Fixing Your Own Garage Door Torsion Springs vs. Hiring a Company to Service It

Garage door springs can be difficult to install, but you do save money.  Garage Door Stuff

The torsion springs located on the sides and top of your garage door are responsible for keeping tension on the door as it is lowered and raised. Because they are under tension a great deal of the time, they can often snap or break, requiring replacement. This may happen a few times over the life of the garage doors, which can lead many homeowners to wonder if they should be fixing the springs themselves, or hiring a company to come out and service the door for them. Weigh the pros and cons of both scenarios to help make a more informed decision.

Pros and Cons of Spring Replacement

Like any decision, there are pros and cons to both replacing the springs yourself and having a professional take on the job. Take a look to determine which method works best for you.

Fixing Your Own Springs

If you're at all handy and like to take on projects around the home, you've probably given a thought to changing the springs yourself. There are a few pros to recommend doing it yourself:

• Cost: Doing it yourself means you only need to pay for the new springs, and potentially the tools if you don't already own them, instead of paying for a professional and the springs
• Flexibility: You can replace the springs on your own schedule, rather than waiting for a service call that may need to happen during business hours while you are at work
• Frequency: Springs can go at any time, meaning you may need to make this replacement more than once. Doing it yourself means you don't have to keep calling back the service technician again and again

Unfortunately, replacing your own springs also comes with a downside that you need to consider as well:

• Hiring a Service TechnicianSafety: Springs can snap at any time, and replacing them can be a dangerous job if you don't know what you are doing, which could result in lacerations or loss of limb.
• Time: It can take time to find out what kind of springs you need and how to replace them, as well as purchasing the right ones and any necessary tools.
• Risk: If you aren't familiar with garage doors and their workings, you could be taking a risk by replacing the springs yourself. Putting in the wrong kind or only replacing one in a set could result in more damage to the door.

Hiring a technician is usually most people's answer to fixing things around the home they aren't familiar with. Like changing the springs yourself, however, the hiring of a technician has its good and bad points. Potential pluses include:

• Knowledge: Your service tech should arguably know what he is doing, including making sure you get the correct springs for your door and ensuring they go on properly. They will typically also notice and report any additional problems with the door you may need to worry about.
• Tools: If you don't already own the right tools for the job, you need to factor their cost in to the total project. If you don't need them for anything else, hiring someone to do the work could actually be cheaper in the long run.
• Warranty: Your service tech may offer a warranty on the parts and labor, which means if a spring breaks shortly after it was replaced, you can hold him responsible for the new repair.

While these are big points for hiring a technician, remember to weigh the downsides as well:

• Unknown factor: Unless you've used a technician or service company in the past, you'll be hiring them on faith that they do the job correctly. While most technicians are competent and honest, not all of them are, which could mean you get substandard work done if you don't put in the time to research them ahead of time.
• Hiring factor: To make sure you're getting a technician that isn't overcharging you or worse, you need to spend some time finding the right one for the job. This may mean setting up appointments with multiple technicians to interview and get quotes from. This takes time, and may result in loss of work for you if they can only visit during business hours.
• Cost: Hiring someone else to do the job means trading your time and money for their expertise. Depending upon the state of the door and remaining springs, this could end up costing you more than you bargained for than if you had simply replaced them yourself.

Make the Right Choice

Your comfort level with the project, financial situation, and what tools you may already have on hand will all factor into your ultimate decision. Weigh the pros and cons to help ensure you're making the right decision for you.

Source:- http://garages.about.com/od/DIY-Garage-Repair/fl/Fixing-Your-Own-Garage-Door-Torsion-Springs-vs-Hiring-a-Company-to-Service-It.htm