Your Garage Door is typically the largest opening to your home, thus making it the most vulnerable area of your home in the case of a hurricane or tropical storm. If left unsecured, hurricane winds can cause your garage door to buckle or cave in, allowing the wind to penetrate your home and potentially rip apart your roof from the inside. Once you lose your roof, you are likely to lose your home. It’s estimated that as much as 80% of the damage to residences during a hurricane are attributed to garage doors.

There are multiple ways to protect your garage, and ultimately your home, against a hurricane. Everything from a hurricane reinforcement package to new wind-loaded garage doors. We will go over a few of the most effective options available to you.

Vertical Bracing

Probably the most inexpensive, and still effective, option is to add vertical hurricane bracing to your garage door. This style of bracing attaches to your door with a bracket bolted into your floor and above your door. The negative to this style of bracing is that it requires the homeowner to attach the bracing to the door in the event of a storm.

It is recommended for a single garage door to add one vertical brace, and for double garage doors to add 2-3 braces. While this can be done by anyone semi-handy with tools, it is recommended that you use a garage door professional to ensure your garage door is not damaged and that your bracing is set up correctly.

Hurricane Reinforcement Packages

Another type of bracing is horizontal hurricane reinforcements. This style of bracing is screwed into your existing garage door panels. A minimum of one brace per panel is attached permanently to your door to prevent the panels from caving in from high winds. In addition, extra braces are attached to your track to stop them from being ripped off of your home’s framing. This option is usually best for the homeowner as it is fairly inexpensive, highly effective, and does not require the homeowner to do anything when a storm approaches. You can read more about our hurricane reinforcement package here.

Replace Your Garage Door

One option available is to completely replace your garage door with one that meets current building wind codes. In the state of Florida, all new garage doors installed MUST meet current wind-codes as set forth by the state and local county governments. This means theses doors have been tested and proven to withstand wind loads equal to the pressure of a hurricane or tropical storm.

Impact rated doors take this a step higher. Impact rated doors have been tested and approved for impact resistance. This style of garage door is able to stop a 9lb. 2×4 board traveling at 50 feet per second. These doors are your very best options in your fight to secure your home against high winds.

Whatever option you decide on, don’t wait until a storm is in your area to secure your garage door against it! You should always be proactive with hurricane preparation and securing your garage door should be tops on your priority list. If you lose your door, you will likely lose your home and everything in it. Call us today for a free consultation to go over which options are best for your garage door!

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