Your garage door takes up as much space as some walls. But unlike a wall, it doesn’t have studs reinforcing it, and it’s probably made from considerably thinner materials than some walls. This puts your garage door – and your home – in jeopardy during hurricane season. An inadequately strong garage door can easily crumple in or worse, be blown away during a storm. This turns the door into a dangerous projectile and allows the wind and rain to damage items inside the garage. It also puts the storm that much closer to the inside of your home.
Ensuring that your garage is ready for hurricane season is essential to the safety of your property and possessions. Let’s take a look at what you need to consider when it comes to preparing your garage for hurricane season.
The Age of Your Door
Garage door design and technology is something you probably don’t spend much time thinking about, but the people who design garage doors do. Garage door safety has improved significantly over time, and if your garage door is more than a few years old, you may have to take extra steps to ensure that it’s sufficiently reinforced.
If you have an old garage door, you may even want to think about replacing it while you prepare for hurricane season. Having a new garage door installed might be easier than securing an old one yourself, and it’s a good investment in your home.
The Condition of Your Hardware
Your garage door may not have wall studs, but it does have some means of stabilization: the tracks that the door moves on and the hardware installed on the door. Before hurricane season moves into full swing, it’s important to take the time to inspect the condition of your door’s tracks and hardware.
Look for bent areas, rusty spots, and any other visible signs of damage. If you spot loose bolts or damaged rollers, you can tighten and replace those yourself. You’ll need garage door repair services if you notice more serious problems, like damaged cables or springs.
Wind Resistance
If you’re shopping for a new door or wondering if the old model can withstand storm season, what you need to know is whether or not the door is wind resistance. In a hurricane-prone area, doors may be required to withstand 130 to 150 mile per hour winds. You will find that hurricane doors for garages fall into two categories: impact resistant or hurricane-proof. Impact resistant doors are reinforced with fiberglass or steel, while hurricane-proof doors are designed to resist twisting and have longer-than-average tracks.
If you can’t replace an older garage door right now, or if you want to be extra cautious, you can purchase a garage door bracing kit for extra reinforcement against the winds. If you have a drill and can handle basic handyman duties, you can probably install your braces yourself.
Garage renovation is about more than appearance. It’s also about making your garage more secure, and hurricane readiness is an important part of that. For more information about renovating your garage, schedule your free design consultation.
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