Getting Your Garage Door Ready for Hurricane Season

Why the garage door matters in a storm

When wind hits a house, it looks for the weakest point, and a wide garage door can be one of the largest surfaces facing the weather. If the door flexes badly or its hardware lets go, air can enter the garage, raise pressure inside the house and put extra strain on the roof and walls.

That does not mean every door is a hazard. Many doors on the Space Coast have performed well through storms, especially newer ones built to local wind requirements. It means the door is worth understanding, because small weaknesses in tracks, brackets, panels and seals become more important when the wind picks up.

We cannot promise how any door will behave in a particular storm, and no preparation makes a home immune. What preparation can do is remove avoidable problems, so that the door is in as good a condition as it can be and you are not discovering a loose track when the first outer bands arrive.

Know what kind of door you have

Start by identifying the door. Look for a label, usually on the inside face of the bottom panel or on a stile near the edge. It can show the manufacturer, the size and sometimes a wind rating or product approval number. If you cannot find one, take a photograph of the door and its hardware to show a technician.

Doors are not all the same. Lightweight single layer steel doors, insulated sandwich doors, wood and composite doors and doors with window inserts respond differently to wind. A door with a rating or approval label was tested for a specific pressure, while an older door with no label may have no documented rating at all.

Our overview of wind and building rules basics explains how local requirements generally work, and it shows why an older door may not match what is required for a new installation today.

Spring review: the calm before the season

Late spring, before June, is the right time for a full review because supplies are in stock, schedules are open and the weather is predictable. Think of it as a dress rehearsal. You are looking at the door the way you would look at a roof or a set of shutters.

Walk the inside of the garage with a flashlight. Look at each panel from the inside, the hinges between panels, the rollers sitting in the tracks and the tracks themselves where they meet the wall. You are checking for anything cracked, bent, loose or heavily rusted.

Panels

Look for cracks around hinge mounting points, dents that have creased the metal and any panel that sags between hinges. A panel that is already weak will flex more under wind pressure.

Tracks and mounting

The track brackets should be firmly bolted into the wall framing. Look for gaps between the bracket and the wall, stripped holes or fasteners backing out. Do not tighten bolts near the springs yourself. Note anything suspicious and have it assessed.

Weather seals

A cracked or flattened bottom seal lets wind driven rain in, and a worn side seal does the same along the jambs. Seals are a modest part of the door, yet they make a visible difference to how much water reaches the floor.

What a technician can assess before the season

There is a limit to what a homeowner can safely judge. The springs, cables, drums and bottom brackets carry high tension, and wear on those parts is not always visible to an untrained eye. A technician can inspect them, check the balance of the door and look at how the track is anchored.

A pre-season visit can also include the opener: checking the travel limits, the force settings, the safety reversal and the condition of the cord and wall control. If the door has windows or a heavy insulated panel, the technician can comment on the hinge pattern and the reinforcement.

That is the idea behind our hurricane season garage door service. We look at the door, explain what we find in plain language, and talk through the options. Whether to repair, reinforce or replace is always your decision.

Power outages and the opener

Storms often take the power with them, and an electric opener cannot lift a door without electricity unless it has a battery backup. Plan for this ahead of time rather than during a dark, windy evening.

A battery backup unit lets the opener run for a number of cycles during an outage. It is worth knowing how yours works, how long the battery lasts and when it was last replaced. Our page on battery backup for garage door openers describes what the units do and what to expect.

Without a backup, the door must be operated by hand. That means using the red emergency release, which disconnects the door from the opener so it can be lifted manually. Every adult in the household should know where it is and how it works.

Practicing the manual release safely

The emergency release is a cord with a red handle hanging from the trolley on the opener rail. Pulling it disconnects the door from the opener. It should only be used with the door fully closed, because an open or partly open door can drop suddenly if the springs are weak or the door is out of balance.

Practice once, calmly and in daylight. With the car out of the way and the door closed, pull the handle down and back, then lift the door by hand and see how it feels. A well balanced door feels manageable and stays where you leave it. A heavy door, or one that slams back down, is telling you the springs need attention. Do not try to fix that yourself.

Reconnecting the opener is usually a matter of lowering the door, pulling the handle toward the opener and letting the trolley catch on the next cycle. Our manual release during a power outage guide covers the sequence step by step, including the points where you should stop.

When a storm is named: the first checklist

When a system is being tracked and your area is in the possible path, shift from review to action. You have time, but the time is not unlimited, and many people are doing the same things at once.

Park vehicles where you need them, then complete this short list. Do not climb on anything, and do not touch the springs or cables.

• Clear the area around the door inside and out so nothing can be blown into it or trapped beneath it.
• Bring in loose items from the driveway, such as bins, bikes and furniture, that could strike the door.
• Confirm the door is fully closed and latched, and use the lock on the door if it has one.
• Charge or replace the battery in any backup unit and test that the opener still runs.
• Take dated photographs of the door, tracks and seals inside and outside for your records.

