Your garage is a multi-purpose space in your home that can serve many functions. Whether you use your garage as a rec room, workshop, or a place to store your vehicle, every part of your garage must be in top condition.
The most vital part of your garage is the door. When there’s a problem with your garage door, getting access to this important part of your home can be a hassle and cost you money with high heating and cooling costs if your door doesn’t close correctly. While you may think repairing your garage door DIY can save you money, it’s a job best left to a professional.
Basic Repairs vs Challenging Repairs
Sometimes the garage door doesn’t open or respond to the garage door opener. In some cases, moving or cleaning the sensors is all you need to “repair” the garage door. Other things like changing batteries in a garage door opener can fix most issues when it comes to the communication between your garage and the garage door opener. However, more challenging and dangerous repairs like spring repairs may be better left to the professionals. A garage door spring repair, for example, requires specialty tools and experience to complete. With that being the case, attempting to make the repair on your own can not only cause more damage to the garage door, it can also cause damage to yourself and the risk may not be worth it.
DIY Can Be Costly
Some DIY garage repairs like placing the chain back on the track can be simple and with minimal cost. In some cases, people like to replace the metal chain with upgraded rubber chains to make the garage door quieter. These types of upgrades are more common to do DIY since all you have to do is pay for the chain and most people already have the tools needed to complete the process. However, that isn’t always the case and sometimes DIY can be costly. For Example, garage door spring repair and installation can be a very dangerous and complex job. Without the right tools, experience, and skills, you can cause more damage to your garage door or even injure yourself trying to install or repair the springs. The last thing you want is your garage door to fall on yourself, a pet, or someone in your home due to a faulty DIY repair job. Any errors with these types of repairs can be incredibly costly compared to hiring a professional to do them for you.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional
Making small repairs and upgrades to your garage DIY is fine. Adding shelves, repairing holes in walls, or even adding a window are repairs and upgrades you can do yourself if you’re handy with tools and have some experience in carpentry or construction. However, repairing your garage door is another matter entirely. There are very few garage door repairs that you can do effectively and efficiently on your own. In most cases, hiring a professional can be more cost and time-effective than doing it yourself. Hiring a professional for your garage door repair will ensure the job is done correctly, safely, and efficiently. Additionally, if anything goes wrong during the repair process, a properly licensed and insured contractor will be able to afford any additional repairs needed if a repair goes wrong. If necessary, they can even completely replace the garage door. In some cases, the professional will make you sign a waiver about damages to other things inside the garage. When working with a professional, remove any valuables that could get damaged during the repair. This may simply include your car but if you have other things like a lawnmower or an air compressor or other things that could get damaged by things like a garage door falling on it, then it’s ideal to remove those from the garage during the repair process.
More Complicated Than You Think
Repairing anything mechanical usually isn’t as easy as it appears. While garage doors and garage door openers are not as complex as cars or other mechanical devices, it still takes a great deal of skill and knowledge to make efficient repairs. Some of these complicated processes can be explained in a video you may find online or in the user manual, but keep in mind that not every video is made by an actual professional so take a look at the comments of the video before following the direction of the person who made the video. Additionally, you may want to watch multiple videos on the same topic to get multiple perspectives. Another factor to consider is that it can sometimes be hard to find the exact part you need for your door or opener or determine which replacement parts will fit and operate correctly. In addition to parts, the tools needed to repair the garage door properly may be challenging to find and you may need to resort to online markets. Some parts and tools are only available to buy in bulk. With that being the case, you may be able to borrow or rent tools from local professionals.
One final thing to think about if you’re considering repairing your garage door DIY is the liability for damages or injuries. If someone is injured or if something is damaged due to a faulty DIY garage door repair, you’ll be the one on the hook to pay compensation.