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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Hurricane Central Home Page

What should I do before hurricane season starts?

Do I need to protect my home?

Is your garage door Hurricane rated?

Why do I need to replace my garage door with a Hurricane rated garage door?

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

What is the HVHZ - High Velocity Hurricane Zone?

What is impact rating and why is impact rating important?

Can I have safety in style?

What is the difference between post reinforcement and built-in reinforcement? (Active vs. Passive)

What is an after-market hurricane post and what is involved in its installation?

Can a post system be integrated into the door design?

What is involved in a post system that a homeowner may purchase as an aftermarket product?

Can a post system be supplied with the door by the manufacturer?

What is the Homeowner Responsibility in a post system?

Are garage door manufacturers and installers responsible for the supporting structure’s ability to resist loads applied via wind loads on garage doors?

Do I need a permit to replace my door?

How do I choose a contractor?

What if my contractor is unlicensed?

What should a contract include?

How do I open my door if the power is out?

What do I do after the storm to open my garage door?

What is the difference between wind speed and wind pressure?

Why are garage doors rated by PSF (pounds per square foot)?

Why are wind pressures better than wind speeds when specifying doors?

Why can’t the industry just supply a 100 MPH door?

What is the difference between design load and test load?

Why are positive and negative wind load values required?

Why are the negative pressures higher for a double story house, versus a single story house?

What is the difference between fastest mile wind speed and three-second peak gust wind speed?

Does orientation of the door, i.e. front-facing vs. side-facing, affect design wind load?

Does house layout configuration affect garage door wind load?

Does the compass direction the door faces affect wind load design?

What high wind events are covered?

What are hurricanes?

Are Hurricanes assigned magnitudes?

What should be in my Hurricane supply kit?

How can I use a generator safely?

What are some of the testing protocols for a hurricane rated garage door?