Broken Garage Door Pulley

A garage door pulley is a vital part of the extension spring system on garage doors. The extension spring system consists of four pulleys, one on each side at the top corner where the vertical and horizontal track join, and one at the end of each spring. The pulleys have bearings that allow them to reduce noise as the door goes up or down. These pulleys are often one of the most overlooked parts of the garage door and its maintenance.

How will you know you have a broken garage door pulley?

The door will start to shake and make more noise as it goes up and down as the bearings in the pulley deteriorate. There will not be any visible signs of wear or damage in this case. As the deteriorated pulley is used and has less movement in the bearings, this will cause the cable to start fraying as well. This is why it is so important to have your door properly inspected to avoid small problems turning into bigger ones.

Another sign is the door closing unevenly. If a pulley fails on either side, it will not allow the door to fully close and will leave a small gap on either side when the door is closing.

First, as always with garage door systems, remember the door is under extreme spring tension. Should you decide to perform any of these repairs on your own, be sure to become familiar with all moving parts and all parts under spring tension to avoid injury.

It is best to avoid ignoring the door until the system breaks because this will increase the cost of repairs as it puts a toll on other parts of the door.

Preventive maintenance and proper lubrication of the door as well as addressing problems directly when they appear are important ways to avoid major expenses. The longer the door is used with a broken pulley, the more parts are at risk.

Replacing the pulleys on your garage door system should be left to trained service technicians due to the high tension the cables that run on the pulleys are under. If you aren't careful, your finger could get between the cable and pulley a very painful experience.

The pulley and extension system is one of the older and more outdated systems in the garage world. We often recommend converting to a torsion system which is easier for customers to service. However, we fully understand the consumer's choice to repair what they already have. You can replace extension springs but due to time passing and age, the extension springs will not have the same tension if you find one has been replaced and the door is uneven this means the other needs to be replaced with the matching spring. It is recommended to replace the pulleys as well during the repair. Pulleys should be changed every two to three years as most hardware with bearings typically starts degrading and rusting unless maintained properly. You may then get five or so years of high-quality functionality out of them.