Not all garage doors are equal, and it’s always important to make sure that you choose the right garage door for your home. In many parts of the country, having a door that can withstand higher winds is essential and can help you save money in a number of ways. In this article, we’ll look at the average wind resistance of most garage doors, how much wind a garage door can potentially withstand and why having a wind-resistant door can be so essential.
Average Wind Resistance of a Garage Door
The average wind resistance of a garage door is around 20 miles per hour. This isn’t to say that a gust over 20 mph will suddenly cause the door to fail. All it means is that the door can easily withstand winds of this speed without any issues. For a garage door of this strength, the main time you need to worry is if the door is exposed to consistent winds above 20 mph for a prolonged period. In this situation, you could end up with one of the panels on the door getting damaged or the door even collapsing.
A garage door with a wind resistance of 20 mph may not seem like it’s that sturdy and will get easily damaged. However, there are some parts of the country where the average wind speeds are under 15 mph and that only very rarely ever experience gusts of 20 mph or greater.
The issue is that there are other states where the average wind speed is around 20 mph or higher or that frequently experience severe storms that can produce gusts well in excess of 50 mph. This is why manufacturers also produce much sturdier, more robust garage doors that can easily withstand wind speeds of 100 or even 200 mph. These doors are usually marketed as “wind resistant” and are definitely the best option in windier climates or places that are prone to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. That said, even the absolute strongest garage door available obviously isn’t likely to survive if a strong tornado or hurricane hits your house.
How to Check the Wind-Resistance Rating of Your Garage Door
While some manufacturers clearly state the wind resistance of their doors in miles per hour, wind resistance is generally measured in pounds per square foot (PSF). This PSF rating tells you approximately how much force the door can withstand before it is at risk of buckling or suffering damage.
Unless your garage door is quite old, it will usually have a yellow or orange label on the inside that provides quite a bit of information about it. This label will sometimes list the “design wind speed,” which again tells you the maximum wind speeds the door was designed to handle. It should also have both a positive and negative PSF rating that expresses the maximum force it can handle.
If you can’t find the label, you can try looking up the model number of your garage door online. However, all garage doors are now required to have a wind-rating label. That means that if you have an older door that doesn’t have this label, it may mean that the door doesn’t meet today’s safety standards.
Understanding Positive and Negative Wind Resistance Ratings
The reason that there are two different PSF ratings is that you don’t just have to worry about wind directly hitting the door and trying to push it inwards. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, it can also exert negative pressure that pulls on the door outward and tries to essentially suck it out of its frame. The positive rating (PSF+) tells you how much force the door can withstand from wind pushing against it and the negative rating (PSF-) is how much pressure it can withstand from wind pulling on it.
The average wind load ratings for most garage doors nowadays is around +20 and -22 pounds per square foot or 20 PSF+ and 22 PSF-. For a wind-resistant garage door, both of these ratings are usually up to 50 pounds per square foot. This means that you should always look for a door with at least a 40 to 50 PSF+ and PSF- rating if you live in a coastal area or anywhere else that is prone to experiencing stronger winds.
Another thing to understand is that wind resistance and impact resistance are directly related. The higher the PSF+ rating of a garage door is, the better it will be able to withstand the impact of a flying object without buckling. A large flying object will almost certainly put a major dent in the door, but it may not actually break the door if it has a higher wind-resistance rating. That said, it depends in large part on the speed at which the object is traveling when it hits the door since the object will hit the door with more force the faster it is moving.
Why Wind Resistance Is So Important
You may think that wind resistance is merely important for preventing a garage door from being damaged, but this is actually not the most important factor. The bigger issue is that a garage door that buckles and collapses inward or gets sucked out creates a major breach in the envelope or exterior structure of the home. Without the door in place, high winds can rush inside and create an extreme amount of positive or negative pressure inside the home.
During a major storm like a tornado or hurricane, the positive or negative pressure can often cause major structural damage to a home. For instance, it can easily cause doors and windows to blow out and lead to even more wind coming rushing inside or producing even more negative pressure that pulls outward on the walls and roof. In many cases, the pressure can even tear the roof right off the home or at least severely damage it. Extreme pressure can also exert so much force on the exterior walls that it can lead to the home completely collapsing.
All of these issues are actually far more common than you might think. According to some estimates, almost 80% of damage to homes from hurricanes is a direct result of the high winds causing garage doors to fail. This issue is why many homeowner’s insurance providers charge much higher premiums for homes in hurricane-prone areas that don’t have a reinforced, wind-resistant garage door. If you live in such an area, you could potentially lower your insurance premiums by up to 30% simply by replacing your old door with a wind-resistant or hurricane-proof door.
With 50+ years of experience, Door Pro America is the company to turn to for your garage door installation needs. We provide garage door services throughout the country including in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. If you need to install a new garage door for your home, our team can ensure you get a model that meets the specific needs of your area. We can also help if you need garage door maintenance or any repairs to ensure it remains in good condition and lasts as long as possible.
Contact us today for a consultation to learn more about your options for a new garage door or if you need any other service.
