Garage door DIY vs Pro: a licensed technician's honest take

I'm a licensed garage door technician with twelve years on the trucks. Here is the honest answer to "what can I do myself" — including the jobs we'd actually rather you handle on your own.

Absolutely safe DIY

• Lubrication of hinges, rollers, springs, and tracks
• Bottom weather seal replacement
• Tightening of visible bolts and screws
• Battery replacement in remotes and battery-backup units
• Cleaning and re-aligning safety sensors (gentle nudging only)
• Re-programming remotes and keypads

Probably DIY, with caution

• Replacing nylon rollers one at a time, with the door fully closed
• Replacing a single hinge if it's between sections you can see is unloaded
• Painting the exterior face of the door
• Replacing the trolley carriage on a screw-drive opener (with the door closed)

Never DIY — call a professional

• Torsion spring replacement. Stored energy of 7-11 turns. People are seriously injured every week attempting this.
• Cable replacement. Cables run under spring load even when the door is closed.
• Bottom bracket work. Loaded under spring tension via the cable.
• Door section replacement on an installed door. Requires controlled spring un-winding.
• Drum replacement. Holds the cable under spring tension.

If a job involves the springs, the cables, or anything they connect to — that's our job, not yours.

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