Illinois residents must contend with strong winds and storms throughout the year, and garage doors are often the largest openings left unprotected. An unreinforced door can be compromised quickly by high winds, leaving your house exposed to further damage. Our Overhead Garage Door team invites you to learn more about how much wind your garage door can withstand.
Understanding Wind Resistance in Garage Doors
An unreinforced garage door will fail immediately when struck by high winds, leaving the structure vulnerable to even more damage.
Most garage doors that don’t have a wind load rating can withstand wind speeds of approximately 20 mph until they become damaged. If the door fails, you’ll also be at risk of roof and wall failure. Knowing the wind resistance rating of your garage door is crucial when preparing your home for Illinois weather, especially during storms when wind speeds can change drastically.
Wind Ratings and Certification for Garage Doors
Building codes have recently been updated to require garage doors to be wind load tested and provided with minimum wind load values to lessen storm damage. These codes give specifications to define the wind pressures that the door can withstand. Credentials such as WindCode indicate that a door has been engineered and tested to meet these requirements.
Even the most well-built homes in Illinois can be vulnerable to thunderstorms and tornadoes, but certified wind-rated garage doors help prevent long-term damage — not only to your door but also to the structural integrity of your house.
Evaluating Your Garage Door’s Wind Resistance
To evaluate the wind resistance or impact resistance of your garage door, look for identifying labels or certification marks that indicate it’s wind rated. Many older homes have garage doors that lack wind load certifications or aren’t equipped with bracing to resist strong winds. Your door’s width, materials, and construction will affect its resistance level. Wider doors present a larger surface area to wind, therefore resisting it less. Doors that are open or face toward the wind will also experience more pressure.
Make sure to inspect your garage door regularly for any weaknesses, such as loose hardware or worn-out panels, that could affect its performance. If your garage door lacks any level of reinforcement, consider contacting a local contractor to determine what’s required to retrofit or replace it to meet Illinois building codes and improve wind resistance.
Resistant Garage Doors
Wind-rated garage doors are constructed for greater structural integrity. They generally use steel panels or reinforcements, heavy-duty hinges, and heavier-gauge tracks and have a WindCode rating. Some wind-rated doors include bracing systems that attach the door to the frame of the opening, limiting the door’s flexibility and protecting against blowouts in severe storms.
Illinois often experiences summer storms that can cause significant damage. Even if your door is only slightly damaged, its integrity will be reduced. Installing wind-resistant garage doors can lower insurance rates in areas with storm risks and high winds. You should choose a garage door that can withstand wind speeds consistent with the average wind load in your area.
Preparing Your Garage Door for Extreme Weather
You can prepare for extreme weather by regularly inspecting and maintaining your garage door. Regular maintenance includes tightening hardware, lubricating moving parts, checking for misalignment in the tracks, and verifying the functionality of the manual locks. Some homeowners install aftermarket reinforcement kits to add bracing and reduce the bowing and buckling caused by high winds.
If a storm is approaching and you’ve stored loose items in your garage, it’s best to remove them, secure them to prevent movement from the wind, or put them indoors. Knowing where the horizontal braces are and how to secure your garage door quickly will increase the likelihood that you’ll ensure it withstands high winds. Having a prepared, wind-ready attitude can go a long way in reducing storm damage to your Illinois home.
FAQ
Below are the answers to a few of our most frequently asked questions.
How Can I Tell if My Garage Door Is Wind Rated?
Look for certification labels, manufacturer markings, or a WindCode rating on the inside of your garage door. These indicate that the door has been tested and rated for specific wind loads. If there’s no label or the door is older, it may not meet current wind load standards.
Do I Need To Replace My Garage Door To Meet Illinois Wind Load Requirements?
Not necessarily. Some garage doors can be retrofitted with reinforcement kits that include horizontal bracing, heavy-duty hardware, and upgraded tracks. However, in many cases, total replacement with a wind-rated model is the safer and more reliable option.
What Wind Speeds Should a Garage Door Withstand in Illinois?
In Illinois, garage doors should typically withstand wind speeds between 90 and 130 mph, depending on local building codes and storm risk zones. Certified wind-rated doors are tested to withstand pressures 50% greater than their rated wind speed for added safety.
Contact Overhead Garage Door for Repair or Replacement
If you’re an Illinois homeowner who’s unsure whether your garage door meets local wind load standards, professional help is essential. A qualified garage door repair company can inspect, recommend upgrades, or install a wind-rated garage door that provides better protection and peace of mind. At Overhead Garage Door, we serve the greater Chicago and Milwaukee area and offer a range of wind-resistant garage doors, reinforcement kits, and expert guidance to help protect your garage. You can contact us via our secure online form to get started.
Image by Sergiy Galyonkin is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0