Hi, Yesterday one of the springs broke due to rusting at the bottom loop. Managed to replace it but came to think about using a stainless steel cable instead of galvanized one. Is there any reason we can't use stainless steel cable? Any one knows? Garage door expert out there?
I expect the reason for using ordinary galvanized steel cables is that in MOST instances, those cables don't rust out. They don't want to install stainless steel cables on every garage door they make if it's rare to see one rust out. It's more economic for the customer that finds his cables rusting to replace them with stainless steel cables than it is for the company to use stainless steel cables on every door they make when only a small percentage of the galvanized cables will ever need to be replaced.
Also, stainless steel is much harder than ordinary steel, and so it's much more expensive to fabricate it. This is the primary reason why kitchen sinks will either be made of a relatively soft stainless steel or come with a price tag that gives you sticker shock.
Stamping a piece of sheet metal into as radical a shape as a kitchen sink requires that you either use a soft metal or that you do everything you can to prevent the metal from cracking during the stamping process, and that means heating the steel to soften it, and stamping it with a layer of lubricant above and below the metal to minimize friction. If you want a kitchen sink made of a HARD and THICK stainless steel, prepare to pay 500+ dollars for it.
Hi, Makes sense. Any how I ordered 20' of 7/16 strand of SS cable at 0.99 per foot, little more than twice the price of galv. steel cable. Next time spring or cable breaks, I am ready. Replacing pair of springs/cables took almost a day for a newbie but finished without any problems. Good thing, today(Good Friday) it is snowing again.
+1
I've never seen a cable fail here due to rust or anything else, in many decades of experience. I did have an extension spring go a few years ago. The doors didn't have safety cables, so I upgraded that to avoid getting hit in the head one day. If regular cables are an issue, it's likely only on some doors. Any obvious issues with OP's door that's causing the rusting?
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