Garage Door Caution

When a garage door breaks down that many people realize how dependent they are on them.

When this happens, most people call a garage door repair company to do the repairs. Sometimes the job is quick and the customer is left with a hefty service call bill.

Other times, the repair takes longer and requires much effort even for the trained technician and the bill is still extremely costly. These large bills may encourage homeowners to do the repairs themselves. It is difficult to know which repairs a homeowner can do alone and which problems require a professional. Whatever issue you decide to tackle yourself, there are a few things to always remember including:

> Proceed with caution! Working with garage doors can be extremely dangerous, even life threatening. Manipulating the springs is very dangerous, when they are stetched they act like a cocked gun and if released will recoil at a treacherous speed with tremendous force. Garage door accidents have led to bodily injury. Make sure to thoroughly read all instructions on every part you use. Even better when a spring is broken, call a professional.

> Inspect the entire system. Make sure you know exactly why the entrance is not working before you attempt any repair. Is there a visible broken part, disconnection, or loose screw? To determine if the opener itself is not working. Release the entrance from the opener and attempt to manually open it. Only attempt to do the repair yourself, if you know exactly what needs to be fixed. Otherwise, you will end up with a garage door and its entire system taken apart without knowing what needs to be done.

> If a part is broken, replace it and any other matching piece. For example, if one spring busts, the other spring is close behind, if you are going to replace the one, you might as well save yourself the time or another service call fee and replace the other at the same time.

> Know what you are capable of fixing. Roller, hinge, and pulley replacements are manageable for do-it-yourselfers. While spring replacements are best handled by a professional, garage door openers can be installed by homeowners if instructions are followed carefully.