Halloween is next week. Do you know what goes with Halloween? Door maintenance.
It’s because I work at LockNet, I realize.
Halloween is easily one of my favorite times of the year because I’m mildly obsessed with scary movies.
Because of this obsession, I’ve begun to easily point out the most amateur mistakes made by characters in horror movies. Working at LockNet has made me acutely aware of door hardware issues, and basically ruined scary movies for me.
Half the time I’m not even scared anymore.
Is it a Ghost? Or Just Some Bad Locks?
Oh you think that creaky door is a murderer lurking in the shadows? I think you’re hinges need some lubrication.
The door that swung open by itself? No, it’s not a ghost. Your latch probably isn’t working.
LockNet has made me too practical to enjoy a good horror movie these days.
It’s sad, but true.
Luckily, most of us aren’t the targets of angry ghosts, but instead, just some regular old joes who are simply in need of some door maintenance. So, before you hop up to call your favorite foursome of Ghostbusters, we might be able to help.
Your House Isn’t Haunted, You Just Need Some Door Maintenance
Here are four typical scary scenarios, which might just point to door maintenance issues.
Slamming Doors
Typically, in a horror movie, when things go bump in the night it’s a demon or some satanic cult trying to wreak havoc on your life and make you have the devil’s baby. Fortunately, we don’t live in a horror movie and usually when your doors are slamming for what seems like no reason, it’s simply because your door closer needs a bit of an adjustment.
Once you adjust the closer, it should start the cushion the door as it closes and eliminate any frivolous slamming that might occur in your house.
Doors Opening By Themselves
If you’ve noticed your doors swinging open without anyone and you’re convinced it’s the ghost of some scorned lover coming back for revenge because they can’t find peace in the afterlife, you might be the victim of a haunting. (Did you even ask them how they felt about the relationship ending?!)
In reality, you probably just need to check to make sure the latch on your door catches firmly inside the strike when you do your regular door maintenance checks.
It’s a regular occurrence for a strike cavity to be too shallow, and that can cause the latch to not remain secure. This can cause the door to swing open. You can easily drill the cavity deeper to create a better home for the latch and solve your problem.
There’s also a possibility that your door isn’t level. If that’s the case, the weight of the door isn’t distributed evenly and the extra weight on one side can pull the door open. This will require you to rehang the door at more level position and should solve the issue of the door opening on its own.
Ectoplasmic Ooze Leaking Down Your Door
Eric and I once talked about how Slimer from Ghostbusters was actually quite a rude house guest. Plus, the guy had no idea how to use a door. He would just blow right through it and leave his gross slime dripping down the door.
That might be why your first thought when you walk up to a door and find some sort of strange ooze dripping down the front of it is that Slimer has taken up residence in your home. No, Slimer did not just burst through your door. Instead, your door closer is probably leaking hydraulic fluid.
Unfortunately, the only option you have for this problem is to replace your closer. Once the hydraulics are shot in your closer, it’s a goner. This isn’t a difficult task. Just make sure you replace the closer with the same kind.
Creaky Hinges
Creaky hinges is usually one of the telltale signs that your house is haunted, right? We’ve all seen the movies.
Fortunately, you probably don’t have to worry it’s some unhappy spirit tormenting you with really annoying noises.Instead, you just need check your hinges to see if they need lubrication. Creaky hinges are a common door maintenance issue when they’re dried out, so if you add some WD-40, you should be in good shape.
GhostBusters? Or Locknet? Who Ya Gonna Call?
Do you fear you might be the victim of some paranormal activity? Or is it possible that your doors just need some maintenance?
If it’s the former, I suggest possibly calling a priest.
If it’s the latter, we can help.
Give us a call and we can point you in the right direction.