At home, the garage door is probably the largest and heaviest component that you have. So, fixing it is never easy. But if you are handy, you could actually save money doing it yourself. However, you have to be careful and watch out for possible injury risks. The truth is that safety is always a concern when repairing a garage door. You need to know what you are doing. Here are important safety tips to remember when doing DIY garage door repairs:
Wear Safety Gear
Before you can grab your toolbox to fix your garage door, you need to ensure that you observe personal safety. Wear thick protective gloves to protect your fingers from getting pinched by the door’s joints. If the repair involves welding works, you need to protect your eyes and body by wearing safety glasses and apron respectively. If you don’t have an apron on, then you should ensure that your clothes are not loose so as not to get trapped when working.
Watch Your Hands
Though you may be wearing thick gloves, they don’t protect you from heavy tools that may accidentally hit you. So, you just need to watch your hands and your fingers.
Keep Kids Away
Kids can be a problem if allowed near your working area. For one, they may be tempted to play with some of your tools. Considering that a majority of them are either heavy or sharp, the kids can hurt themselves if they try lifting the tools up. There’s also the temptation of using your garage door opener. If they engage the door when you are still repairing it, you may get hurt.
Keep the Doorway Clear
Before you can disengage your garage door to fix it, you should ensure that there are no objects on the doorway. This not only includes your car but also people who may get injured when the door is unlocked.
Operate it Manually
Though you may be having a garage door opener, you don’t have to use it when fixing your door unless you have to. This is to ensure that it’s not accidentally pressed to engage the door while you are still working. If you are caught by the door, you may suffer a severe injury.
Know When to Call a Garage Expert
Not every garage door issue is a DIY fix. Some garage door repairs are best left to experts. For example, you shouldn’t attempt to fix torsion springs. They are quite delicate and you may risk weakening the door. This could easily lead to it falling on you. Additionally, you may not know if the springs need to be repaired or to replaced. Sometimes all that the springs need is tension release. Such a problem requires special tools that only garage door experts have access to.
When doing DIY garage door repair, what matters most other than getting the job done is your safety. You have to prioritize it and this means staying away from possible sources of injury. Always remember the above safety tips to protect yourself and everyone around your working area.
