Look for the label on the inside of the door. Garage doors are required to have a permanent label showing the manufacturer, model/series number, positive and negative design pressure rating, and applicable test standard.
How much wind can a garage door withstand?
Precautions for Extreme Weather
Be sure to: Check city building codes for wind resistance requirements. In some areas (especially hurricane prone ones), a garage door must be able to withstand high winds, sometimes up to 130 miles per hour or more.
What is an impact garage door?
Impact-resistant garage doors are built with a minimum of one layer of steel. The number and thickness of the steel layers can help improve the maximum wind speed the door can withstand. In addition to steel, many wind-resistant garage doors also have additional layers of aluminum, wood paneling, and insulation.
How can I strengthen my garage door?
Cover the outside of the door with metal panels, fabric screen or 5/8-inch plywood installed with additional bracing (2x4s at each joint and 2 feet on center). Some doors can be strengthened with retrofit kits that add vertical and horizontal reinforcement and beef up tracks and hardware.
Do I need to reinforce my garage door?
Horizontal and vertical reinforcements are required to prevent damage to steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or glass-paneled doors. Some doors that are considered double-sided have reinforcement built into the interior of the door, when in doubt it is always best to add additional reinforcement.
Does my garage door need to be wind rated?
High winds can cause garage doors to fail, allowing hurricane-force winds to enter your home. This can allow an unstable buildup of pressure, causing windows to blow out and the roof to blow off. To prevent this from happening, you need to install wind-resistant garage doors.
What is a wind loaded garage door?
A wind loaded garage door is a door that is built to be able to maintain its integrity during hurricanes, extreme winds, and pressure. Reinforced wind loaded doors will not buckle during hurricanes or high velocity wind bursts and are designed with specific components to secure your home’s safety.
What is a hurricane garage door?
Hurricane garage doors, also called impact-resistant doors, are built to withstand high winds that accompany hurricanes and other tropical storms. Constructed from vertical reinforcement posts, windlock guides, and engineered fasteners, their heavy-duty assembly is targeted towards withstanding powerful winds.
How do I know if my garage door is impact rated?
Look on your garage door to find the wind load sticker. This sticker should list the manufacturer’s name, model number and design pressures. Once you have found this sticker and written down the information on it, you can look up your door’s Wind and Impact Ratings on the Florida Product Approval Website.
Where do hurricane ties go?
Hurricane ties are usually installed on the home’s exterior to provide the most secure connection between the roof, walls, and foundation, ensuring the greatest possible resistance to upwind and lateral forces that can cause catastrophic damage to a building.
