What is Wind Mitigation, and Do I Need It On My Garage Door? Is My House Safe From Tropical Weather?

Wind mitigation — or wind hazard reduction — is a standard practice that makes homes more resistant to damage caused by high winds. It also minimizes hazards, such as broken tree limbs, flying debris, broken power lines, and other factors that could cause damage to people, buildings, and vehicles.

Most modern-day garage doors are already designed to be wind-resistant and can provide some level of protection against high winds. This is particularly important for Florida property owners because of frequent encounters with tropical weather and other extreme weather conditions.

However, the same can’t be said for older garage doors that could be less than effective against powerful winds. In this case, wind mitigation can make a significant difference in your property’s protection.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Wind Mitigation?

Wind mitigation refers to specific measures that homeowners can take to reduce the risk of damage from high winds during hurricanes, tropical storms, and other extreme weather conditions.

In Florida, where hurricanes are common, wind mitigation is especially important. Property owners can significantly reduce the risk of wind damage and make their property safer by taking steps to minimize wind forces acting on a building or home.

But why do Florida property owners need wind mitigation in the first place?

Safety

It goes without saying that wind mitigation protects your home or building against strong winds and severe weather.

Savings

The Florida Division of Emergency Management says that 15% to 70% of home insurance premiums can be attributed to the risk of wind damage. Floridians already pay one of the country’s highest — if not the highest — homeowner insurance rates. But the upfront cost of wind mitigation features still results in long-term savings due to the unpredictable weather conditions in the state.

For garages, wind mitigation might include adding heavier-gauge materials for the garage door panels and tracks and installing additional reinforcements. 

Garage Wind Mitigation Techniques

At Safe Way Garage Doors Inc., we use the following methods to improve the wind resistance of garage doors:

Add Wind Load Struts

Wind load struts are an effective way to improve the wind resistance of a garage door. They help support the door’s weight and keep it from being pushed in by high winds. 

For this reason, it’s common practice to add six struts to the back of many doors.

Wind load struts substantially strengthen the door panels against all positive and negative forces from wind events. This way, your property remains protected from strong winds during hurricanes, microbursts, and Florida-level storms.

Replace the Door Hinges

At Safe Way Garage Doors Inc., we replace the hinges at the end of door panels with heavy-duty wide commercial-style hinges, so your doors have a more stable foundation and are less likely to be forced open by strong winds. 

We also add struts to go over these hinges to hold them on the door with more force. This will add more strength to the hinge system and reduce the chances of your door being ripped off in high-wind situations.

Replace the Rollers

The team at Safe Way Garage replaces existing rollers with extra-long stem rollers — or what some customers think of as pins. This makes it much harder for the wind to pull the rollers out of the hinges in a hurricane or other high-wind weather conditions. 

As a result, the new rollers effectively keep the subsurface securely in place.

Install Additional Jamb Brackets

Our team adds at least four more jamb brackets to the vertical track to keep the track that holds the rollers in place sturdier, and attached with more contact points. This helps the door handle higher wind forces without getting the track bent.

Needless to say, it prevents you from paying for avoidable repairs and replacements.

Add Heavy-Duty Anchors

We drill through the wood door jambs and add heavy-duty anchors to doors and other sub-surfaces. This holds the wood against the wall, so storm-force winds can’t rip them off the wall and cause further property damage during extreme weather conditions.

Install New Springs

Finally, we weigh the door and replace the existing springs with upsized new springs that balance all the additional reinforcements’ weight. This way, the door can still be easily lifted with one hand.

The Wrap Up

Many homeowners do not prioritize wind mitigation on their garage doors until it is too late. This ends up costing a lot more in damages. To give you an idea, wind mitigation with Safe Way Garage Doors Inc. costs around $1,250. Replacing a damaged garage door costs anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000+. Losing your roof due to over-pressurization of your garage in a major wind event can be catastrophic.

Additionally, we do not charge anything to verify if your garage door is ideal for a restorative package. 

As all Floridians can agree, hurricanes and extreme weather tend to creep up on us quickly. Prior planning is crucial to keep your garage (and the belongings within) safe from wind damage. 

Safe Way Garage Doors Inc is a trusted garage door repair and replacement service provider in Lakeland, FL. Since the 1990s we provide affordable wind mitigation solutions that help your home or building withstand high winds that occur during major storms, hurricanes, and other extreme weather conditions. We always cover this work with our one-year labor five years parts warranty.

Explore our garage door services on our website, and contact us for inquiries!