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Reinforced Garage Doors Help Protect Your Home in High Winds
The garage door plays a critical role in protecting your home if you live in a hurricane prone region. If you do not have a tested, wind rated door, high winds can force it out of the opening, causing an uncontrolled buildup of internal pressure and ultimately a blowout of your home’s roof and supporting walls.
The adoption of the International Building Code (IBC) means wind load is no longer an issue exclusive to Florida and other hurricane hot spots.
States like Kansas, Missouri, Utah, Nevada and California also have wind reinforcement requirements for garage doors because of wind related to the terrain and weather in those regions.
Clopay has an easy to use product selection guide to identify the appropriate wind load application for each building code jurisdiction.
Clopay WINDCODE doors are identified by “W” designations; the higher the “W” rating, the stronger the door.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Reinforced Garage Door:
• Find out the wind load requirements for your geographic region and make sure your garage door meets them. The local building code authority can provide current information and a professional garage door technician can perform an on-site inspection.
• Know your door, even if you didn’t buy it. If you have recently moved into a new residence and did not purchase the garage door currently installed on your home, have a trained professional inspect it to make sure it is the appropriate model for your area and also show you how to secure it during a storm.
• Understand “storm ready” vs. “add-on” reinforcement. Two kinds of reinforced garage doors are available. With the “add-on” system, a homeowner must install long posts in the floor and ceiling to reinforce the door before the storm hits, and then remove them again afterwards to resume normal operation.
“Storm-ready” models require no advance set-up. Reinforcement is contained within the structure of the door and is engaged by simply locking it, a timesaving convenience in the event of an evacuation notice.
This type of door is particularly beneficial to vacation home and rental property owners because they have peace of mind knowing that the garage door is secure as long as it’s locked.
• Retrofitting an older door with new hardware will not provide the structural support needed for the new building codes.
• You can have safety in style. A reinforced door doesn’t necessarily mean barricading the garage opening in a solid sea of steel. Clopay offers code compliant carriage-house style doors and impact resistant windows.
 See the WindCode brochure
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