How can you protect your Antioch garage door from high winds?

How much wind can your garage door withstand when the winds blow hard in Antioch? That’s a good question, particularly as we are in the month of March when winds are known to blow harder. An answer, of sorts, found broadly on various blogs, is winds of 20 mph. It’s not clear where that number comes from as those using it generally fail to provide the origin of the number. The truth is that it depends on the local codes and there, it’s not measured in mph of wind speed but in psf – pounds per square foot of force.

In any case, that 20-mph figure seems ridiculously low, and is probably confused with psf, since we all know that storms will frequently bring winds of greater velocity than that. In Antioch, over the course of 2020 and 2021, the average wind per month blew no higher than 6 mph. But, in every single of those 24 months, the high wind speed, not to mention wind gusts, were higher than 20 mph. In some cases, winds and gusts were significantly higher (see chart).

Six mph is comfortably 14-mph comfortably the 20-mph maximum for most garage doors. But, in November of 2020, for instance, Antioch experienced a high wind of 51 mph with guts as high as 79 mph. Amazingly, this did not result in garage doors blown out all over town.

This does not mean that garage doors are not damaged by high winds. For instance, garage doors can suffer from wind damage, or damage from objects blown by the wind, without the garage door suffering catastrophic failure. And garage doors are ripped from their frames in some extreme weather conditions, such as with tornadoes, microbursts and hurricanes.

Of course, here in Antioch, we don’t have to worry about hurricanes too often. And tornadoes and microbursts are generally isolated enough in their impact that the odds of losing a garage door to a funnel cloud is not a widespread problem.

What we really need to know is what to do about your garage door when there are high winds.

The Doors & Access Systems Manufacturers Association International has some specific suggestions:

1. And it is not suggested that you do so when winds represent a clear and present danger, but you should keep the garage door closed in high-wind situations.
2. DO NOT back your car up to the inside of the garage door to bolster the door against high winds – winds may be as likely to yank the door out of the frame as to blow it in and could cause additional damage to your vehicle.
3. DASMAI does not recommend operation of the garage door during high winds.
4. The garage door should be kept closed when there are high winds.
5. It’s also highly recommended that you don’t add weight to the garage door unless it’s part of an integrated system to reinforce the garage door.

Qualified garage door repair and installation companies will generally install better quality garage doors that are less susceptible to high winds. For instance, Beau Bristol, the owner of Garage Doors and More, installs 2-inch-thick garage doors that are more solid in general and better able to withstand high winds. The garage doors he’s had to replace over the years from wind damage were, almost inevitably, of the 1-3/8-inch variety.

Fortunately, we live in an area where wind-rated doors are not required, such as in certain coastal regions where hurricanes are possible. Still, even in Antioch, we can see high winds and it’s good to know what to do, and what precautions to take to protect your garage door from high winds.

Have you considered putting a kennel in your garage?

Your Crystal Lake garage has the potential to serve as a multi-purpose structure. You can create a woodworking workshop in your garage. You can create a craft workshop in your garage. Or you can simply use your garage for storage, with or without enough room for the car. But there are other potential uses for your garage.

Have you considered the potential of your Crystal Lake garage as a kennel for your dog or dogs? There are considerations you should entertain before making such a move; it’s really not as simple as moving the dog crate out to the garage and then putting the dog in the crate.

One consideration is environmental. You need to consider the temperature in your garage. Is your garage heated? Do you have AC for the summer months?

A dog is probably not as susceptible to mild temperature changes. But, in the McHenry area, winters can produce dangerously cold temperatures. In the summer, the heat can threaten heatstroke for people, and dogs, if exposed to high temps for too long.

If the garage is not heated or airconditioned, you need to be conscious of that fact. Don’t leave the dog out in the garage when the temperature falls below freezing or rises above 85 degrees, for instance. You may want to check with your vet about what temperatures are best for your dog.

Another consideration is the air quality in your garage. Do you keep paints, cleaners and solvents in the garage? Even if you don’t have dogs in the garage, you want these chemical agents sealed properly so they don’t foul the air.

You also need to remember that your car produces toxic gasses that are unhealthy for your dog. You don’t want to leave the car running in the garage where those fumes will build up to the extent that they cause health concerns. Long before they might prove fatal, those gasses will cause headaches and other issues.

It’s probably not a bad idea to put a ventilation system in the garage if you’re going to put a kennel in the garage.

As long as you’re considering going here, it doesn’t hurt to look at the idea from the dog’s perspective. A crate if confining. Building a pen, or pens, in the garage offers an opportunity to provide your dog with some comfort and more.

You can give them an area that allows room to stretch their legs. You can put some bedding in there with them. You might even put a few toys in the pen that they like.

If you want to get really snazzy, if you have a pen just outside the garage, you can put doggie doors between the inside pen and the outside pen. This is ideal since it allows the dog to go outside when it wants, stay inside when the weather is inclement, and to go outside to do his or her business.

Finally, you want to make sure your Crystal Lake garage door seals properly to keep out drafts and to ensure that the garage door opener works reliably.