Summer may be winding down in the Florida Panhandle, but the weather does not exactly settle down once September arrives.
Hurricane season continues through November 30, and September falls within one of the busiest stretches of the season. Even without a named storm nearby, Gulf Coast weather can still bring heavy rain, strong thunderstorms and plenty of wind.
After months of summer heat, humidity and afternoon storms, this part of the year is also a sensible time to pay attention to how your garage door has been holding up.
Problems do not always announce themselves with a door that suddenly refuses to open. Often, the first clues are much smaller: a new sound, a worn seal, a little rust, an uneven gap along the floor or a door that no longer moves quite the way it did a few months ago.
Here are seven things worth noticing as summer gives way to fall.
1. Rust or Corrosion on the Hardware
Salt air and high humidity are simply part of living near the Gulf. Garage door hardware has to live in that environment too.
Hinges, rollers, tracks, springs, cables, brackets and fasteners all contain metal components, which means corrosion is something Panhandle homeowners are likely to encounter sooner or later.
Light surface discoloration is one thing. Significant rust on a spring, cable, bracket or another part involved in supporting and moving the door deserves more attention.
Sometimes the change is visible before it affects the door. In other cases, homeowners first notice that the door has become noisier, hesitates during travel or no longer moves evenly from side to side.
Springs and cables should only be inspected visually by the homeowner. Both are part of a system that operates under considerable tension, so repairs or adjustments involving those components belong in the hands of an experienced garage door technician.
2. Weather Seals That Have Seen Better Days
Florida weather is hard on rubber and vinyl. Months of heat and sun can leave garage door seals brittle, flattened, cracked or partially detached.
The bottom seal is usually the easiest place to spot trouble. With the door closed, it should make consistent contact with the floor rather than leaving obvious openings underneath.
The perimeter matters as well. Worn seals around the sides and top of the door can leave openings for wind-driven rain, leaves, dirt and insects.
Daylight showing through around a closed door is an easy clue to spot. Water appearing inside the garage after heavy rain can be another.
A seal does not have to be completely missing before it stops doing its job well.
3. Frayed or Damaged Cables
Garage door cables are easy to overlook, even though they play an important role every time the door moves.
Visible fraying, separated strands, corrosion or a cable that looks noticeably different from its counterpart on the other side of the door can indicate a problem developing.
Cable trouble can also show up in the movement of the door itself. A door may begin sitting unevenly, moving awkwardly or hanging to one side.
This is one area where closer inspection should stop at looking. Garage door cables work with the spring system and can be under substantial tension. Pulling, tightening or attempting to reposition one can turn a repair problem into a safety problem very quickly.
4. A Door That No Longer Sits Level
A closed garage door can tell you quite a bit.
Look at the bottom edge where it meets the garage floor. The gap should be reasonably consistent from one side to the other. One corner sitting noticeably higher, an uneven opening underneath or a door that appears tilted can all indicate that something has changed.
There are several possible causes. Rollers, tracks, cables, springs and other hardware can each affect the way a door travels and where it comes to rest.
The movement may provide another clue. A door that binds at a certain point, shifts sideways, stops short or appears to struggle through part of its travel is behaving differently for a reason.
That reason is worth finding, particularly before weeks of fall rain and stormy weather put the door through more use and exposure.
5. Sounds and Movement That Weren't There Before
No garage door operates in complete silence. After living with one for a while, most homeowners become familiar with its usual collection of hums, clicks and rattles.
Changes are more useful to pay attention to than noise alone.
A grinding sound that appeared recently, repeated popping during travel or a new squeak coming from one area of the door may indicate wear or a component that is no longer moving as it should.
Movement can change too. Shaking, jerking, hesitation or an obvious struggle during opening and closing are all different from a door that simply makes its normal operating noise.
The cause might turn out to be relatively minor. It could also be the early sign of a worn component. Either way, the fact that the door still opens does not necessarily mean everything in the system is working properly.
6. An Opener That Sounds Like It's Struggling
When an automatic garage door starts moving slowly or stopping unexpectedly, the opener often gets blamed first.
Sometimes that is exactly where the problem lies. Other times, the opener is reacting to a problem elsewhere in the door system.
A garage door opener is designed to move a properly operating door. It is not meant to overcome a poorly balanced door, compensate for a weakening spring or force damaged hardware through another cycle.
Listen for a motor that suddenly sounds strained and watch for changes in speed. Repeated stopping, reversing or noticeably labored operation can all justify looking beyond the opener itself.
Finding the source of the extra resistance matters. Replacing an opener will not correct a mechanical problem somewhere else in the door.
7. Damage to Panels, Tracks or Hardware
Storms are not the only things that damage garage doors. Daily use, minor impacts, corrosion and ordinary wear all leave their mark over time.
A visual inspection may reveal:
- Bent or damaged door sections
- Dents that interfere with panel movement
- Loose-looking hardware
- Bent or misaligned tracks
- Damaged rollers
- Cracked or missing weather seals
- Corroded components
- Missing or damaged reinforcement
- Changes in the way the door closes
A dent by itself does not automatically mean the entire garage door needs replacing. A new noise does not automatically point to a major repair either.
What matters is whether something has changed and whether that change is affecting the operation, condition or integrity of the door.
During hurricane season, there is another practical consideration. Parts and service appointments can become harder to come by when a storm enters the forecast and homeowners across the area start preparing at the same time. A problem noticed during ordinary weather is generally a lot less complicated to deal with.
What About Wind-Loaded Garage Doors?
Here in the Florida Panhandle, the garage door itself may also need to meet wind requirements based on the home and its location.
Wind-loaded garage doors use specific construction and reinforcement to resist designated wind pressures. The appropriate requirements can vary according to factors such as location, door size, construction and the building codes that apply to the property.
This becomes particularly important when an existing garage door is being replaced.
Two doors that look similar from the driveway may not have the same wind rating or reinforcement. A replacement therefore needs to be selected according to the requirements of the property rather than appearance alone.
All About Garage Doors Inc. installs wind-rated garage doors and can determine which available door options are appropriate for the home, opening and location.
September Is a Useful Time to Notice What's Changed
Garage door problems rarely follow the weather forecast.
The squeak that started a few weeks ago may still be there. A small gap under one corner may have become more noticeable. Perhaps the door has stopped halfway once or twice, or a piece of hardware simply does not look the way you remember it looking.
Those details are easy to dismiss when the door continues to open every morning.
They are also much easier to investigate while the weather is quiet than when a tropical system has everyone in the area checking shutters, clearing yards and making last-minute preparations.
Of course, storm season is only part of the picture. A garage door is used throughout the year, often several times a day. Smooth, reliable operation matters in January just as much as it does in September.
Garage Door Service in Panama City Beach and the Surrounding Area
All About Garage Doors Inc. is a locally owned, veteran-operated garage door company based in Panama City Beach. We provide garage door installation, repair and service throughout Panama City Beach and surrounding Florida Panhandle communities.
Our technicians work on broken springs, damaged cables, worn rollers, doors that have come off their tracks, garage door opener problems and other issues affecting the way a garage door operates.
If your garage door has started sounding, moving or closing differently, it may be worth finding out what changed before the problem progresses further.
Need professional garage door service in Panama City Beach or the surrounding area?
Call All About Garage Doors at 850-842-9188 or request a callback to schedule your service.
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