Retrofit or Replace: Hurricanes & Garage Doors

Hurricanes and Garage Doors

If you live in Florida, you know that hurricane preparedness is not just advisable—it’s essential. The joy of living with Florida’s beautiful coastline and warm weather is accompanied by the reality that hurricanes and tropical storms threaten our gorgeous state every hurricane season. What many homeowners might not realize is that 80 percent of the damage done to homes during hurricanes is due to garage door failure. Hurricanes and tropical storms bring with them extremely high winds, and a garage door that cannot withstand those winds can allow your home to suffer serious damage. High winds can push a garage door inward or pull it outward, causing the door to buckle and the hardware to fail. Flimsy garage doors can also be damaged by windborne debris. What’s more, when there is a breach to the garage door, that means a breach in your entire home. A garage that cannot withstand a storm can cause a host of structural failings in your home, like broken windows, roof damage, and water damage. Even as little of an inch of water seeping into a garage during a storm can cause thousands of dollars in damage to your home, not to mention the vehicles and any other belongings you have stored in your garage. Given the potential for such extensive damage, protecting your garage door should be a top priority for any Florida homeowner.

Is Retrofitting Garage Doors a Good Idea?

Given that installing a hurricane-resistant garage door can be costly, many people consider retrofitting garage doors, believing that it is a more budget-friendly solution. Garage doors can be retrofitted with hurricane hinges, hurricane braces, or reinforced panels, but is this the best way to go? While these options are often offered as a quick fix that is less costly than replacing a door, they have not been proven to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms. Especially if the reinforcement is a do-it-yourself job by the homeowner, the braces, bars, hinges, or panels may not be properly installed. Then, too, with an older home, the garage door may be older as well, and retrofitting will not give it the proper structural support. Installing these cheap, quick-fix reinforcements does nothing to bring an older garage door up to existing building codes.

Proper Garage Door Hurricane Preparation

The best way to prepare your garage for hurricane season is to install a garage door that is specifically designed to withstand the forces of a hurricane. Florida has implemented a very strict Hurricane Code, mandating that certain components of homes, including garage doors, meet specific standards to withstand hurricane conditions. One critical aspect of this code is the wind load ratings, which are measured either in pounds per square foot (PSF) or miles per hour (mph). This measurement indicates the amount of wind a door can withstand without failing, and when your door is “wind loaded” at a certain level, that means it can withstand any PSF below that level, too. In Jacksonville, for example, garage doors must be wind resistant up to 140 miles per hour, with a wind load rating of at least 20 PSF. These wind load ratings ensure that the garage door can withstand the extreme conditions of a hurricane, protecting both the garage and the rest of the home.

Does This Mean Door Bracing Has No Value?

Having a garage door that is up to the hurricane code is vital, but there is a place for after-market bracing, as well. When preparing your garage in advance of a hurricane, one of the steps you might consider taking is installing door braces, to give your door some While having a garage door that meets Florida’s Hurricane Code is crucial, there is still value in aftermarket bracing. Door braces can provide an extra layer of protection, giving you additional peace of mind during hurricane season. However, they should not be seen as a substitute for a hurricane-rated door. Instead, consider bracing as one part of a comprehensive hurricane preparedness plan. Alongside bracing, there are several other steps you can take to protect your garage:

• Clear clutter: Remove unnecessary items from your garage to prevent them from becoming projectiles or obstructing exits during a storm.
• Protect valuables: Move any valuable or sentimental items out of the garage, as they could be damaged by water intrusion.
• Guard against water: Install weather stripping, seal cracks and use sandbags to prevent flooding and water damage.
• Check drainage systems: Ensure your garage has proper drainage and make any necessary adjustments to handle heavy rainfall.
• Inspect electrical systems: Have a qualified electrician examine your garage’s wiring and repair any issues before a storm hits.
• Trim tree branches: Cut back any branches that overhang the garage to prevent them from causing damage in high winds.

Call A1A Overhead Doors for Expert Garage Door Installation

As hurricane season approaches, ensuring your garage is fully prepared is essential. Rather than relying on retrofitting, consider investing in a new, hurricane-rated garage door installed by the experts at A1A Overhead Door Company. Our knowledgeable staff can help you determine exactly what’s needed and complete all necessary work efficiently and professionally, making sure you have a garage door that can stand up to whatever the weather brings. Family-owned-and-operated, A1A Overhead Door serves the entire metro Jacksonville area. In fact, we even go up to fifty miles into the outer counties. We are licensed and insured to cover both the client’s property and ours, and we’re proud to work with our clientele and will match or beat any competitor’s written estimate. For more information, you can call 904.579.1123 or contact us through our website.