Residential Garage Door Service Guide
Your garage door is the largest movable structural object in the average home. Here are some ways to ensure that you are treated truthfully and professionally.
broken springs
Always set some kind of price point. Whether it’s a scheduled service or an emergency service, if you don’t ask for it, it can be double or triple what it usually is.
Springs come in many sizes, diameters, and lengths. So pricing a spring is usually something that needs to be done after you measure and calibrate it. Most companies won’t give you a price per phone, more an average of what they cost. Once you have chosen a company you are comfortable with and schedule the service. When you arrive, make sure that the price is within the average that you have been given. Springs are cycle rated by the manufacturer, and you have an advantage and a disadvantage on how long they will last. The door engineer fully determines the height of the cycle spring they put on your door. Most door manufacturers are cost conscious and are in the 20,000 cycle range.
This is where most utility companies try to confuse you once they have reached your home. Here’s the lowdown on high-cycle springs. All springs are the same, there is not an ounce of difference other than the quality of the steel used in their manufacture. And that is almost trivial. High cycle springs are simply a longer calibrated spring. The shorter the spring, the harder it works. The longer a spring is, the less it has to work, therefore longer life and a true high cycle spring.
Springs break because of their cycle limit, and sometimes it has to do with the state of the door. A poorly maintained door can and will shorten the life of a spring.
Some door companies have a bad habit of trying to sell you parts you don’t need.
Inspect the parts with the service technician and use your best judgment to decide whether or not replacement is necessary. A good company will include in its service the lubrication of all moving parts and the inspection of the general condition of the doors.
I request service for door repair in general.
Do a visual inspection, usually with a door your size, it is not difficult to spot the reason the door is not working properly. Be careful, there are many videos on the Internet that show you how to repair your door. What they don’t tell you are the dangers if the repair is not done correctly or with the correct tools and material. We have seen firsthand the results of this, from missing fingers to even death. Always use a qualified business technician to complete your service request.
When scheduling service, always ask for the full service price. There are quite a few companies that will tell you over the phone that the service call is $. What they don’t tell you is that the price does not include labor. This is a classic competitive bait switch to trick people into thinking the price is the lowest.
Unlike a car or truck, there aren’t many hidden or confusing names for the parts on a garage door. Use your best judgment when discussing your service options with the technician. If something sounds confusing, chances are someone is trying to do it that way. Inspect defective parts and obtain a repair price before starting work.