How do I repair a broken closet rod?

You will need to locate studs in the side walls and put the rod holders there. IF that won't work due to spacing, you can place a piece of wood over the area (like a 2x4 cut to 12") which can be screwed into the studs then the holders go into the wood block.

Yes, you’ll need intermediate brackets about every 32” if you’re goIng to really load it up. Or 48” if not.,

studs are supposed to be 16” On Center.

Hi Von. I located my studs the old fashion way. Knocking on the wall and trial & error. Since it was a small space. My studs didn't allow for hangers to fit properly so I put a 2×4 centered on the stud with about 4 inches overhang. Reinforced at overhand & add brackets and rods. It's been holding about 20 years now. I also put a shelf up the same way.

Thank you so much! I'll try this on Saturday.

It looks like the handyman might have put the rod holders in using wall anchors, unless there just happened to be a wall stud right there. (You can test by driving a nail in to the wall board to see if you hit anything.) If it's just a small closet like 3 feet wide it's probably OK like that. If not I would recommend installing wood pieces to attach the side supports to like this:

There should be a stud in the back corners and then another one within 16" on each side wall. Find them with a stud finder or just drive finish nails through the wall board until you hit one. Cut an 18" long 1x 4" piece of wood and nail it from the back corner stud to the next stud on both side walls using 2 1/2" finish nails at each stud. If you need a center support screw it into the back wall where there is a stud, not necessarily in the center, just as close as you can get and still hit a stud. You could actually run the side 1 x 4" boards all the way from back to front of the closet. Might be handy for hanging other things.

May I email you if I have another question please?