Australia is one of the greatest places on earth to live, but any local will tell you it’s notorious for its wild weather conditions, especially up north and on the Eastern Coast.
The best way to prevent damage and protect your loved ones is preparation; understanding the potential risks and taking steps to avoid common safety hazards. Your garage is the largest entry point of your home, so it’s vital to ensure it can handle the weather conditions. You’ll want a garage door engineered to stand up to whatever the elements throw at it.
In this article, we’ll run through the steps and products that you can use to strengthen your home’s garage door.
Make Your Garage Door Wind Resistant
There are a few common techniques for making a garage door wind resistant:
- Install Garage Door Braces – this is a quick, inexpensive option if you need to strengthen your door at a moment’s notice. These are removable and can be installed on your door in about 2-5 minutes.
- Invest in a Wind Rated Door – the best and easiest option is to invest in a wind-rated door. That way, you’ll know your door has been specifically designed to stand up to cyclone conditions. It’ll also mean you’re prepared, leaving you with peace of mind.
If you’ve just moved into a new house, you may be wondering if your existing garage door is already wind rated. Doors should have this information included on the labelling, but if unsure, you can have a professional come and check for you. Depending on where you’re building, a cyclone ready door might not just be a recommendation, but a legal requirement.
If in doubt, chat with your builder or to your new area’s council. Any builder worth their salt should know the requirements for your area. Believe us, once the winds start picking up, you’ll be glad you invested in a wind-rated door.
Steel-Line takes your safety seriously and engineers all its wind-rated doors to the highest standard. We stringently test all our wind-rated door designs at James Cook University, so you’ll have peace of mind when you install one of our doors.
Is the Location of Your Home at Risk for Severe Weather?
Weather can be unpredictable; however, certain areas are more prone to cyclones than others. Anywhere along the Northern Coastline of Australia is at risk of tropical storms and cyclones.
Australia has been divided into 4 classifications:
Cyclonic Classification (Higher risk areas):
Region C
Region D
Non-Cyclonic Classification (Low-risk areas)
Region A
Region B
Cyclone season tends to be between November and April, and the off-season is a perfect time to install your wind-rated garage door. The last thing you want to do is wait until there are severe weather warnings before knowing if your garage door is ready.
What risks are there?
When heavy winds hit a garage door, they can loosen and remove panels, twist, and disfigure the door and force the door to come off its tracks. Not only is this going to cost money to fix, but it can be dangerous, especially if parts of the door come off entirely.
Weather-proof your home with the following 3 garage doors:
Strut Lock Wind Rated Sectional Doors
When it comes to garage doors designed for cyclones, Steel Line’s Strut Lock Wind Rated Sectional Doors are the best of the best. Made from Australian BlueScope Steel and heavy-duty hardware, these doors are engineered to be the top of the range at withstanding severe weather.
The big advantage of Strut Lock Wind Rated Sectional Doors is once they are installed, you’re ready. Severe weather can come at a moment’s notice, and with this option, there’s no need for you to rush home and prep.
- Incorporates heavy duty struts to provide extra reinforcement.
- Made from Australian BlueScope Steel and heavy-duty hardware
- Post free for widths up to 5500m, helping your garage door remain light while staying strong
- Comes in a wide range of designs and colours. Safety doesn’t have to come at the cost of style.
Wind Brace Sectional Garage Doors
Wind Brace Sectional Garage Doors incorporate the use of removable steel wind brace posts. When you receive a severe weather warning, you can simply install the brace within 2-5 minutes, without the need for any tools.
- Features a wind brace design that provides re-enforcement to your garage door.
- Professionally and scientifically tested for strength and effectiveness.
- Can be designed and fitted to most sectional doors.
The one disadvantage of the removable wind braces they do require time to install, even if it is a relatively short amount of time. Severe weather can hit suddenly, so every second can count. Still, the wind brace is a huge advantage over no protection at all.
Next Generation C-Rated Roller Doors
The good news is cyclone protection isn’t limited to sectional doors. With our Next Generational C-Rated Roller Doors, you’ll have a roller door that can withstand cyclonic conditions. Some of the features include:
- Additional re-enforcement to strengthen the door
- Lightweight material
- Wider doors and less headroom required
- Easy to install
One of the key features to strengthening your roller door against cyclones is the use of wind locks riveted on the roller door curtain. These are usually found on both sides of every second panel. These are accompanied by a special track designed for wind locks to clip into. By doing this, your door is much less likely to detach from its railing, enhancing its strength against cyclonic winds.
Garage Door Accessories
Your new wind-rated door can come with a wide range of accessories.
Door Openers – No need to get out of the car to open your door.
Powermesh – Take your garage to the next level with Powermesh, allowing your garage door to connect to smart devices.
Safety – Be prepared for emergencies outside of the weather with these safety features.
Want to protect your home against heavy winds but aren’t sure about installing a new garage door yourself?
Steel-Line has branches across Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and many other locations.
If you are looking to buy a new garage door opener or are looking for more information about preparing your door for severe weather, please call us today on 1300 767 900 or contact us here.
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