How to Prepare Your Garage Door for a Hurricane

To prepare your garage door for a hurricane, make sure it runs smoothly and closes fully well before a storm, clear the track and the opening, and learn how to work it without power. When a storm is coming, close it, unplug the opener and keep the door shut until the storm has passed.

The garage door matters because it is often the largest opening in a house. If wind pushes it in, pressure can build inside the house and add to the strain on the roof. Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 and ends November 30, so the best time for these checks is before June, not the day a warning goes out.

Before the season: check the door runs and closes fully

A door that sticks, shudders or stops short is a weak point in a storm. Run it a few times and watch closely:

• Does it travel smoothly, without jerking or scraping?
• Does it close all the way, with the bottom seal touching the floor along its whole length?
• Do both sides move evenly, or does one side lag behind?
• Are any hinge, track or bracket bolts loose?
• Has the weatherstrip torn, shrunk or pulled away from the frame?

It is also worth checking the balance. Disconnect the opener while the door is shut, raise the door partway by hand and ease your grip, keeping hands and feet clear. A door that drifts down or shoots up has a spring problem, and springs are a job for a technician. The garage door balance test is explained in more detail in its own article.

Anything on that list is easier to sort out in calm weather. Booking garage door maintenance before June is far easier than chasing a repair during a hurricane watch.

Clear the track and the opening

Debris in a track or under the door can stop it sealing at the bottom. Wipe the tracks clean rather than greasing them, and pick out anything lodged in the channel. Move bikes, boxes and stored items away from the door and the sensors so nothing gets caught as it closes.

Outside, bring in loose objects near the door, such as planters, bins and patio furniture. In high winds these can hit the door panels hard enough to dent or crack them.

Look at the bottom seal while you are down there. Hurricanes bring wind-driven rain, and a seal that is cracked, flattened or missing in places lets water run under the door. A seal that still touches the floor all the way across keeps more of it out.

Garage door bracing and reinforcement

Bracing products exist for some garage doors. They are usually vertical posts or bars that fasten to the floor and the header on the inside of the door, giving it extra support against wind pushing in. Some doors are also built with extra struts for windy areas.

A brace only helps if it suits your door's size and design and is fitted the way its maker intends. Practice putting it in place before the season, so you are not learning on a stormy evening. Stacking boxes or furniture against the inside of the door is not a substitute for a brace made for the job.

Know how to run the door without power

Storms often knock out power, and an electric opener will not run without it unless it has a battery backup. Locate the release cord that hangs from the opener rail, often with a red handle, and learn what it does before you need it.

Pull the release with the door closed whenever you can. If a spring is broken, a door that is released while open can drop fast. Our article on opening a garage door without power explains each step.

How to protect your garage door when a storm is coming

• Close the door fully and leave it closed until the storm has passed.
• Fit any bracing made for your door.
• Unplug the opener. It helps protect it from power surges, and if you engage the door's manual lock, it stops the opener trying to run against the lock.
• Do not open the door during the storm, even for a moment.
• While the wind is up, nobody should stand or park right behind the door.

After the storm: look before you run it

Check the door before you press the button. Look for bent or cracked sections, tracks pushed out of line, rollers out of the track, frayed cables or water inside the opener. If anything looks wrong, do not run the door, and stay clear of the springs and cables.

If the door looks sound, plug the opener back in once the power is steady and run the door while you watch it. Then check that the safety sensors still stop it, since a bump or a soaking can knock them out of line.

If you are in Aventura and the door needs work, see garage door repair in Aventura and get it sorted before the next storm.