Let’s face it, your garage door is incredibly important. Not only does it guard the largest entryway into your house, but it serves a critical role in insulating, securing, and providing lovely curb appeal. Yet, when your garage door has a problem or breaks, who do you turn to? When you pull out your smartphone and type in “Garage door repair near me,” what will happen? Who will pop up? And furthermore, will they be worth it? Will they try to rip you off or be honest? These are important questions!
Fortunately, we are here to help. Let’s take a look at all the factors that might result in requiring you to ask for help with your garage door problem. But first, let’s discuss whether or not you even need help with your garage door problem. Now, you are probably thinking, “Why wouldn’t I need help?” Well, quite frankly, because there are some things you can do on your own. Sure, we get paid to help you fix your garage door problems, but we will never take money for something that can be easily fixed. So, now the question is, what can be easily fixed? Let’s start with the one that matters most this time of year.
Brrrrr! DIY Insulation for Your Garage Door
With it being winter and all, we want to focus on the first DIY fix. Baby, it’s cold outside, so why not make sure your garage door is properly insulated? Now, we bet you thought that you would have to type “garage door repair near me” into your browser to get your garage door insulated. Well, guess what? That isn’t the case! There are effective DIY options for insulating your garage door, depending on the type of door.
Insulating your garage door is important for many reasons. Sure, you may want a warm garage to do woodworking or work on your classic car, but more than that a warm garage prevents cold from seeping into your home. If you have a standard panel garage door with no insulation, you can take care of it yourself with the following:
- Grab four sheets of foil-faced foam board from your local home supply store.
- Find an appropriate knife or blade to cut the foam board.
- Use a measuring tape or yardstick to measure your pieces.
Once you have gathered the appropriate materials, you will need to measure the size of each panel frame in the garage door. Be sure to add an inch to your measurements. Why? Because you want your foam pieces to be just a bit larger than the actual framing so that there is a bit of a convex bulge when you install them. If there are any gaps between the foam and the door, the radiant barrier will not seal. When you have made your cuts, make sure you situate the foam so that the foil side is facing the garage door and the small air pocket under the foam panel. And guess what, you’re done!
Hinges, Nuts and Bolts, Oh My!
To state the obvious, part of being a responsible homeowner is taking care of your home. But another, more important part of being a responsible homeowner is knowing when you can repair something yourself and when you need to open up your laptop and type in “garage door repair near me.” When it comes to your garage door, there are certainly small repairs you can handle.
Is your garage door rattling? It could be that some of the hardware simply needs to be tightened. Considering you live in Northeastern Ohio, you know that temperature changes, both outside and inside the garage, can cause garage door hardware to contract or expand. When that happens, all you need to do is grab some of the tools that are likely already in your garage, put a little elbow grease into it, and tighten up your hinges, nuts or bolts.
Another quick DIY garage door fix we have touched on in the past is lubrication. Consider that there is near-constant friction between your garage door’s moving parts as you raise and lower it day-in and day-out. When those parts are not properly lubricated, guess what happens. That horrible nails-on-chalkboard sound of metal scraping on metal. The more that happens, the more your garage door components become damaged.
What else can you handle yourself? Eye sensors, remote batteries, opener power cycling, and weather sealing. But now the question is, what shouldn’t you try to handle on your own?
No, Just Don’t Do It!
Alright, so you (or your husband or wife) thinks they are the world’s best handyman or woman. Well, guess what, there still are things you simply should not do on your own. Consider that your garage door is massive, both in size and weight. This isn’t something as simple as installing a “regular” door in your home. The most important reason why there are some things you shouldn’t try on your own is for safety reasons, but safety isn’t the only consideration.
If you try to handle something DIY and it goes wrong, you could cause additional damage to your garage door. Trained pros know exactly how to diagnose and quickly fix issues that might cause additional damage if you try to fix them yourself. But let’s go back to safety.
Springs, tracks, and openers are intricate and complex. They are interwoven with other aspects of your garage door system. The most important thing to consider is that everything that plays a part in the functioning of your garage door.
So, in conclusion, here is the deal: If you are considering picking up your nearest device and looking for the nearest “garage door repair near me,” you need to know whether you actually need a garage door repair professional because you may not need him or her at all! Want to find out if you do need us? Simply fill out our contact form today!