Even if you are a competent and confident DIY enthusiast you are bound to have some limits regarding what you can attempt on your own, and sometimes it might even be dangerous to attempt to fix a problem that should be left to a professional.

A classic DIY scenario would be if you have a garage door dilemma and the doors won’t open or you can’t get it to lock properly. Do you attempt to sort it out by yourself or should you ask an expert to get to the root of the problem?

Here is a look at some common garage door issues, including what to do when you lose power to the door, why regular pressure adjustments might be needed, and a cautionary note about damaging your sensor, plus a tip to prolong the life of your door.

When you can’t get your car out

It is always going to be frustrating to discover that the power to your garage seems to have been lost and you can’t get your car out because the door is closed.

You might have a moment of panic and think that you are not going to be able to get your car out, but the first thing you should try is to go to the inside of the garage and look for a cord which usually has a red handle attached to it.

This is normally hanging down from the guide track that the opener uses to open and close the door when everything is working automatically. Use this manual override to see if you can get the door open by pulling the cord.

Keep up the pressure

Cold weather can sometimes find a way of causing your door to malfunction or stop working altogether, and a likely explanation is that the freezing temperatures might have stiffened the mechanism, causing it to lose power.

If you have a garage door that has been fitted in the last decade or so it is probable that your door opener has pressure adjustments to raise and lower the door successfully each time. What you might find is that you need to adjust these settings every season so that the cold weather doesn’t catch you out.

Check your manufacturer’s instructions if you want to do this yourself or you might decide to use someone like D&L Garage door repair Las Vegas to fix any problem you have and make the necessary adjustments.

Sensitive sensor

Your garage door depends on a pair of photosensitive eyes in order to function properly and any obstruction to the path of light that is sending the signal will cause the doors to fail to open or close fully.

It is wise to remember that the sensor also provides an important safety feature and without it working properly you run the risk of a person or object getting caught by the door.

It might be a simple case of an object blocking the sensor or there might be some dirt or debris that is making it malfunction. The obvious solution is to clean the sensor, but a word of warning, careless cleaning can cause irreparable damage.

The eye of the sensor is very sensitive and it is easy to be too enthusiastic with your cleaning or use an unsuitable cleaning product, both of which could cause damage that can’t be reversed.

You can attempt to clean the lens yourself but you should take great care and use the recommended cleaning products, or you might decide it is better to get a professional to do this job when they come to service and maintain the garage door.

Seen better days

There will inevitably come a point where your garage door will become beyond economical repair and will need to be replaced, but there are a few fixes to try in order to prolong its life for a bit longer.

A sagging garage door is a classic sign of wear and tear and as it falls out of shape it will become harder to open. You could try and square it up with tension rods which are positioned on the back of the door and is probably the garage door equivalent of a facelift.

The rods are placed diagonally from top to bottom and, once in place, they can be adjusted a little at a time until you find the door seems to be functioning as well as can be expected for its age.

This is a job that you could potentially do yourself and the tension rods are available from DIY stores, but like all maintenance and repair tasks, know your limits and call in the pros if you are not completely confident with what you are doing.

Hi, my name is Sam Halicia, I been working in the Garage Door Industry for over a decade. Where I started as a technician and now is the owner/operator of D&L Las Vegas Garage Doors. As a technician, I worked around the clock for the convenience of all his customers. My business now thrives off the very same principles. Where I provide same day services at no extra cost as well as unbeatable customer satisfaction. No matter how big or small a person’s problem may be it has been my goal to make sure each person gets handled in a timely fashion with no surprises

Each year, around 17 percent of Americans pack up their belongings and move to a new home. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 13 million children are among these moving families. Whether you’re moving a few miles or across the country, house hunting can be stressful, especially if you have kids in tow. What you need to do is develop a plan so your children don’t have to tag along to every single property you want to see. These tips can keep you sane while you’re house hunting with your kids.

Start House Hunting Online

Most real estate agents have full property details and photo galleries for all their listings; some even have virtual video tours. This allows you to look at as many houses as you like while you’re kids are in school or hanging out with you at home. Making initial virtual tours of prospective homes will greatly reduce the number of houses you have to go out and visit physically, so it saves time and means the kids won’t get bored while you’re traipsing around a bunch of empty properties. If you’re looking for a home in or around downtown Kirkwood, MO, STL Real Estate is the place to visit. All their listed properties have full details and a photo gallery right there at your fingertips.

Keep Safety in Mind

When you do have to visit properties with your children, safety should be a top priority. Tweens and teens can usually make it through house hunting without much risk of getting hurt, but if you have toddlers and young kids in tow, that’s a different story. Bear in mind that your children are going to be in unfamiliar surroundings. Young children are very inquisitive. They will want to open draws and cupboards. If you can, leave them at home with a relative, or take a babysitter with you to mind them while you are touring the house. Not all properties will be child-friendly. Many may still be furnished, so make sure your young child doesn’t get into mischief and cause some damage.  To be on the safe side, leave the crayons and markers at home.

Don’t Push the Limits

You may have a child who is very patient and able to keep him or herself occupied while you spend hours looking at different houses. On the other hand, your child may have had enough after thirty minutes. Plan ahead, if you know your child will be ready to have a meltdown after a couple of viewings, don’t try to squeeze in more. It will just make you child miserable and you’ll feel stressed out.

Let your Child Help Out

Often, with older children, giving them a task related to house hunting can make them feel like they have a role in the whole procedure. Ask them to research the locales you’re thinking of moving to, to find out the demographics and history of the town and to look for family-friendly things to do there. This can also reduce their stress about changing schools and moving away from friends. You could also give them a camera and have them take photos of the houses and surrounding areas.

Find a Kid-friendly Realtor

Yes, they do exist. Some like to put out house-friendly toys for children to play with. Some even do magic tricks. While this can be a great help while you’re house viewing, watch out for a realtor who likes to feed kids with candy. Do you really want your child to be having a sugar rush when you still have three or four more homes to view?

Get them Prepared

It’s probably a good idea to feed the family before you leave for a viewing. That will prevent kids from getting cranky, and younger children may even sleep through the whole experience. If you’re planning to make a whole day of it, bring plenty of healthy snacks and bottles of water to keep them hydrated. If your children are old enough, explain to them what the viewing experience will be like so that there will be no unpleasant surprises.

If you follow these tips house hunting with kids does not have to be a stressful operation. Make sure you have plenty of support from friends and family. Try to leave the kids at home as much as you can. When you really do have to take them to a viewing with you, take someone else along to keep them occupied.

Archie Coles is a real estate agent with years of experience of helping people to buy and sell their family homes. He shares some top tips for making the whole process a little easier.