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Fortifying Your Overhead Garage Door for Hurricane Season

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If you are installing an overhead commercial door at your business, or a garage door at your home, weather is a big factor to consider. Winter rains in Sacramento as well as Seattle can be pretty intense, especially as climate change makes extreme weather events a common occurrence. And when it comes to wind damage, garage doors take the brunt. 

It’s important to invest in a door that can take all the weather California will throw at you. Hurricane-resistant garage doors are important to Washington and California businesses and homes. This means considering how your garage door is constructed as much as, if not more than, you consider what you want it to look like. A poorly-made garage door will only be beautiful until the first 100-mph gust of wind. Then you’re out of luck.

Windproof Garage Doors are a Thing?

Not exactly. Due to their sheer size, garage doors are especially susceptible to wind damage. If you live near the ocean, consider installing additional bracing, heavier track gauging, and extra hardware. Overhead doors on Sacramento homes and businesses have much the same requirements as Seattle, and any other coastal areas. It’s not just ocean winds; it’s the salt and water in those winds. That means your garage door and its parts have to be wind and waterproof. 

Luckily, there’s even such a thing as hurricane glass now, so you don’t have to sacrifice natural light in your garage in exchange for an overhead door that can stand up to extreme weather. And yes, taking all these measures to fortify the garage door you’re having installed adds cost to the new door. But failure to properly secure and reinforce your panel could lead to you having to pay for garage door dent repair, or worse – a new door entirely.

In high weather areas, be sure to have your garage door torsion springs professionally inspected on a regular basis — at least once a year, depending on how often you use the garage door. Make sure a professional exterior door installer takes a look. Considering the incredible tension they are under, springs are a serious safety risk and can cause serious harm and even death if accidentally released.

Preparing Your Door for California Wildfires

Sadly, wildfires are the new normal for California, thanks to climate change and ground water shortages. And while it’s difficult to install a garage door fortified for the kind of heat these fires give (most garage doors melt down to nothing), you can install a steel garage door that at least won’t exacerbate fire situations.

If your overhead door is at a business, you likely have fire door codes to follow. Even if those fire codes don’t necessarily apply to the garage doors on your storefront or loading dock, you’d do well to get them built to be fire-rated anyways, because you never know how close a wildfire might get to your building; mitigating potential damage is key.

But installing battery backup on your opener is super critical (and legally required for all new garage doors in California). California recently passed a law mandating battery backup. The bill was spurred by a congressman who had difficulty evacuating his home during a wildfire because the electricity had gone out. 

Whether you have a new garage door or not, battery backup is essential to safety in Sacramento and Seattle. It’s also much more convenient. Now you won’t be stuck inside during the next electrical storm. Not to mention that switching your old garage door opener out with a new, battery-backed-up one, you can also choose a “smart” garage door opener that allows you to use and monitor your garage door remotely. That shores up security at your home or business all the time, not just in emergencies.

100% Satisfaction & Quality Guaranteed Service

Having a professional garage door installation and repair company perform regular inspections is also a good idea, especially if you live in an area with high winds. Contact SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR today to schedule an inspection. Serving the Rocklin and Greater Sacramento areas, as well as the Everett and Greater Seattle areas, all our work is guaranteed 100%. Give us a call anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or book an appointment online. We’ll be happy to help. Our technicians are certified, insured and professional.

Old Overhead Garage Door? Consider Installing a New Model

Older garage doors can be a serious safety risk during hurricane season. Even if it is in relatively good repair, you might consider installing a newer garage door. Modern garage doors are made of stronger materials and designed to stand up to intense hurricanes, especially as climate change becomes more of an everyday reality. Avoid cheap, thin models. Instead, go for a steel garage door that offers better insulation and wind-resistance than vinyl or aluminum glass garage doors.

Talk to your local professional garage door service company and see what they suggest when it comes to installing a garage door better equipped for hurricanes. Considering how much of your home the garage door protects, the investment really pays for itself. In an extreme storm, your garage door needs to stand up not only to the storm itself, but also any potential looting that may follow.

How to Repair Your Garage Door’s Bottom Seal

Another huge factor in the wind and water resistance of your overhead garage door is the weather seal. If you haven’t repaired your garage door bottom seal in a while, you can replace it yourself for about $50. It’s a simple DIY garage door repair that can be done in a few hours in an afternoon. The bottom seal helps keep out rain and debris and is essential during heavy rains and hurricanes.

Start by removing the old seal. You’ll want to measure the new seal according to the width, height, and thickness of your garage door. In addition to a new garage door seal, you’ll also want to buy V-strip weather stripping, a tube of exterior caulk and, if you have a wooden door, a small can of wood sealer.

You may have a garage that has a metal track with a replaceable rubber seal. If you do, replace this with a cold weather” silicone-type seal. Its flexible design helps it to last longer during cold weather.

Remove the old seal by sliding out the rubber. You might need to open the track ends with a flathead screwdriver. Cut the new seal with a knife and slide it back against the door. This may take a little elbow grease. Once it’s in place, remove the excess trim and thank yourself for a job well done. Replacing the bottom seal is one of the easiest garage door repairs you can do, but it is absolutely essential during the rainy season.

Need an Emergency Garage Door Repair?

If your garage door is damaged in a storm, we can service it immediately. After a serious weather event, security should be one of your highest priorities. You need to protect your home and family from potential looters. Most importantly, you need to get back to normal living.

At SACS GARAGE DOOR REPAIR, we respond to your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We offer emergency garage door service for the Sacramento and Seattle areas. We are certified and experienced at all forms of garage door repair, from garage door installation to opener repair to garage door springs and inspection.

The quality of our work is guaranteed. Specializing in exterior door installation and repair, we’ve served hundreds of homes and businesses over the years. We also specialize in storefront commercial door and window repair.

Understanding How To Repair Garage Door Spring

Springs serve as a counterbalance to garage doors that weigh hundreds of pounds. They allow you to operate the door with little effort. As with any hardware that’s under this amount of wear and tear, failure is inevitable. There are two types of springs used in garages: extension and torsion, with the latter being more dangerous. When working on either type of spring, it’s important to understand that they’re under significant tension and loss of life or limb can occur. It is for that reason we encourage you to seek professional help when it comes to fixing broken garage springs. Our licensed technicians are available 24/7 to service your springs in a safe and affordable manner.

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