Hi
My mother-in-law has just moved to a new property. The garage has two separate single width up-and-over doors. These are Cardale doors. Instead of springs they have a cable that connects from the door to a small drum on the lintel. The doors are solid and have runners at each side.
The doors are very stiff. What can I do to free them please?
BR
David
David,
For the best results, pop over to the Cardale site at
Hope this is of help
Cash
Think about if you mean "Stiff" or "Heavy"
Angle grinder.
Heavy? That brings back scary memories of someone who for me, opened their almost tripple car-width up-and-over garage door not quite half way and let go (due to her not being able to lift the weight, or judge if it were past the tipping point), and it was only very *very* quick action from me to catch the heavy door from falling otherwise she would have had extremely serious damage to her head, or probably lost it :-(
Oil can - unless there is also something causing the mechanism to bind on something.
(remember when everyone had an oilcan and things got oiled - my old dad did my bike and scooter every week)
Spray WD40 liberally all over the cables, pulleys and the drum mechanism. If this frees things up (after a couple of ups and downs with the doors), use 3-in-1 oil on the same components.
I've found that some home owners never oil their garage doors, the resulting crud of years of dust and muck gradually making them seize. Puzzling to me! Some people seem to think that *everything* works like a DVD player: it just works forever, until the day it dies, when you buy a new one. Unlike DVD players though, the next garage door is not cheaper than the old one was!
John
In addition to the above. Most of the cable operated doors have coil springs wrapped around a horizontal shaft above the door. These counter the weight of the door and are ajustable with a spanners and tools. The "tools" being short metal rods (or big screwdrivers if they're missing). You have to take up the tension with the tools and slacken a bolt and retension the spring every now and then.
You need to be careful doing this, there is a lot of tension on the springs, if it's released you can lose a finger so read the instructions especially if you're not very handy. The cables can break too, so check this. If it just needs oiling it will be stiff to open and close. If it needs ajusting, it will come down easily but be hard to lift up.
Adjusting the spring is risky and specialised - if it is the spring that is fitted horizontally along the lintel then oiling the spring is beneficial as the turns of the spring need to rub against each other as it winds and unwinds.
Have the plastic rollers in the guide channel work away?
One GF's garage door was a struggle for her so I oiled everything on it (the door...!) but forgot to tell her. It missed her kneecaps by no more than an inch but fortunately didn't slam up too hard.
Of course I was told off for making the door easy to open, but that's wimmin.
You're lucky none of your oil dripped on her clothes.
Hey this a DIY group. Crossing the road is risky too. So is using any power tool. You just need to be aware of the danger before you start.
Harry - I was making a warning based on my perception of the OP's level of DIY knowledge that led him to ask the question. Even so - the amount of power in the springs is awesome and can catch one unawares with serious consequences. (Visions of screwdriver missing head but landing on bonnet of car). If the spring torsion was to be lost due to it unwinding it would be a very unpleasant job winding it back on. I also asked if the door was "Heavy" or "Stiff" as this would help us to give a solution. Adjusting the spring - if the problem was friction would not help.
Hi
I would just like to thank everyone who has replied to my question. Very helpful replies.
To clarify, the door was stiff, not heavy, so I'll try oiling it before checking the spring.
Best regards
David
Refurb kits and tools are available from the manufacturer. It's an easy DIY job for anyone capable of following the instructions.
MBQ
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