When the storm is close: leave the door alone

Once conditions are deteriorating, leave the door closed and stay away from it. Do not run the opener repeatedly, and do not stand near the door in a strong wind. If power flickers, unplug the opener or switch off its circuit to protect the electronics from surges.

Do not try to brace the door with improvised props, vehicles or heavy items unless a qualified person has advised it for your particular door. Improvised bracing can damage the panels, interfere with the tracks or create new hazards when it shifts.

If you evacuate, close the door fully, unplug the opener if you can do so safely, and consider disconnecting the wall control so that no one can operate it by accident. Leave the red release handle alone unless you have a reason to use it.

Shutters, braces and reinforcement kits

Some homeowners add a reinforcement system to the garage door, such as horizontal struts or a bracing kit. These can stiffen a lightweight panel, but they add weight, and extra weight changes the balance of the door and the demands on the springs.

That is why reinforcement should be done with an assessment, not as an add-on bought in a hurry. A technician can tell you whether your springs, cables and opener are suited to the added load, and whether the better choice is a heavier or rated door.

Rated doors

A door built and labeled for specified wind pressure includes the right panels, hinges and track system as one package. When an older door is near the end of its life, a rated replacement is often more sensible than adding pieces to the old one.

Windows and glass

Doors with windows have more points of weakness. Glass or inserts should be in good condition and securely held. Cracks, loose seals and failed frames are worth repairing before the season.

After the storm: look before you lift

When conditions have eased and it is safe to go outside, resist the urge to open the door right away. Start with the outside. Look for dents, displaced panels, debris stuck in the gaps and any sign of a vehicle or object strike. Then look at the inside, including the tracks, the brackets and the area around the opener.

If the power is back, do not just press the button. Check that nothing is in the path of the door and that the tracks look straight. If the door is crooked, if a cable looks loose, if a spring appears separated or if there is a new gap anywhere, do not run the opener. Using a damaged door under power can make the problem much worse.

Signs of storm damage that need a technician

Some damage is obvious. Some is subtle and only shows up when the door moves. Stop and call for help if you notice any of the following. Our page on a garage door damaged after a storm goes through these situations in more detail.

• Panels that are creased, buckled or pulled away from their hinges.
• A track that has shifted, bent or come away from the wall.
• Rollers visibly out of the track, or a door sitting at an angle.
• Cables that hang loose, look frayed or have come off the drum.
• An opener that hums or runs without moving the door, or a door that will not close.
• Water stains or debris that suggest the seals no longer work.

A door that is stuck after the power comes back

Occasionally a door behaves strangely after an outage. The opener may have lost its programmed limits, the remote may need re-pairing or the wall control may flash an error. Sometimes the cause is as simple as a tripped breaker or a reset outlet.

Check those basics first. If the door still will not move, look at the manual release and make sure it is reconnected. If anything seems mechanical, such as a loud noise, a binding door or a visible gap, stop. Our page on a door stuck after a power outage explains the usual causes and when a technician should take over.

Household plan: who does what

Storm preparation works better when everyone in the home knows their part. Decide ahead of time who will close and latch the garage door, who will move vehicles, and who will take the photographs. A shared note on the refrigerator avoids confusion when people are busy and stressed.

Teach older children where the red release handle is and, just as important, why it must never be pulled while the door is open. Explain that the springs and cables are not to be touched, even if the door looks damaged. Pets and small children should stay out of the garage during preparation and cleanup, since a door that is damaged can move unpredictably.

If you share a garage with a neighbor, rent the property or manage a small business site, agree on who is responsible for the door before the season starts. Our guide on wind and building rules can help you ask the right questions, and a technician can add detail for your building.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few errors come up again and again at the start of storm season, and almost all of them are well intended. Knowing them in advance makes them easy to avoid.

• Waiting until a storm is named, when schedules fill and parts become harder to arrange.
• Spraying lubricant on springs and cables, which does not strengthen them and can hide wear.
• Pulling the release handle with the door open, which can let the door fall.
• Leaning boards, cars or heavy items against the door as a brace.
• Running the opener again and again on a door that is already damaged or crooked.
• Assuming a battery backup improves wind resistance.

A season long reminder table

The table below pulls the guide together into a rhythm you can keep on the refrigerator.

Getting the door ready with our help

Preparation is easiest when it is not rushed. If you would like the door and opener assessed before the season, you can contact us and describe what you have. Our technicians come to the property, look at the door, explain what they find and fix or replace what is needed.

We will tell you which items are simple upkeep, which are worth watching and which need work. You stay in charge of the decisions, and we keep the explanation straightforward.

Questions and answers