This blog site is about garage door repair needed in San Diego in general. Thus it applies both to fixing various garage door issues yourself and in dealing with repair professionals. You may be unsure as to whether you are handy enough to attempt a certain repair or whether it is a good idea in general. The following are some criteria you can use to judge whether or not you’re the right person for a garage door repair job in San Diego:

Do you have the Tools or Do You Need to Buy Them?

This is a good preliminary evaluation consideration. If you merely need to make some adjustments, tighten screws, and the like, chances are that you do indeed have the tools. Usually all you will need are some wrenches and screw drivers for this type of repair. However, some larger scale repairs may need more extensive or less common tools. For instance, if you want to take dents out of a garage door, you will need a can of liquid carbon dioxide. This can be purchased easily enough but most people don’t have it on hand.

Similarly if you need to replace larger items like the central arm or the garage door opener itself, you will probably need at least a power drill/screw driver. This will speed things up and make taking out and putting in screws easier.

Most people that are relatively handy do have the tools for garage door repair. They are ordinary tools that most people keep in their garage. If not they can be purchased easily enough, so honestly this is not that much of a consideration. However it is a place to start. You may either elect to go out and buy the tools if you do not have them or opt to have someone else do the job.

How Comfortable are you with Repair Jobs?

Most people have some idea of how handy they are. If you don’t think you’re handy at all, however, that may not be a reason not to attempt repairs. There are a number of very simple repairs that can be accomplished by almost anyone. Some examples are adjustments to the travel and force of the door, reprogramming the door opener, and doing simple maintenance such as tightening screws. There is always a first time with repairs, so even if you do not consider yourself especially handy, you an try simple repairs and work your way up to more complicated ones. Think in terms of at least learning about garage door repair rather than having to accomplish everything right off the bat. You may surprise yourself by what you can learn in the process by just giving it a try.

If you consider yourself relatively handy, it then becomes a question of how handy and how much time you want to invest in a project. Once you have done a few home improvement type projects, you tend to see the commonalities between all kinds of different projects. So chances are if you have some experience, many garage door repairs will be well within your reach. You may want to stop short of jobs involving work with electronics, such as replacing the mother board in a garage door opener.

How Comfortable are you with Electricity?

Garage door openers are electrical devices. So they may involve some work with electricity. This is usually not too much of a problem in that most repairs that a homeowner will do are done with the garage door opener box unplugged. But you will need to plug it back in in order to check that it is functioning properly and so on. Most people are fine with doing simple work with electrical wiring and appliances, but if it makes you especially nervous you might want to let someone else do it. Also be sure and observe all safety precautions when dealing with electricity.

Do you have the Time?

A time investment is required to do a job properly. This varies by the job of course, but it still doesn’t hurt to get a sense of how much time you really have to spend on a particular job. You don’t want to rush a job – that can give you poor results and be unsafe. You also will need to read instructions, documentation, and any other informational material you can find. So this is extra time that should be factored into the job as well.

These are some considerations you can use to make sure that you are ready to tackle a certain garage door repair or maintenance job. Be sure and take everything into consideration before attempting a job. Chances are you might be able to handle a garage repair job yourself, but getting a comprehensive sense of your job capability will make you that much more confident and well informed as you actually do the work.

Still not sure? Give a us a call for a no-hassle free quote, then make your decision. (619)356-0186