# When to stop and call a technician

Source: https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/how-your-garage-door-works/calling-a-technician · part of [How your garage door works, and what to do when it does not](https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/how-your-garage-door-works) · 4 min

Most of this course has been about understanding your door and noticing when something is off. This lesson is about the moment you stop looking and pick up the phone.

The hardest part is knowing where your job ends. DASMA, the door makers' trade group, puts it plainly: because of the dangers involved, all repairs and adjustments must be done by a trained door systems technician using proper tools and instructions. Your part is to notice, to stop, and to describe what you found.

## Stop and call when you see any of these

DASMA and two makers, Clopay and Chamberlain, each say to stop and call for these:

- **A broken spring.** Springs and their hardware are under high tension. If a spring is broken, do not run the door until it is replaced, and do not adjust or remove it yourself. Springs are always a technician's job.
- **A frayed cable.** A frayed cable is in danger of breaking and could cause serious injury or property damage. Cables are always a technician's job.
- **A failed reverse test.** If your opener keeps failing the safety reversal test, call a trained door systems technician.
- **A door out of balance.** Do not try to fix the balance yourself. Call a professional to get it corrected.
- **A bent or twisted track.** Call a professional for track repair. Track problems can put added stress on your opener.

If you are not sure which of these you are looking at, treat it as one of them. Stop using the door and call.

## What to tell them

You do not need the right names for the parts. Tell the technician what you saw, what you heard, and when it started. Share the results of any checks you did in this course, such as whether the door reversed on the board or stayed put when you lifted it by hand. Let them know whether the door is open or closed right now, and that you have stopped using it.

## Try this

Before you call, describe what is happening to [the Virtual Technician](/diagnose). It matches what you saw to the most likely problems and tells you how urgent each one is and whether it is a job for you or a technician. Where we have a partner near you, it can tell you who to call.

## Go further

- Article: [Your garage door is broken. Here's what a repair actually looks like.](https://garagedoorscience.com/blog/garage-door-repair-when-to-call-professional)
- Article: [How to find a garage door service that won't waste your morning](https://garagedoorscience.com/blog/garage-door-service-near-me)

## Sources

- [Residential Sectional Garage Door and Electric Operator Checklist for Home Inspectors and Consumers](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TDS167.pdf)
- [Garage Door Maintenance Guide](https://www.clopaydoor.com/residential/buyingguide/service-and-replacement)
- [How to Test the Safety Reversal System](https://support.chamberlaingroup.com/s/article/How-do-I-test-the-Safety-Reversal-System-1484145519301)