Why Is My Garage Door Shaking When It Closes?
A big part of being a good garage door owner is keeping your eyes and ears open. Subtle changes in your garage door’s operation, like a vibration when it closes, can be sign of an underlying mechanical issue.
In the following post, Precision Garage Door will explore the origins of a shaking garage door and what you should (and shouldn’t) do to stop it.
It’s Likely a Pulley Problem
Your garage door’s pulley system is responsible for ensuring that the door moves smoothly up and down on its tracks, so strange behavior like shaking as the door descends warrants further investigation of the pulleys. There are two types of pulleys used in garage door systems.
Press fit pulleys are the most used type of pulley system. The pulley in a press fit pulley contains several parts held together by ball bearings. Because it’s open to the air, press fit pulleys are at risk of getting dirty and collecting debris in their casings. In addition, their pieces wear down over time and will eventually split apart. (The average life span for a press fit pulley is 3 to 5 years.)
In a worn pulley system, the cables often get caught and cause the door to jerk or shake as it closes. If your press fit pulley system has surrendered, you may be able to see frayed cables or a separated press fit casing.
Cast iron pulleys are the less popular pulley type that consist of one solid cast iron piece. Cast iron pulleys are weighty and robust and don’t share the same downfalls as press fit pulley systems that would cause erratic door behavior (getting clogged with debris or coming apart).
If you know that your garage door system operates with cast iron pulleys, there’s likely a different reason that your garage door isn’t working.
Getting Help for a Shaking Garage Door
A shaking garage door is unsettling to say the least, but both continuing to use the door as is and attempting to investigate further is unwise and unsafe. You should never attempt to fix your garage door if you’re not a certified professional.
Whether you suspect that your pulleys and cables are responsible or you’re still not sure, the best way to move forward is to seek the help of a trusted garage door technician that’s been certified by the International Door Association (IDEA), like the specialists at Precision Garage Door.
Fast Service, Precision Quality
At Precision, we know that garage doors don’t wait around for a time that’s convenient for you to act up, and we don’t make you wait around for us either. We offer Delaware and Maryland homeowners like you immediate service, which means one of our highly trained technicians will arrive at your home the same day you call or we’ll waive the service fee!
If you ever find yourself in door doubt, call Precision Garage Door of Delaware. Reach out to us today to see how we can help.