We all have cracks in our garage floor. When cracks start to show up (or get bigger), it’s usually due to unimportant causes such as settling or minor shrinkage. However, cracks can be a sign of more serious problems that require immediate attention.
The question is how do you know if you should ignore them or if you should be making an immediate call to a home inspector or contractor. If you are concerned about cracks in your garage floor, a quick inspection of your garage door can actually help you determine if you have a serious problem or not.
Garage door is sitting crooked / not closing all the way
Cracks often appear close to the garage door. That area of the floor is most exposed to the outdoor elements like frost. Because of this, freezing under the slab is more likely to occur. Most of the time these cracks aren’t too serious.
However, if your garage door appears to be sitting crooked on the floor or isn’t closing all the way, especially if you had a garage door installation in Rancho Cordova, CA in the last several years, this means that the crack in your floor is uneven (one side of the crack is at a different level than the other). This can be a sign that there is structural damage occurring.
Garage door keeps jumping off track
If you had professional garage door installation in Rancho Cordova, CA, but your garage door keeps jumping off track, this can be another sign that the cracks in your garage floor are uneven or that the whole slab is tilting. For your garage door to stay in track, both sides of the track need to be completely level. If one side of your garage is higher than the other due to an uneven crack or slab, your track will be out of alignment resulting in the garage door continually jumping off track.
Noisy garage door / worn rollers
If your garage door is making an excessively noisy grinding or rattling sound, it can be due to several issues including normal wear. However, this too can be a sign of serious issues with your garage floor. Check the rollers of your garage door. If they are worn, specifically unevenly, it can be due to them not riding evenly when the door goes up and down. It’s these worn rollers making the rattling or grinding sound. If your garage floor has cracks due to structural issues, it can make your garage door uneven which would result in the worn rollers.
Minor cracks can be ignored and are nothing to be concerned about. However, if you have cracks in your floor combined with any or all of the garage door issues mentioned above, you may have a more serious problem on your hands. It’s time to call in a professional to check your foundation and your garage door to avoid further damage and future costs and headaches.