Wind-rated doors
Hurricane-Rated Garage Doors in Bokeelia
A rated door is picked for the pressure your opening requires, installed exactly as its approval drawings show and paired with a motor that suits the extra weight.
Check what your opening needs — (239) 312-0871Why the Big Door Gets Special Treatment
The garage door is frequently the widest opening in the house, so what it does in a storm counts. Should it buckle, wind pours in and shoves up against the roof from underneath. For that reason, Florida expects replacement doors to be tested to a stated design pressure and carry an approval for the opening where they are used.
Rated doors have stiffer sections, horizontal struts and heavier track and hardware, and they weigh more, so springs and opener are chosen to match. Some existing doors accept a maker-approved reinforcement kit. Where none exists, you see approved replacements instead.
Signs a Door May Not Be Rated
No label on the inside edge
Tested doors usually wear a sticker that states the design pressure. Not seeing one anywhere? Assume the door was never evaluated.
Bare backs with no struts
Horizontal bars across the back of the panels often, though not always, mark a door built for stronger winds.
Rattling in an everyday squall
A door that bows, or bangs in its track, on an everyday stormy afternoon is unlikely to cope with hurricane gusts.
An older single-layer door
Doors built before today's wind codes were never designed for the pressures that openings are now expected to withstand.
Specifying a Rated Door
- 1
Settle the rating
Opening size and the design pressure for your home's exposure are worked out first, before any door is chosen.
- 2
Reinforce or replace
When the maker offers an approved kit for your model, that path is weighed. Otherwise you choose among rated doors in the style you want.
- 3
Install per the drawings
Fasteners, track brackets and struts go exactly where the approval shows, labels stay visible, and the opener is matched to the heavier door.
Wind-Rating Questions
What does design pressure mean for my opening?
It is the wind load, in pounds per square foot, that the door is tested to resist pushing in and pulling out. The figure your opening needs depends on location, size and exposure, and the door's approval lists what it meets.
Can I keep my opener when I upgrade to a rated door?
Sometimes. A rated door usually weighs more than a basic one, so the opener must have enough power and be in good condition. If it is marginal, replacing it alongside the door is the more reliable plan.
Will a rated door feel harder to lift?
Not when it is balanced properly. Springs are sized to the door's weight, so by hand it should still feel fairly light. Heavier doors simply need springs and motors chosen for them, which is part of the job.
Looking Ahead to Storm Season?
Lead times and permit reviews take a while, so a calm month is the best time to ask what your opening needs.
Plan a wind-rated door at (239) 312-0871