Why DIY Garage Door Repair is Dangerous

by Dillon Patterson Article Publisher

There are a lot of great reasons to do as many do-it-yourself repairs around the house and garage as you can. First of all, you can save a lot of money, especially for more specialized DIYs like working on your car. Working around the house can be a great diversion from your day-to-day routine and it also keeps you more active and fit.

But, unless you’re trained or very experienced in certain types of home repair, it’s not always a good idea to go the DIY route, regardless of the benefits. Electricals are an example. Not only do things need to be done properly using the right tools, but not following correct code and procedures could mean you end up hurting yourself, creating a fire hazard and risking the safety of your family.

Most people wouldn’t say the risks of repairing their garage door are the same as the risks of wiring their home. First, there’s no danger of electrocution. Second, it’s a relatively simple mechanical thing – it opens and closes – so how difficult can it be?

TWO MAIN REASONS FOR FIXING A GARAGE DOOR

Unless it’s actually damaged in a collision or there’s a problem with your garage door opener, there are two main reasons that your garage door might need to be fixed. The most common problem is that it won’t open and close properly or at all, which means there’s a problem with the spring.

The other problem, which doesn’t happen as often, is when the door doesn’t close evenly along its width, leaving one side open while the other side touches the ground. This is the result of a problem with the cables that help to lift and lower the door.

THE DANGERS OF DIY GARAGE DOOR REPAIR

The danger of fixing either of these problems on your own comes from the fact that, in both cases, the torsion spring, which is under a lot of tension, will either need to be replaced or adjusted.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you don’t attempt to fix your garage door yourself and use a professional garage door repair service. We’re not making this recommendation because we’re a garage door company and we’re trying to scare you into calling us. We make the recommendation because of the serious and costly dangers of replacing or adjusting a garage door spring.

1. PERSONAL INJURY

Even if you open and close your door manually, it so easy that the actual weight of the door can be deceiving. The truth is that garage doors can be very heavy, especially double doors. It’s the torsion spring that ‘balances’ the door so you can easily lift and lower it. Without the spring, or if the spring snaps or its tension is lost, the door would be much more difficult to open and could come crashing down with nothing holding it back.

As the largest single moving thing in your home, and the speed at which it can close unexpectedly, there is a significant risk of injury when working on the spring, especially if you don’t have the right replacement spring and the training, experience and/or tools to install and balance it properly.

And if you have a double garage door, you’ll have double the risk because, even if just one spring breaks, you should replace both at the same time to avoid repeating the whole process later.

2. DO MORE DAMAGE

Even if you manage to not get clobbered by a suddenly closing door, the force of the impact with the ground could easily damage the door. And if you were actually able to install the torsion spring without a visit to the hospital, if you don’t balance it perfectly, it might not fully compensate for all of the door’s weight, which can put additional strain on your garage door opener and cause it to be repaired or replaced sooner than later.

3. IT’S SIMPLY NOT WORTH IT

This one may not be a dangerous risk, but if one of the major benefits of DIY garage door repairs is cost savings, then fixing your garage door is probably not worth it. When you combine the fact that you may not be able to use your door for some time, with the costs you’ll have anyway, like for a new spring (if you find the right one) or tools, the relatively small cost savings is not worth the risk – or the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, not only is your garage door properly fixed, but it’ll work safely too.

If you have any problems with your garage door and/or opener, please give us a call at Fast Garage Doors Repair in Salt Lake City Utah. We offer same-day service to get your door fixed as soon as possible.

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Created on Sep 10th 2018 05:20. Viewed 409 times.

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