Why Fixing Your Garage Door Shouldn’t be a DIY Project

You’re not one to pay someone else to do something you can do for free. And probably do a better job too. If this is you, and you’re a confirmed DIY specialist, there’s at least one thing that you should probably not fix yourself.

Why it’s So Dangerous to Fix Your Garage Door

Your garage door is the biggest moving part of your home. It’s also usually heavier than most people realize. When you combine its size and weight, that alone makes it something you should think twice about fixing.

But it’s the cause of many garage door problems that should also deter any fixing it yourself.

The size and weight of your door is managed through one of more torsion springs located above the door. The torsion spring was balanced by the garage door installer to make it easier to open and close the door. That’s why people often misjudge the real weight of the door – the spring makes it so easy to open and close.

If you have any problem with opening or closing your door, there’s a good chance it has something to do with the spring, which could either be out of balance or broken.

But fixing or replacing a spring is not a straightforward task. Every garage door has different operating requirements, which means the right torsion spring must be used and it has to be balanced specifically for your door.

If you have a double garage door and one spring breaks, you’ll still need to replace both. Chances are that the springs are the same age and, if one broke, it’s likley that the other one is not going to last that much longer. When you replace two springs, not only do they have to be adjusted to put the door in perfect balance, but they must be balanced to each other to make sure the door opens evenly.

When you combine the balancing needed, on something that is very large and heavy, using specialized tools, and the risk of personal and property damage, it simply isn’t worth the risk to fix your own garage door.