Northwood Shores or SoSo. If you are close to the water, ask the technician whether stainless or galvanized hardware is worth the upgrade on your door. It often is.
The housing here splits in two directions, and cables fail in both. Older in-town homes in the historic districts near downtown date back to the 1920s land boom, and many have detached garages with undersized or non-standard openings and original hardware still in place. West of I-95, the gated and master-planned subdivisions mostly run attached two-car garages with wide double doors, which are heavy and put real load on the cables. Demand picks up in late spring and early summer as owners get ready for hurricane season, again after any named storm, and in October and November when seasonal homes and condos reopen, so it is worth sorting a crooked door before the season runs.
Questions people ask
- Can I still get my car out?
- Do not try. Lifting a door with one cable gone can drop it or pull it off the track, and anything under it is in the way. Wait until a technician has released the tension and made the door safe.
- Why replace both cables when only one broke?
- Both cables have spent the same years in the same West Palm Beach humidity and salt air, so the second one is usually close behind. Cables are replaced in pairs and matched to the door height so the two sides wind evenly.
- Does salt air really make that much difference?
- Yes. Homes on the barrier-island side, along Flagler Drive and near the Intracoastal go through cables, springs, rollers and gate motors noticeably faster than inland properties. Rust at the drum is a common cause of the cable fraying in the first place.
- Do I need a permit for this?
- A permit is typically required in Florida to replace a garage door, since the door is part of the building envelope. A cable repair is not a door replacement, but the rules are applied locally, so check with the West Palm Beach building department if you are unsure.
- Are you the company doing the work?
- No. One Call Garage Door is a referral and scheduling service that arranges garage door service with independent local technicians. We are not the contractor and we do not perform the work. Licensing belongs to the technician and requirements vary by jurisdiction.
One call
One call to (866) 394-4210 and we will arrange a local technician to look at the cable, the drums and the springs. The estimate is free, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.
Something else in this area
- Loud bang, door won't lift
- Dented or damaged panel
- Door won't open or close
- Door is off its track
- Opener or remote dead
- Loud, grinding or shaking
One Call Garage Door arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.