DIY Garage Door Repair? Think Again

Are you handy around the house and comfortable with general repairs and maintenance? There are certainly projects all around the home—including the garage—that can be done by a DIY-savvy homeowner, but it’s important to know when to call a professional for the safety of your home… and yourself! These garage door repair projects should be left to the pros.

Garage Door Torsion Spring Repair

The torsion spring is the true hero of the garage door opening system. It takes 90% of the load in the lifting process, whether the door is lifted by your automatic opener, or by hand (perhaps during a power outage, or for manual systems). The average spring lasts for 10,000 lifts, so depending on how often you open your door, it could provide 5-10 years of service.

With proper inspection and preventive maintenance, a torsion spring can be replaced before it breaks, but if it does break, your door will be difficult (if not impossible) to open. With the assistance of the spring, a door can be opened by one person, but with a broken spring, you would have to lift the full weight of the door to open it—with some older doors weighing more than 350 lbs! A professional garage technician has the tools and experience to safely replace the spring—even in tight spaces, and without having to lift the door—and get you back in working order.

Garage Door Roller Replacement

Garage door rollers move within the track to keep your garage door moving smoothly as it’s raised and lowered.

While one blogger asserts this is DIY-friendly, she also recommends bending the track, and documents her own head injury in the process! This isn’t a project for DIY heroics, and is much safer for a professional to handle. A pro will also make sure your track stays straight so that the door can continue to raise and lower smoothly.

Garage Door Track Repair

The rollers run through the track to lift and lower the garage door, so repairing or replacing the track properly requires precision. Pro technicians have the proper tools and know-how to keep your garage door on the straight and narrow… and can help you avoid injury should the door fall in your attempt to repair the track yourself.

Broken Garage Door Cable Replacement

Tension cables and emergency release cables are the two primary types of garage door cables you need to maintain. Like other elements in the garage door system, they are under tension and can cause injury if something goes wrong. These are another garage door repair to leave to the professionals.

Door Installation or Panel Replacement

An entire garage door is understandably heavy, but each panel of the door can be more than a homeowner should wrestle with. Not only is it difficult to handle, but when swapping out a panel it must be installed carefully and precisely so that the door alignment is maintained and the door functions as designed. Professional garage door installers are skilled at this type of replacement.

Annual Garage Door Maintenance

You can (and should) keep your garage door maintained with a number of DIY-friendly garage door checks and tests. But professional annual garage door maintenance will keep your garage door system functioning at its best and prevent many emergency repairs that can be handled before they break down.

Whether it’s ongoing maintenance or that emergency phone call, experienced garage door professionals can help. Give us a call or contact us to help you with your garage door repair!