With Halloween right around the corner, it’s easy to get caught up in the season. While some people actually might be the victims of unfortunate ghost incidents, these are typically the same people who were dumb enough to build their houses on graveyards or the like.
(Did we learn NOTHING from Poltergeist?)
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, I might be able to help.
Not a Haunted House, You Just Need Some Door Maintenance
Creaky Hinges
Creaky hinges are usually one of the telltale signs that your house is haunted. We’ve all seen movies. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry it’s some unhappy spirit tormenting you with really annoying noises.
Instead, you probably 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.
Doors Opening By Themselves
If you’ve noticed your doors swinging open without anyone coming through the door, you might be the victim of a haunting. OR you might need to check to see if the latch on your door is catching firmly inside the strike when you do your regular door maintenance checks.
It’s common for a strike cavity to not be drilled deep enough, which can cause the latch to not remain secure. This can lead to the door swinging open. You can easily drill the cavity deeper to create a better home for the latch and this will 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
While it might be a bit of a shock to walk up to a door only to find some sort of strange ooze dripping down the front of it, never fear. 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.
Slamming Doors
Typically, in a horror movie, when things go bump in the night it’s a ghost or a demon or some other horrifying creature trying to wreak havoc on your life and disrupt your sleep cycle. 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.
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.