Cables & Drums - FAQs & Troubleshooting

The type of cable depends on the spring system your door uses:

• Torsion springs: Use lift cables that wind around grooved metal drums mounted at the top corners of the door. Cable length depends on door height and drum style. - Shop Torsion Spring Cables & Parts
• Extension springs: Use safety cables that run through the center of each spring to keep it contained if it breaks. - Shop Extension Spring Cables & Accessories
• TorqueMaster springs: Use special cables that wrap around plastic drums mounted on the spring tube. These cables are not sold separately and are only available preinstalled with the drum assembly kit. - Shop TorqueMaster Cable & Drum Kit

Safety cables are used with extension spring systems. They run through the spring to keep it contained if it breaks under tension. Without them, a broken extension spring can whip dangerously and cause serious damage. If your door uses extension springs, you must also have safety cables installed for safe operation.

A cable usually comes off the drum if the door is opened with a broken spring, if the door hits an obstruction, or if the cables lose tension. Once slack occurs, the cable can unwind unevenly and jump the grooves on the drum. Reinstalling requires safely resetting the springs and rewinding the cables correctly.

Cable drums sit on the ends of the torsion tube and hold the lift cables in grooves. Each turn of the drum is called a wrap, and the number of wraps must match your door height. After the spring is wound, the cable should sit tight in each groove without slack.

Frayed or broken cables cannot be safely repaired. They must be replaced. A failing cable can cause the door to jam or hang crooked. Always replace both cables at the same time to keep the door balanced. Replacement cables are available in our cables and drums collection.

A crooked door usually means one cable has slipped off the drum or one side cable has broken. When only one side lifts, the door tilts and jams in the tracks. The fix requires reinstalling or replacing the cables and checking drum alignment.

No. For Wayne Dalton TorqueMaster systems, the cable is not sold separately. It comes preinstalled on the drum as part of a complete replacement kit.

Order the TorqueMaster Cable Drum Assembly Kit