With hurricane wind speed reaching even 200 miles/hour, there is danger in such natural phenomena. They are destructive and one should take the right precautions to avoid damage and tragedies. Those living in areas, which are often evacuated due to hurricanes, know well the dangers. Though, not all people take all necessary measures to avoid property damage. With garage doors being the largest moving objects in every house, there is a huge possibility that the door will be blown away if it’s not build up to resist the speed pressure. In hurricane prone regions, there are specific building regulations and the wind load garage doors must meet these requirements.
How to Choose Wind Load Doors
Wind pressure depends on wind speed but also geographical parameters and other factors. What’s crucial is making sure the overhead door is resistant to the highest possible wind force. Wind load doors are tested to be resistant and require powerful garage door springs, heavy gauge tracking and bearings for resisting the pressure of winds. If you need to get a new door, verify it is tested for impact resistance. What this means is that the door remains intact to impacts from flying debris and objects during high winds.
There are two choices when it comes to new garage doors designed for hurricane areas. There are doors with features, which secure against the floor and ceiling before the hurricane hits. They can be removed when the storm calms down. The other choice is doors, which are already ready to resist winds. All you have to do is lock them and depend on their resilience. These ones are convenient when you get a last minute notice to evacuate.
Apart from having strong hardware, wind load doors can also be reinforced with special made rods. These, enhance the resistance of wind load doors, which are not approved and tested for hurricane resistance. Some manufacturers produce doors, which already have such rods. You just have to rotate them and lock them into position on the ceiling and floor. Two car doors will actually require two or three of these rods. From, the wind moves in different directions and there is a risk that it won’t only blow off the door but will also open it, there are negative and positive wind load values, which are important. The negative value is often higher because there must be enough resistance against the winds, which try to lift the door. Such forces are much more powerful than the ones, which hit the door directly and try to blow it.
The specially designed hurricane doors are rated based on pounds per square rather than miles per hour. The force of the wind is not the only factor determining extent of damage. The terrain, structure, and size of the door plus the proximity of the winds are only a few other parameters, which must be taken into consideration. What you must know is that if you haven’t replaced the existing garage door for over a decade and reside in hurricane prone areas, it’s time to talk to Garage Door Repair Hercules. Regular doors cannot adequately be reinforced, but keep in mind that even the strongest wind load system will still require garage door maintenance. If you have the right door, but fail to repair it on time, are neglecting the basic rules of survival.