What to Expect: The Garage Door Repair Process

Which garage door jobs can a handyman handle?

A capable handyman can take on the jobs that don't touch the spring system or the door's balance. That means tightening mounting brackets, lubricating hinges and replacing worn weather seals. A roller that has slipped out of a straight, undamaged track can also be reseated with the door closed.

Don't adjust, unwind or replace torsion springs without the proper winding bars and the experience to use them. They hold the door's weight under heavy tension, and when they let go, they let go fast.

Lift cables belong in the same category. Garage door lift cables carry the load and have to suit the door's weight and spring setup. A wrong cable or a wrong winding gives you a door that looks fine until it drops, often while someone is standing under it. If a cable is broken, frayed or off the drum, leave the door alone and call us. Brackets, hinges and seals are fair game for a handyman. Springs, cables and balance are not.

Ready for the work itself? Read about garage door track realignment and repair. Need garage door repair in Kokomo? Start on our home page.

How do we find out what's actually wrong?

Most garage door problems look like one thing and turn out to be another. A door that binds on the way up gets blamed on the tracks when the real cause is a worn roller or a cable that has lost tension.

So we start by moving the door by hand. We check whether it moves freely, and whether it stays open and stays partway open without drifting. A door that drifts shut has lost its balance, which points at the springs. A door that holds but binds points at the tracks or rollers.

With a roller that has come off, we look at three things before calling it fixed: whether the track is bent, whether the roller is worn, and whether the cable on that side is still seated. A bent track needs more than a roller reset, and a worn roller will jump the track again.

What will a spring or cable repair cost?

Torsion spring replacement and cable repair or replacement each typically run $150 to $325. We can quote that typical range over the phone, and the firm price is set after we've looked at the door in person.

The number moves with what else we find. A cable that snapped because the spring is also failing is two jobs, not one, and a damaged drum adds to the work. We tell you the price before we start, and we don't add to it for something we found without talking to you first.

If the opening itself is damaged, we say so before pricing, because new springs and cables won't fix a track that can't line up.

Does Kokomo's weather change what you should check?

Yes, in two ways. South Kokomo has had significant tornado damage to homes, so after any major storm, look at the door opening and frame before you blame the door. Check for gaps between the door and the frame, tracks that look bent or out of square, and any section that no longer sits flush with its neighbor. A misaligned opening stresses every moving part, and repairs keep coming back until the frame is corrected.

The second is the seasons. Kokomo's hot, humid summers and cold, heavy-snow winters hit seals and moving hardware with moisture first and freezing later. A door that ran quietly in October can start dragging in January. Worn seals and dry hinges are the handyman-sized fixes. Grinding, or a door hanging crooked, is the kind of job we should look at.

What happens when you call?

We ask for the symptom, when it began and what you've already tried. That's enough to tell whether we're coming out for a roller reset or a spring and cable job.

Repair or replace stays open on that call, and your opener doesn't come up unless it's part of the problem.

Not sure anyone needs to come out? Describe the sound and the sticking point, and we'll say if it can wait. If it's binding, stop forcing it. Each forced pull can turn a roller job into a bent track. Call and tell us what's going on.