Your garage door is an important part of your life, and one which you normally take for granted, so when it goes wrong it can seem like a disaster. It affects not only your ability to get your car out and put it away, but often the security of your home itself. The question of who is the best person to do garage door repair jobs-yourself or a professional- is something you should always be keeping in mind, preferably from the time the garage door is new, not when it starts to go wrong.
One way of avoiding costly repair bills, of course, is to have the garage door checked and serviced on a regular basis. There are some aspects of this you can do yourself, such as carrying out a regular examination of the fittings, including the hinges and brackets, plus the plates on which the springs are mounted, and tightening all loose bolts and screws. You can also lubricate all moving parts, including the tracks, rollers and hinges, using an aerosol spray. However, using a professional to carry out a regular inspection will ensure that any potential safety issues can be identified before they cause a serious problem.
If you are checking your doors yourself, you may notice wear and tear in the rollers or hinges. This is something you may be able to fix yourself, but only if you are confident. If you are even slightly unsure, you should call a garage door repair service. If you notice rust or dents in the tracks, it is better to have these replaced by a professional.
There are some quite common problems you may find in your inspection of your garage doors, which you should definitely not try to fix yourself. One of these is broken springs, which can be very dangerous if they snap, because of the pressure they retain. The other problem you should not touch is cables coming off their tracks. For both of these you need to call in a professional garage door repair service.
Probably the most common problem encountered with overhead doors is the opener going wrong. There are a wide variety of problems that can occur. For example, the door fails to open when you press the remote; the opening and closing is only partial; the door opens without being commanded; or it opens and then reverses.
In any of these situations, there are a number of steps you can take yourself, before calling in a garage door repair service. First of all, check the power supply and check the batteries in your remote. Sometimes, replacing the batteries or reprogramming the remote is all it takes to fix the problem. Then you can unplug the opener and plug it in again, which sometimes resets the sensors. Finally, try cleaning the sensor’s eyes, as dust on the eyes can block the signal.
If you still have no success, you need to check the type of spring system that operates your garage. If it is an extension spring, you might be able to fix it yourself. Common problems include broken pulleys, cables, springs or rollers. However, if it is a torsion spring, which will be mounted above the door-header, it will be too dangerous to fix yourself, and you must call the garage door repair service.
There are certainly some types of garage door repair that you can do yourself, provided you know what you are doing. However, never lose sight of the fact that overhead doors are heavy and dangerous, and also operate on electricity. If you are not absolutely confident, call the garage door repair professionals, and be safe not sorry.
