South Dade
Hurricane Bracing in Palmetto Bay
Hurricane bracing is horizontal struts on the door you already have. The struts stiffen the sections and add weight, so the balance is checked after they are on. A strut is not a wind rating, and adding struts does not file any building paperwork. Track fasteners and jamb fasteners are a separate question from the struts themselves. The visit is the bars, the weight they add, and whether the door still travels.
Struts on this door
People ask for bracing when they want the existing door stiffer. The struts are horizontal members fastened to the sections you already have. Neighbor braces do not describe the hardware or the headroom on yours. Weight goes up as bars go on, and the springs feel that change. The door should still open and close without the opener straining.
Notes before the bars
See whether struts are already on the door and it still feels normal. Mention a low ceiling or a beam that might meet a strut at the top of the travel. Do not touch the springs, the cables, or the set screws, and do not drill the sections yourself. Photos of the inside of the door show existing bars and the space above the top section. If the door is already heavy or cocked, say so, because bracing will not fix that.
Balance after the added weight
We place the struts the door can accept and then check the balance. Springs that were marginal before the bars may need to be changed so the opener is not the muscle. The door is run through a full travel to see that the struts clear the track and the opener. Jamb and track fasteners are inspected separately, because a strut does not retighten the wall. A door that is twisted or rusted through needs that damage addressed, not only a bar across it.
Struts versus a tested label
A strut stiffens the section it is bolted to and creates no wind label. The label, when a door has one, belongs to a tested assembly, which this add-on is not. We do not file building paperwork, and the visit does not include drawings for the wall. Fasteners at the track and the jamb are their own check when loose. The useful result is a stiffer door that still balances and still clears the opening.
Shade weight and slab bays
Palmetto Bay doors hang in enclosed slab garages on deep shaded lots. Humidity there can rust the bottom of the door, and a strut does not fix that rust. Canal houses keep enclosed garages, not open docks, and bracing is still house-door hardware. Shade does not turn a strut into a rating, and it does not cancel the extra weight. Mention a raised floor if the door is in open air, since that is uncommon here.
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 make my existing garage door wind rated?
Struts stiffen the sections and add weight, so the balance is checked after they are installed. They do not file building paperwork, and they are not the tested assembly a rated door is. A rated door is ordered as that whole assembly, which is a different job from bars on this one.
Will the garage door still open easily after the struts are installed?
The added steel makes the door heavier, and the springs are checked so the opener is not overloaded. If the springs were already tired, they may need to be changed with the bracing. The door is run after the bars are on to confirm it clears and still balances.
Are the track bolts included as part of the bracing visit?
Track fasteners and jamb fasteners are separate from the struts on the sections. A loose jamb bolt is its own repair and is not solved by a bar on the door. Both can be looked at on the same visit when you say the hardware feels loose.
Place reference: Village of Palmetto Bay
Request service
Name the street and whether the door is up, down, or stuck.
- Repairs and replacement parts
- Openers and controls
- New garage doors