Lower Keys
Hurricane Bracing in Key West
Hurricane bracing here means horizontal struts added to the door you already have. They stiffen the sections and they add weight, so the balance is checked after they are on. A horizontal strut is not a wind rating for the existing door. Building paperwork is outside this visit, and track and jamb fasteners are a separate question. Springs are confirmed for the new weight so the opener is not left to lift the difference.
Struts that stiffen and add weight
The request is for steel bars across the sections to reduce flex when a strong wind hits the door. Each added strut puts weight on the springs, and they must carry that weight on every cycle after. People sometimes expect the strut alone to stand in for a door that was tested as an assembly. The door, the track, and the anchors that hold them are still the rest of the picture.
What to note before struts are ordered
Count the sections and note the clear width, because strut length has to follow the door you have. Say whether the opener already strains on the way up, which hints the springs are near their limit. Never touch the springs or the set screws while you are measuring across a section from the floor. A photo of the inside of the door, taken square in daylight, shows where those struts can sit.
Balance after the weight goes on
Struts are placed across the sections, and the door is weighed again once that added steel is on. Springs are adjusted or replaced when the door no longer stays put after the trolley is released. The opener is checked only after the springs can carry the new weight on their very own. Track bolts and the jamb fasteners are inspected quite separately, because a strut does not tighten either of them.
Strut versus a tested assembly
A tested wind assembly includes the door, the track, the struts, and the anchors named with that label. Adding struts to an older door is only a stiffening repair on the door you already have. If a rating is the real goal, the opening is measured for a tested build instead of these bars. Paperwork for the building stays with the property and is not produced by simply hanging the struts.
Struts on cottages and open bays
Cottages on narrow lanes often have doors that flex, and a strut still has to fit under the beam. Salt air on steel hardware includes the new strut, the hinges, and the fasteners that hold it. Raised houses with cars at grade leave those struts in the weather rather than in a closed bay. Low headroom under a beam can block a top strut, and storms or power cuts do not put one on.
Request this visit.
Call (645) 256-1794 about this door.
We answer any hour Sunday through Friday.
Saturday stays closed.
Keys Door Co is family-owned, local, and insured.
We have worked this coast for over ten years.
Common questions
Do horizontal struts turn an existing garage door into a wind-rated door?
Struts stiffen the sections and add real weight the springs must carry. A rating belongs to a tested assembly, which this add-on is not. If that rating is the goal, the opening is measured for the assembly that carries it.
Why does the door need a balance check after struts are added?
The extra steel changes the weight the springs were originally chosen for. A door that will not stay up with the trolley released needs that balance corrected. The opener is not asked to make up for springs that are now too light.
Are the track and jamb fasteners part of the work of adding struts?
Struts mount on the sections, and the track and jamb fasteners are looked at separately. A loose jamb bolt is its own repair and is not fixed by a strut across the middle. Both can be handled on the same visit when you say the track is pulling out.
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Name the street and whether the door is up, down, or stuck.
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- Openers and controls
- New garage doors