Nor'easter Prep: Protecting Your Garage Door From Wind and Water

Hurricanes get the headlines, but on Long Island the storms that show up year after year are nor'easters. NOAA describes them as East Coast storms named for the direction their strongest winds usually blow from. They're most common between September and April and most severe in winter. They bring heavy rain or snow, coastal flooding and, according to NOAA, gusts that can be even stronger than hurricane-force winds.

For homes along Manhasset Bay, Little Neck Bay and the Long Island Sound shoreline, the garage door takes a lot of that weather head-on.

Why wind goes after the garage door

The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center puts it plainly: garage doors are usually large, unreinforced openings, and they're commonly damaged in high winds.

The bigger problem is what happens next. If a garage door fails, wind rushes into the house. The DOE guide explains that this breach can raise the pressure inside to the point that it pushes out windows, walls, doors and even the roof. So a garage door that holds is protecting much more than the car.

Garage doors fail in wind in a few ways. Panels bow in or get sucked out. Rollers pop out of the tracks. Or the tracks themselves pull away from the framing because they weren't fastened well enough.

Step 1: Fix the weak spots now

You can't make a standard door wind-rated with a tune-up, but a door in poor shape will fail sooner. Before storm season:

• Tighten the tracks. Loose track brackets and lag bolts are a common failure point. Check that nothing wiggles.
• Replace worn rollers. Cracked or wobbly rollers are the first to jump the track when a door flexes.
• Check the balance. A door that's out of balance puts more strain on everything. DASMA's guide says a balanced door stays put about 3 to 4 feet off the floor with the opener disconnected.
• Look at the panels. Cracked struts, rusted-through steel or rotted wood at the bottom are weak points.
• Replace the bottom seal. It won't stop floodwater, but it keeps wind-driven rain and debris from blowing under the door.

A tune-up covers the hardware, balance and safety tests in one visit. If your rollers are shot, see roller replacement.

Step 2: Know if your door is wind-rated

Residential building codes require garage doors to be tested to a wind-load standard, and the DOE guide notes that doors can be rated and certified for the design wind pressure where they're installed. Some manufacturers label rated doors, but the DOE guide notes the pressure ratings aren't required on the label, so you may need the brand and model to find out.

Clopay's version is called WindCode, which runs from W1 to W9. Each step matches a design wind pressure in pounds per square foot, and a higher number means a stronger door. Clopay's calculator considers the house's size, roof height and pitch, the door opening size, local wind speed, and the surroundings, like whether you're on open shoreline or in a wooded neighborhood.

A wind-rated door has the reinforcement built in. There's nothing to install before a storm. You close it and it's ready.

Step 3: Bracing vs. a new door

If you have an older, non-rated door, there are two main paths:

• Retrofit protection. The DOE guide lists covering the existing door with a certified impact-resistant covering as one option. Some manufacturers also sell add-on bracing kits for specific door models. These need to match your door and be installed correctly, or they don't do much.
• Replace with a rated door. The DOE guide's advice is that if a door needs replacement anyway, choose one that meets the design wind requirements for your area. That's worth considering for waterfront homes in Kings Point, Sands Point or Port Washington.

If your door is old and already giving you trouble, read repair or replace? before you decide. When a new door makes sense, we can help you pick a rated model. See new garage doors.

Step 4: Plan for the power going out

Nor'easters often knock out power. Know how to use your opener's emergency release before you need it:

• Find the red release cord hanging from the opener rail.
• Chamberlain's instructions say to use it only with the door fully closed, if possible. A door with weak or broken springs can fall fast.
• After the power comes back, run the opener through a full cycle and it should reconnect.

If your opener has battery backup, check that the battery still holds a charge before the season starts. We explain how in our battery backup post.

During the storm

• Keep the door closed and locked. An open door lets wind straight into the garage.
• Park the car inside if you can. It's safer there than under trees.
• Move bins, bikes and yard furniture away from the door so they don't get thrown into it.

After the storm: what to check

Before you run the opener, look at the door from inside:

• Panels bowed in or out, or visible dents from debris
• Rollers out of the track, or a door that sits crooked
• Track brackets pulled away from the wall
• Water in the opener or the wall button box
• Photo-eyes knocked out of line (the door won't close)