Hurricane Season Garage Door Prep

The four checks, in order

Each has a clear pass or fail, and each failure has a straightforward fix.

1. Wind load rating

   Find the product approval label on the inside of the door and confirm it carries a current approval matched to your property's design wind speed. No label at all is itself an answer.

2. Bracing and stiles

   Inspect any retrofit bracing brackets, the stile connections and the panel condition behind them. Bracing bolted to a panel that is already cracked is not bracing.

3. Seal condition

   Bottom seal flexibility and perimeter contact on all four sides. Wind-driven rain finds the gap that ordinary rain never does.

4. Brace or replace

   Decide the threshold now, in writing, while parts and lead times are normal. That decision made in June is a different decision from the same one made in September.

Before the season, not during it

The point of doing this in spring is that everything on this list has a lead time in September.

• Product approval located and checked against the opening
• Track and jamb fixings inspected into sound framing
• Panels checked for cracks, dents and delamination
• Seals replaced if they have hardened
• Opener manual release located and demonstrated
• Decision on brace or replace made in writing

Questions about storm preparation

• Why does the garage door matter more than the windows?

  It is the largest opening in the envelope. If it fails, pressure gets inside the house and pushes up against the roof structure, which turns one failure into a much larger one.

• How do I find my door's wind load rating?

  Look for a product approval label on the inside of a panel, usually near an edge. If there is no label, treat that as the answer and get the door assessed.

• Is retrofit bracing as good as a rated door?

  No. A rated door was tested as a whole system including its fixings. Bracing is an addition to a door that was not, and its value depends on the panel and the framing behind it.

• When should I do this?

  Before June, while parts and lead times are normal. Once a storm is named, availability is the constraint rather than the decision.

• Do I need a permit to replace the door for storm reasons?

  The same rules apply as any replacement. Orange County lists garage doors as permit work, and the new door has to meet current code.

• What do I do if the power goes out with the door closed?

  Use the manual release, which disconnects the door from the opener so it can be lifted by hand. Locate it and try it before the season rather than in the dark.