Garage Door Repair: Why You Shouldn’t DIY

Whether your garage door is making a strange sound, not opening right or is showing signs of wear or damage, it’s in need of repair. And with how essential your garage door is in your daily life, you want to get it functioning right away.

No matter the issue, many people will want to save some money and wonder how to repair a garage door themselves. This is a bad idea, as garage door systems are often highly complex and have many moving parts, making repair difficult for people who do not have expertise with these systems. Garage door repair is not necessarily the safest do-it-yourself (DIY) task, as there are many dangers associated with it. 

In the worst cases, the repercussions of DIY garage door repair can even be fatal. Understand the dangers of DIY garage door repair and why you should save time, money and a lot of hassle by contacting a professional to do your garage door repair.

5 Reasons Why DIY Garage Door Repair Is a Bad Idea

From you and your family’s safety to your money, time and the state of your garage, there’s a lot on the line with garage door repairs. Here’s why a garage door DIY repair is not a good idea:

1. You May Cause Extra Damage

Taking on a garage door repair by yourself dramatically increases your chances of using the incorrect part, tool or process for the repair. By using the wrong part, wrong tool or wrong method to fix the garage door, you can cause more damage to the door in addition to what you are already trying to fix. 

Attempting to repair your garage door yourself with minimal industry experience can cause damage to any items inside the garage if the door breaks during the repair. More damage can only lead to one thing — more money spent on repairs. And in worst-case scenarios, you could harm yourself or your household members.

2. You Probably Do Not Have the Right Tools

Repairing a garage door often requires specialized components and specific tools, without which someone cannot complete the repair correctly. More often than not, you cannot find these tools inside your typical home toolbox, leading to one of two options. You could shop for and buy the tools you need, but then you have just spent a decent bit of money on tools you used once and may never use again. 

Another option is trying to adapt the tools you currently have to the tools needed for the job. We do not recommend this option at all, as using the wrong tools or using tools incorrectly can further damage your door, destroy your tools and possibly cause injury.

3. You Could Forfeit Your Warranty

Many newly purchased garage doors come with warranty programs that will help cover the cost of repairs or replacements anytime within a specific time frame after the date of purchase. Having a warranty on your garage door can be a huge help financially if the door breaks within that period. But not many people know what happens to the warranty as soon as you attempt to do a DIY garage door replacement or repair work on the door. 

Once you have tried a DIY repair on your garage door, your warranty becomes null and void, as many warranties specify that they do not cover any aftermarket changes made to the product. Breaking the warranty by trying to fix a problem yourself may end up costing you money in the long run, especially if there was still a decent bit of time left before the warranty ran out.

4. You Might Fix the Wrong Problem

Without an advanced understanding of garage door systems, trying to repair the door yourself can lead to a trial-and-error-centered process, often causing you only to fix the symptoms of the problem or the wrong problem entirely. The discrepancies between fixing the effects or symptoms of a problem and fixing the actual problem can be hard to spot with an untrained eye. 

Just fixing the symptoms means the real issue still exists and will come back eventually. Like fixing the wrong problem, only solving the symptoms will lead to spending more money down the road once the problem rises again.

5. You Could Get Hurt

Garage doors and garage door repairs are more dangerous than you would think. Between the door’s weight, height and many moving parts, there are many possible ways an untrained person can injure themselves during the repair process. 

Why Are Garage Doors Dangerous?

Garage doors are extremely heavy and can weigh upwards of a few hundred pounds. These doors are then supported or lifted using heavy-duty springs made to withstand the tension put on them by the door’s weight. Repairing the door incorrectly or improperly can lead the door or one of its many parts to break, causing horrible consequences.

Here’s what makes garage doors dangerous and the possible physical repercussions of DIY repair.

The Door Can Fall

One of the most obvious consequences is that if the door falls during repair, it could land on and seriously injure you, a family member, a pet or someone you know. A garage door weighs several hundred pounds and would fall from around 6-10 feet to the ground, only adding to the force someone or something would feel if the door were to land on them. 

In a best-case scenario, the door would fall with no interruptions and only break itself. Still, it can also crack your garage floor or damage personal belongings inside or directly outside your garage.

The Springs Are Under High Tension

Torsion springs are another hazardous but relatively unknown part of a garage door system. These springs are designed and used to lift and keep the doors off the ground. Garage door springs are tightly wound and full of tension or stored energy at any given point in time. 

If one were to break or release, garage door springs become dangerous due to the stored energy. The exit velocity of the spring can lead to severe or even fatal injuries to anyone who is struck by one, and a spring’s path is unpredictable. The damages include anywhere from getting caught in hair or causing broken bones to internal bleeding and head trauma.

Is It Safe to Repair a Garage Door Yourself?

The short answer? No. Attempting DIY garage door repair is very dangerous on a few different fronts, especially if you do not have a high-level understanding of garage doors and how they work:

• Physically: DIY garage door repair is definitely not safe, as you can seriously injure yourself or someone helping you if you attempt to fix a garage door with no professional help. 
• Financially: While fixing your door yourself may be cheaper initially than calling a professional to come and fix it, doing the original repair wrong is much more likely when the project is DIY. If not done correctly, the door may require even more repairs sooner rather than later, costing you even more money to fix.

Contact King Door for Professional Garage Door Repairs Today

Whether you consider yourself handy or not, make sure you contact the professionals the next time your garage door needs repairs.

Here at King Door Company, we pride ourselves on the quality and safety measures our crew takes to ensure the job is done the right way the first time. Our technicians have a wide variety of tools in their trucks at all times, meaning they are more likely to finish their repair on the first trip, equating to greater convenience and lower labor costs for our customers.

Does your garage door need to be repaired, or do you need other residential garage door services? Save the hassle, danger and stress of doing it yourself. Get in contact with King Door Company today either by phone at (661) 397-2744 or online by requesting a service or requesting an estimate.