Having a damaged garage door can me more than just unsightly, it can be a serious inconvenience. While there are seemingly countless projects that DIYers can check off the honey-do list, repairing your garage door probably shouldn’t be one of them. In some cases, it’s best to leave things to the professionals.
If you attempt to (incorrectly) repair the garage door on your own, you could cause more damage, and possibly even cause severe injury to yourself or a onlooker. The tension springs are particularly hazardous. These springs are under extreme tension and when loosened, they can relieve that tension FAST! A hand or tool in the wrong place can lead to broken bones or even death. Here are some of the times when it’s best to have a professional handle your garage door repairs.
Broken springs – A broken spring replacement involves loosening the tension on the other, good, spring and dissembling part of the garage door to get the new spring back into place.
Broken cables – The tension again needs to be released from the springs, and the old cable removed. A new cable can then be reattached and the springs can be adjusted.
Damaged rollers – Rollers are something that can be easily fixed. It doesn’t take much skill or know how to replace most styles of rollers, but the bigger question is why are the rollers damaged? Do you have a twisted track, crooked door, loose tension springs, or something else? Finding the cause and performing any associated repairs is a significantly larger project.
Damaged panels – This can be a very quick fix with the right tools. One or two panels can be replaced, even if they are in the middle of the door. It’s a good idea to have a professional come out for this repair, because whatever damaged the panel may have caused additional damage to the track, rollers, cable, springs, trim pieces, etc. A professional can quickly inspect all of these items and correct any additional damage, or verify that they are operating within tolerances.
Motor operator malfunctions – A malfunctioning motor can cause additional damage to the door, track, springs, or just be dangerous in general. A working operator, along with proper adjustments, is a must for the door to operate correctly.
Damaged safety equipment – A garage door has several safety devices to protect children, pets, and distracted adults as well. There is an eye that detects objects in the path of the door at ground level, adjustments that can be made to fine tune the distance of travel for the door, the power of the door, and more. If these safety elements are not correctly adjusted or aligned, the door may not close, or even worse, not stop when there is something in its path.
Garage door weatherstripping – Properly installed weather stripping will not only keep the garage warmer in the winter, and colder in the summer, but it will also protect against moisture and insects.
No Comment
You can post first response comment.