Take care of people first and expect aftershocks. Then look at the garage door from a safe distance for a crooked door, bent track, gaps, slack cables or a broken spring. Do not run the opener if anything looks wrong, and never touch the springs or cables. If the door is damaged, stop using it and call a technician.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates a 43 percent probability of one or more earthquakes of magnitude 6.75 or greater in the Wasatch Front region in the next 50 years, and a 57 percent probability of one of magnitude 6.0 or greater. Most Utahns live in that region. A garage door is a heavy moving system hung on tracks, springs and cables, so shaking can leave it out of line even when the house looks fine.
Ready.gov says to expect aftershocks, to drop, cover and hold on if you feel one, and to move away from a damaged building rather than enter it. Check yourself and others, and text instead of calling to ease the strain on the phone network. Wait to look at the garage door until you are sure it is safe to be near it.
Do not stand or walk under it, and keep children and pets away.
Check whether the door sits square in the opening and whether the tracks are still straight and fastened to the wall.
Look for a bent, creased or cracked section, or a gap along the edges.
Do not touch them. Look for a gap in the spring, a loose or slack cable, or a cable off its drum.
Both photo eyes should be firmly mounted, facing each other and clean. Shaking can knock one out of line.
Chamberlain warns that springs, cables, pulleys and brackets are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury, and that you should never disconnect the door from the opener while it is open, because a weak or broken spring could let the door fall. If the door is open and looks damaged, keep clear and call.
A track that moved even a little can make rollers jump out and a section bend as the door travels. That is why running the opener on a door that scrapes or leans is a bad idea.
If the door is square, the tracks are straight, nothing is hanging loose and no one has found damage, you can run the door once with everyone clear. Stand to the side and listen. At the first scrape, jerk, pop or crooked movement, stop the door and call. After that, follow the monthly checks in the maintenance checklist, including the auto-reverse and sensor tests.
We look at the tracks and brackets, the springs and cables, the rollers and hinges, the panels and the opener, and we tell you what is damaged before any work starts. See garage door repair and spring repair. Our approved price for a 12-point safety inspection is $89; any repair is quoted before we begin.
Emil Garage Doors repairs garage doors, springs, cables and openers and installs new doors in Utah, including Murray, Salt Lake City and Sandy. Call or send your details with a few photos, and we book the soonest visit.
Yes. Shaking can bend tracks, loosen brackets, shift the door out of line or damage springs and cables. A door that looks fine from the street can still be out of line, so check it from a safe distance.
Not until you have looked at it. If it is crooked, scrapes, has a loose cable or a gap in a spring, stop and call a technician. If it looks normal, run it once with everyone clear and stop at any odd noise.
No. Springs, cables, pulleys and brackets are under extreme tension, according to Chamberlain. Keep clear and call a technician.
The USGS forecast for the Wasatch Front gives a 43 percent probability of one or more earthquakes of magnitude 6.75 or greater in the next 50 years. Plan for it the way you would plan for any storm.
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Call (801) 980-3670 or send your details for the soonest visit.