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7 Ways To Protect Your Garage Door During The Hurricane Season

The approach of hurricane season means that homeowners need to start planning now for possible dangerous weather conditions. Your garage door is one of the points in your home that could allow in high winds and heavy rains that could damage your home. Therefore, it is important that you take steps before bad weather strikes to secure your garage doors. Here are just a few things you can do.

1. Check the local wind-load requirements. The wind-load requirements reference the amount of high winds a structure can withstand. If your door does not meet the minimum requirements for your area, an upgrade might be necessary.  

2. Prepare to install post reinforcements. If your garage door does not have any built-in reinforcements, you can use posts to secure it. The posts are placed in the floor and ceiling before a storm arrives. Once the storm has passed, you can remove the posts. 

3. Buy and install a retrofit kit. Retrofit kits contain braces that attach to the hinges on your door. The braces will help to protect the doors from external pressure that occurs during a hurricane. The kits are available at your local home improvement store.  

4. Learn the manual operations for your door. In the event that the door is damaged or there is a power outage following the hurricane, you can likely open it manually. Instead of waiting until an emergency situation to test the manual operations, get familiar with it now.  

5. Check the weatherstripping. Your door likely has weatherstripping installed to keep water out. However, the stripping wears down over time. Hurricanes can bring heavy rains and your garage could quickly flood. If your weatherstripping is in poor condition, replace it. 

6. Place flood barriers in front of the garage. Even with weatherstripping, water can still build up and flood your garage. To prevent damage to your door and your garage's contents, build a protective barrier in front of the garage. 

7. Apply hurricane film. If your garage doors has windows, flying objects could break them. Hurricane film can prevent the glass shards in the garage from becoming dangerous.  

One of the most important steps you can take towards protecting your garage door and home is to get an inspection by a professional before the hurricane strikes. The pro can check for problems with the door and make repairs. He or she can also make recommendations for fortifying your door based on its current state.