Your garage door works seamlessly… until it doesn’t. And then it seems like your whole world (or garage door) comes crashing down. You need your garage door back on track (possibly literally) ASAP. So what do you do now? Should you call a professional? That’s a good question –

At our garage door repair company, we totally appreciate the DIY spirit. These days, it seems like you can find an answer to just about anything online. Many garage door and opener repairs are simple, others not so much. It really depends on your handiness with tools and how much you want to deal with it yourself. There’s nothing wrong with calling us for a repair you could technically do yourself – it’s what garage door installation shops like ours exist for!

We do want to note that there are some repairs that aren’t safe to DIY. Some issues, like a broken garage door spring, are best left to the professionals because of the danger involved and the level of expertise required. Just you can find a how-to video on it doesn’t mean you necessarily should deal with it yourself. Do your research first; our blog is effectively a library of garage door repair guides – it’s a good place to start.

But the real question you should ask yourself — how big of a hassle am I prepared to deal with? Most garage door repairs are at least somewhat DIY — but a pain nonetheless. Something’s bound to go wrong — a rusted bolt breaks off, a track ends up bending. It’s frustrating to say the least. Sometimes you call a professional because you’d rather spend your Saturday relaxing than repairing your garage door.

Repairing Garage Door Parts and Hardware

Everything on your garage door needs to work in tandem for the door to work as a whole. One broken hinge could send things spiraling, causing damage to other parts, the opener, and maybe even the panel. So, the first thing you need to do when your garage door breaks is do a visual inspection and inventory the damage. Most of these garage door parts are easy to find and fix.

• Garage door rollers allow the door to move up and down the track. If not properly lubricated, they can seize up or break. Rollers need to be lubricated with lithium-based grease at least once per year, and any damaged or broken ones need replaced as soon as you notice something’s wrong. Rollers are cheap, easy-to-find parts that are simple to switch out yourself. Pro tip: choose nylon rollers over metal ones.
• Garage door hinges are what enable the door panels to move independently of each other. They can rust, seize up or break. Another common issue with this garage door part is loosening, either from the hundreds of uses and/or from wear. Hinges are like rollers – it’s a simple switch-out situation. The only thing you have to look out for is if a screw has stripped the hole in the door for a hinge, you’ll need to repair it with filler and wait for it to cure before drilling a new hole and reinstalling the hinge.
• The tracks, or rails, on your garage door hold everything together – literally. Is one of the tracks bent or broken, preventing the door from moving past that point? Or maybe they’re so gunked up your garage door opener just doesn’t have the strength to drag the door through the muck? Repairing mild to moderate bends in a track is a simply DIY. But if you’re dealing with a whole broken track, you should probably give us a call.
• The cables on your garage door may also be a reason it won’t work properly. These are easy to adjust yourself. However, we don’t recommend changing out cables and pulleys yourself, as it can get a bit dicey, safety-wise, and rebalancing a garage door afterwards takes skill and experience.
• Most garage doors are steel or aluminum, which means you can fix dents yourself instead of replacing panels, so long as the panel isn’t structurally compromised. You can actually reverse a dent in an aluminum garage door, and you can fill ones in steel garage doors.
• Sometimes, it’s the trolley carriage that’s the issue. The trolley carriage guides the door up and down the trolley via a chain or belt drive. You’ll know if there’s an issue with the garage door’s trolley if you activate the garage door opener and the trolley carriage moves but nothing happens. Replacing a broken trolley isn’t a complicated process, and it won’t eat up much of your Saturday, either.

Garage Door Opener Replacement: Leave it to the Pros

Garage door opener problems are another issue. It could be as simple as a dead remote battery or a burned out motor. Make sure everything is plugged in and batteries are fresh. If you need a new motor in the opener, you can get one and replace yourself for less than $100.

There is something to keep in mind when messing around with your garage door opener, though. If your opener is still under warranty, read up on it before you do anything. Sometimes, a warranty will have a clause that voids it if you try to repair the garage door opener yourself.

Is it time to replace your garage door opener? If it’s more than a few years old, the answer’s probably yes. Modern openers are much more secure, smarter, more energy efficient, and come with emergency battery backups. Call SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR for a free estimate. We serve Folsom, Roseville and the Greater Sacramento area.

Do You Have a Garage Door Emergency?

It’s life. Stuff happens. And you can’t always plan for it. You depend on your garage door; when it breaks, everything grinds to a halt. In fact, you might not even be able to leave for work. We understand. Give us a call! We offer 24/7 emergency garage door repair service just for these occasions.

We’ve got your back. Whether it’s the middle of the night, early in the morning before the crack of dawn, even on Christmas or New Year’s, we’re there for you. We’ll have your garage door repaired and your life back to normal in no time at all.

We’ve been servicing the Sacramento, California area with superior garage door repair and installation for years. All of our work is certified and guaranteed. You’re in good hands. We treat our customers like family.