Your garage door is one of your home’s biggest and weakest areas. When storms hit Florida, garage doors fail at alarming rates, often turning what could have been minor damage to your home’s exterior into a major disaster.
Garage doors get less attention than impact windows or your front entry door. However, your garage door plays an equally important role in keeping you safe during hurricane season. Here’s what you should know about garage door failures and how to prevent them.
Why Is the Garage Door So Vulnerable During a Storm?
Garage doors are often over twice as wide as your home’s other exterior doors. They’re fully exposed to wind forces from the side of your home. This is a much larger area than the roof or windows have to stay intact. They also lack the structural reinforcement other areas of your home provide.
As hurricane-force winds push against the door, thousands of pounds of pressure may buffet it. If the garage door isn’t reinforced to handle high winds, parts of the door may bend, pull away from the mounting track, or collapse.
What Happens If a Garage Door Fails?
When a garage door fails, it can affect your home’s overall integrity.
Wind blows into the garage and significantly increases pressure in the room. The additional pressure pushes up against your roof and ceiling. Walls and other parts of your home’s structure can also be damaged by pressure differentials.
You could end up with:
- Damaged roofing or loss of part of your roof
- Cracked windows and doors from elevated internal pressure
- Damaged walls
- Water damage from wind-blown rain
- Damage to your belongings inside the garage
Garage door failure can start a chain reaction of destruction that causes catastrophic damage to your entire home.
What Causes Garage Doors to Fail?
While there are many reasons garage doors fail, some of the most common reasons include:
Older Garage Doors
Garage doors installed just a few decades ago weren’t subject to today’s strict wind-load requirements. As a result, many are not reinforced to the same degree. They can easily buckle under hurricane-force winds.
Weak Door Panels
Regular garage door panels can bow and flex under wind pressure. Each time the panel moves, it stresses the mounting tracks.
One track segment may fail. Once one section fails, the rest of the door can quickly collapse.
Inadequate Tracks and Hardware
Tracks, rollers, hinges, and brackets that hold your garage door in place are just as important as the panels. Hurricane winds stress the panels, and these components can also come loose if they’re undersized, worn, corroded, or improperly installed.
Poor Installation
If your garage door isn’t installed correctly, it may not perform to standard. Doors must be properly anchored and reinforced to work as designed during extreme wind events.
How Do Hurricane- Rated Garage Doors Prevent Failure?
Hurricane-rated garage doors are designed and tested to withstand high winds and impacts. Standard garage doors simply can’t compare when storm-force winds hit your home.
Hurricane-rated garage doors feature enhanced construction including:
- Reinforced steel or aluminum frame
- Horizontal and vertical bracing
- Heavy-duty tracks and hardware
- Improved mounting and sealing systems
- Tested to meet or exceed Florida building code wind loads
These reinforcements allow the garage door to stand strong while keeping wind and debris out of your garage.
What Wind Ratings Should Florida Homeowners Look For?
Florida has some of the toughest building codes in the country due to hurricanes. Your garage door wind rating depends on your home’s location, as well as design pressure or wind-load ratings established by your local building codes.
If you live in a coastal region or High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), your home’s garage door may be required to have an even higher wind rating.
Installing new doors with an experienced contractor ensures you choose a door that meets all local code requirements.
Can Garage Door Reinforcement Kits Help?
Garage door reinforcement kits may help your existing garage door perform better during hurricane season. These kits typically add additional braces to help your garage door better withstand high winds.
While reinforcement kits can improve the wind resistance of some doors, they aren’t a magic solution for every garage door. Older doors, damaged doors, or doors that don’t meet current standards may need to be replaced.
Contact your local garage door company to see if your door is a good candidate for reinforcement.
Do Hurricane- Rated Garage Doors Offer Other Benefits?
Yes! Many homeowners upgrade to hurricane-rated garage doors for the added benefits.
Hurricane- rated doors also offer:
- Better home security
- Increased energy efficiency
- Quieter operation
- Long-lasting durability
- Improved curb appeal
- Insurance discounts with qualifying wind mitigation improvements
How Can You Tell If Your Garage Door Needs to Be Replaced?
If your garage door has any of the following, it’s time to call a professional.
- Noticeable dents, rust, or corrosion on the door panels
- Bent, rusted, or cracked panels
- Loose or damaged tracks
- Trouble opening or closing smoothly
- Vibrates excessively when you try to open it
- Was installed before current hurricane garage door building codes went into effect
Avoid taking chances with your garage door. If you notice any of these issues, call your local garage door professional before hurricane season arrives.
Why Professional Installation Is Important
Think of your hurricane-rated garage door as a system. The door, frame, hardware, tracks, and fasteners all need to work together to keep your garage safe.
Professionals know how to install your entire garage door system according to manufacturer instructions and local building codes.
Protect Your Home Before the Next Storm
Your garage door is one of the largest vulnerable areas on your home. But it doesn’t have to be your home’s weakest link. By upgrading to hurricane-rated garage doors, you can keep your family safe and provide year-round benefits for your home. From security to energy efficiency, a new garage door offers many benefits.
Here at Absolute Window LLC, we specialize in installing hurricane-rated garage doors to Florida’s rigorous standards. Contact Absolute Window LLC today to schedule your consultation or to learn more about storm-ready garage doors.
