Starting in the 1980’s, do-it-yourself, or DIY has come a long way. DIY is a term that is used by multiple communities of professions that focus on people creating things for themselves, without having to pay for the actual product or service. It was not before long that people across the nation were taking part in the money-saving movement. People were choosing to do a variety of DIY projects, whether it’s creating Halloween costumes for your kids so you don’t have to spend a small fortune at the store or watching free cooking tutorials to make a delicious meal you would usually go to a restaurant for. One popular trend that developed in the DIY movement was home improvement and repairs. Homeowners found that they could save money by doing home improvement projects themselves. While do-it-yourself is great and all, there are some jobs that are more complex than most people believe and should be left to trained and experienced professionals — and trying to do a DIY garage door repair is one of those jobs.
Yes, you can find plenty of instructions and tutorials online that make garage door repair seem like a piece of cake, it is not a DIY project you should pursue. In fact, the job should be left to a garage door repair company. Not to mention, trying to repair a garage door yourself can not only risk injury and other damages, it can actually cost more than hiring a professional garage door company. Don’t believe us? Check out some reasons why doing garage door yourself is a dangerous and unwise idea.
Reason #1: Don’t make it worse.
The first reason itself should stop you from trying to repair your garage door yourself — when you choose to make repairs to yourself, there is the risk of making the issue worse. To start, when your garage door needs repair, you likely will not know where to start. You could risk causing further damages and making the situation worse. Being an experienced garage door company, we have seen homeowners turn simple and affordable garage door repairs turn into complex and costly repairs just by trying to solve the problem themselves. Making quality garage door repairs isn’t something that can someone with no knowledge can pull off. And, should something go south during a repair your choose to do it yourself, you’re risking further damage to the garage door, the garage door opener, as well as the values inside the garage, like vehicles and stored items.
Reason #2: Don’t try to repair pieces that aren’t damaged
As we briefly mentioned above, most homeowners that experience garage door issues don’t possess the professional knowledge that is needed to make the appropriate repairs. While some people may think they know what needs to be repaired as well as how to do, most repairs require professional knowledge, tools, and equipment. Trying to perform a garage door repair yourself without the proper understanding and knowledge could end up causing damages and being a huge waste of time and money.
Reason #3: Do you have the right tools?
Sure, getting up on a ladder and becoming eye-level with the track is easy, but do you have the right tools to get the repairs started? A common reason that homeowners cause further, and costly, damages to their garages after trying to do the repairs themselves is not having the required tools needed. Not to mention, most homeowners don’t even own the tools that are needed for some garage door and garage door opener repairs. People will still try doing the repairs without the right tools, which can lead to the risk of further damaging the garage door as well as damage to your tools. Garage door repair itself is dangerous, but when you add the wrong tools to the mix, the risks are only increased.
Reason #4: Torsion springs can be lethal
Most garage door systems are either torsion or extension systems. Both options have been proven to be reliable options for garage door systems. However, they can be extremely dangerous when performing repairs. Torsion springs are tightly wound, causing them to be under tension, and they can be found mounted horizontally above the opening of the garage door. If a spring were to break during repair, it sends multiple, broken pieces flying in each direction, putting anyone — or anything — in the garage at risk.
Plus, when springs are the part that needs repairs, inexperienced homeowners may purchase the wrong springs for their garage door, which could result in problems that cause them to call for the help of a professional garage door company. Professional garage door repairmen have the proper knowledge of, and experience working with, torsion springs.
Reason #5: Falling is not fun
Most garage door repairs climbing up on a ladder to inspect the situation and perform the repairs. And if you don’t have the right training and equipment, you could end up falling and getting seriously injured. Trust us, falling onto a concrete garage floor should try to be avoided at all costs!
Reason #6: You don’t want a collapsed garage door
If you didn’t know, garage doors are extremely heavy. Why do you think we use a machine to open and close them? Most garage doors can weigh somewhere between 200 and 500 pounds. When you do do-it-yourself garage door repairs, your actions could end up causing the insanely heavy door to come off the tracks and cause extreme damages to whatever is underneath the door itself. Think of it this way, instead of paying for a simple repair you now have to pay for car repairs, damaged items, any injuries, and a new garage door. In fact, when you do DIY garage door repairs there are multiple ways you could cause your heavy door to collapse, like disconnecting the garage door restraints incorrectly. When making repairs, garage door professionals are aware of the proper precautions that need to that need to be taken to keep your garage door from collapsing.
Contact RTS All American Garage Doors For Garage Door Repairs
When your garage door opener or garage door needs repairs, instead of trying to do the repairs yourself, contact a reliable garage door company to service your garage door. Trying to make the repairs yourself could not only lead to further damages to your garage door, but it could also damage your belongings or even cause injury. If you are in need of garage door repairs in Escambia County, Florida there is no better garage door company to call then RTS All American Garage Doors! Contact us today to receive a free estimate.