Has your garage door opener begun straining when lowering and raising your garage door? Do the torsion springs grind or creak when you try operating your door opener? Are there any noticeable damages, or do they appear broken? You might have a garage door torsion spring, which requires replacement. Although they might last for a lifetime, extension springs are amongst the most general repairs homeowners need in their garage. Torsion cables and springs are extensively used daily and may break or fail because of wear and tear; it’s not uncommon for them to require replacement every 4-8 years of their useful life.
Nonetheless, when it comes to garage doors, DIY repair is not recommended, especially even when it comes to spring replacement. An instant internet search “How to Replace Garage Door Springs’ along with simple what-to-do guides don’t make anybody a professional and certainly doesn’t make you able to DIY.
Experts advise homeowners never to handle the issue of DIY spring replacement for various reasons. Read on the following article for a clear insight into some of the reasons why you shouldn’t try to replace your garage door spring. So, let’s get started with 5 reasons why you shouldn’t try DIY garage door spring replacement.
1. You Could Get Injured
The first reason you shouldn’t try to repair your garage door springs by yourself is that it’s risky. Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds. Should they fall, they can damage the door itself, the garage floor, and any items stored in your garage, for instance, your car. Technicians know how to work with these heavy doors carefully, unlike most homeowners. You may not think you would make such a mistake, but garage doors DIY can put you in a risky situation. Furthermore, if you or your children, friends, or pets are standing in the way, you may end up with severe injuries as well.
Besides, the springs used in garage doors store mechanical energy when they are wound up, making them dangerous if they get damaged. If these springs break during your DIY repair, they release lots of tension and send pieces flying unpredictably. More than 20,000 garage door mishaps-causing injuries are recorded yearly, including pinching injuries, crushing injuries, and lacerations. At times, a garage door accident can even cause death.
2. You Could Worsen The Problem
It would be best to have an extensive understanding of your garage door before starting any repairs by yourself. Failure to understand how this mechanics function makes it easy to make mistakes- it only takes one mistake to worsen the problem.
For instance, you may ‘repair’ the wrong thing by accident, you may only address the problem’s symptoms, not the main issue itself, or you can end up using inappropriate methods or parts. Some mistakes can even wholly ruin your garage door and necessitate you to buy a new one. It’s preferable to hire an expert with the necessary experience to get the job done the first time correctly.
3. You May Not Have The Right Tools
Most garage door repair needs specialized tools and components. If you don’t have these tools and a high probability you don’t, you’ll have to find and purchase them. It’s not sensible breaking the bank on costly tools that you will never need again.
Some people may try to fix their garage door springs using tools they have lying around to resolve this issue. Unfortunately, this can be pretty dangerous. Trying to use the wrong tools or parts on your DIY garage door repair can put you in a hazardous position, risk damaging your door, as well as ruin your tools.
Without the correct tools, the garage door repair may be complex, if not impossible. A skilled technician can provide all the tools required to fix the problem without risk or hassle.
4. You Could Lose Your Warranty
Once you have bought your garage door, you are more likely to be awarded a warranty for a particular amount of time. The warranty can help you cater to your repairs and replacements if something goes wrong before the specified time has elapsed.
In case you try to DIY repairs on your garage door, you lose any warranty you might have benefited from because warranties don’t cater for any modifications consumers make to the product after it’s installed. To preserve your warranty and possibly make even good use of it, you should only let an expert repair company work on your garage door.
5. The Repair May Not Be Reliable
Repairing your garage door spring by yourself can leave you with unreliable fixes. Although it may seem like you have taken care of the issue, the hidden problem might still exist- this can make your garage door problem worsen with time, which can be potentially dangerous. Ignoring such problems can result in undesirable outcomes such as personal injury, property damages, and costly garage door replacements.
All in all, there are many DIY projects that you can do around your house, but garage door spring replacement isn’t one of them. Although you may want to advance your skillset or save money, garage door repairs can be dangerous and quite deadly. Unless you’re a professional garage door spring repair technician such as Wayne Dalton, you probably don’t have the knowledge and skill to handle this type of project.