Faulty garage doors take a toll on your plate, especially if it is unpredictable and sudden, and should never happen often in the first place. Garage door repairs are often considered expensive and an addition to your expenses. Still, you also should note that you can do many easy-to-understand and highly effective DIY (Do it yourself) hacks to repair your garage doors.
DIYs are methods done when building, fixing, or repairing something without the help of a professional; it means that you will be the one who will be responsible for doing your own fixing, etc. And, of course, professional fixing should also be considered even though you want to save a lot in terms of money and other things.
If you have a malfunctioning garage door, you should dive deeper into this article, as we will talk about effective DIY garage door repairs and when is the best time to skip DIY and seek a professional.
Pros and Cons of DIY Garage Door Repair
Every DIY you can find has all its Pros and Cons, and garage door repairs are no exception. First, let’s start with the Pros. You should consider these Pros if you decide to do a DIY garage door repair independently.
PROS
- Save money
- Additional Learning Experience
- Gain and share the knowledge
- You manage/hold the time
- Gaining new tools
DIYs sure have a lot of PROS in terms of saving more money because hiring a professional or a contractor means you will pay more for the tools and equipment. You will also pay for the labor, which can be avoided when you are doing DIY because you will be the one who will do the labor.
Yes, it may be exhausting, but the additional learning experience would be worth it, and with that, whenever you encounter another malfunction with your garage door, you now know how to fix it. Gaining and sharing knowledge is uplifting and fulfilling, especially if you know you did it all on your own.
Another good thing about DIY garage door repair is that you hold your time. If ever you need to go out, you don’t have to worry about other people being left in your home, fixing your garage door for you. Yes, it could take some time to repair, but at the least, you can put it on hold or in progress anytime you want.
Lastly, another good thing about DIY is that you will gain new tools in your garage. You usually seek professionals because they have the tools you don’t have for repairs, but when you invest in DIY, all of the tools you will purchase will now be your own.
CONS
If there are Pros, there should be Cons. There should always be two sides to make something balanced. Here are the cons you should consider before repairing a DIY garage door.
- Absence of the right tools
- Susceptible to harm
- Lack of experience
- Wrong information
- Time-consuming
The absence of the right tools can be a great CON if you plan to do DIY garage door repairs, especially if you are tight on budget and want to avoid investing in the tools. Not having proper tools can also make you susceptible to harm, and together with the lack of experience, repairing your garage door on your own may seem bleak.
Another thing you should consider is the wrong information you might get, or sometimes, the information and instructions are right, but you made a mistake since you don’t have proper knowledge about garage door repairs; this can lead to a time-consuming scenario where in instead of a seamless repair, you get to start over from one single mistake.
(insert image)
What are the do’s and don’ts of a DIY garage door repair?
If you have decided to push through with your DIY garage door repair, you must first know the DOs and DON’Ts of a garage door repair. These Dos and Don’ts are all associated with each garage door component you need to know and familiarize yourself with.
1. THE SAFETY EYE SENSOR
Do: You must wipe the sensor beam to remove dust and debris. Check the sensor for any cause of a blockage.
Don’t: Do not disconnect the sensor from the garage. The absence of a sensor may cause accidents.
2. WEATHERSTRIPPING
Do: Clean your weatherstripping carefully and inspect for cracking or dryness that may lead to detaching that can cause your garage door to malfunction.
Don’t: When applying the weatherstripping, do not apply it when the door panels are still wet.
3. SPRINGS
Do: You need to lubricate them to prevent rusting, but if you think the string is for replacement, just leave it as it is and call for a professional. Springs hold tension and cause severe damage if wrongly fixed.
Don’t: Do not put incorrectly sized springs if you are getting replacements. This can lead to serious damage.
4. CABLES
Do: Inspect the cable to see if it just needs cleaning or if it is for replacement. Garage door cables are like springs; they hold the tension for the opener and are very important, so just leave it as it is and call a professional.
Don’t: Do not just abruptly fix or repair it.
5. PANELS
Do: If your panel problems are only small, like, for example, a little dent or just chipped paint. You can easily do this on your own.
Don’t: Do not impulsively fix or repair big cracks or dents because this can cause further damage without having initial inspections of what is needed and what needs to be done.
6. TRACKS
Do: You should wipe the tracks with a wet cleaner cloth and, if needed, a grease cleaner.
Don’t: Do not lubricate your garage door tracks.
(insert image)
When to Call a Professional for Garage Door Repair?
Garage doors are an important part of every house; whenever it is malfunctioning, you are always torn between fixing and repairing with your hand or calling for a garage door repair service.
Sometimes you overlook things and think that your garage door problem is just minimal, but in reality, it is bigger than expected, and instead of getting services, you rely on and invest in DIY tips. But instead of saving you some time and money, it took a bland turn because of the mistakes and the need for more experience. These DIY failures are on the 70% mark, as garage door repairs are difficult. In most cases where the DIY fails, the consequences are losing time, money, effort, and the non-returnable tools you have purchased.
A DIY garage door repair is only sometimes recommended, especially if the garage door problem is bigger and more complex than expected. Calling for skilled professionals would probably save you more time, money, and effort. And it would also prevent you from getting any serious damage or injuries that you can acquire from DIY mistakes.
(insert image)
There’s no harm in DIY garage door repairs if the damage is minimal and you are sure it is not complex. The tips above could be useful reminders if you decide to jump on the DIY side. But, if you think your garage door damage is more complex, you should not contemplate twice and call for a garage door repair service immediately, to save you time and effort.
If you are on a tight budget, you should have a clear budget breakdown for which would cost more; the DIY garage door repair or the garage door repair service.
If you have decided to call for skilled professional service, call The Garage Door Guys of Edmonton, as they serve garage door repair in Edmonton at its best. If it is complex, garage door repair in Edmonton is just a message away.
