How important is the garage door to the safety of my home?

“Garage doors are now considered to be one of the most important parts of a building’s structure in regards to maintaining its structural integrity during a hurricane,” states Mark Westerfield, manager of product development and engineering for Clopay Building Products Company, the largest U.S. manufacturer of residential garage doors.

In March 2002, ten years after Hurricane Andrew ravaged South Florida, the state adopted stricter building codes that require new garage doors or replacement doors to be structurally reinforced to withstand specific wind load requirements. In Miami-Dade and Broward counties the wind load requirement is 146mph and 140 mph, respectively. In other parts of Florida, it ranges from 100 – 150 mph.

“To meet the new codes, garage doors must have heavier gauge tracking and springs to help keep them in place under extreme wind loads,” added Westerfield. “Retrofitting a door with new hardware won’t provide the same structural integrity as a new door in the event of a storm.” Homeowners who have not replaced their garage door since the code took effect should consider installing a code-approved, reinforced model.

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