South Dade
Hurricane Bracing in West Kendall
Hurricane bracing here means horizontal struts added to the existing door to stiffen the sections. The struts add weight, so the balance is checked and the springs are corrected when the door becomes heavy. People ask after a storm season, or when a door feels floppy in the wind and they want it stiffer. A strut is not a wind rating, and it does not file any building paperwork.
What the struts do to the door
A strut is a horizontal brace across a section, and it reduces the way that section bows. It does not replace the track, the springs, or the way the door is fastened at the jamb. The added metal increases the weight the springs and the opener have to move on every trip. A door that was balanced before the struts can feel heavy afterward.
What to leave off the face until the visit
Do not drill the sections or hang a board across them as a temporary brace. A hole in the wrong place lands on a hinge rail or a roller carrier and weakens the skin. Springs and set screws stay untouched while you decide whether you want struts. Note how many sections look floppy, and whether the door already feels heavy with the opener disconnected.
Stiffen, then check the balance
The visit fits the struts the door can accept and then checks balance with the opener disconnected. Springs are adjusted or replaced when the door no longer stays put under the new weight. The opener is tried after that, because a heavier door can make a tired motor strain. Track bolts and jamb fasteners are inspected separately and tightened or replaced only when they are loose or pulled.
Struts, track, and the jamb
The strut screws to the section and stiffens that panel in the middle of the span. The track and the brackets at the jamb are what keep the whole door in the opening, and they are specified on their own. Wind rating, when that is the real request, is a tested door and track assembly rather than a brace added to an ordinary face. The number of struts follows the width and the condition of the sections on this door.
Wide sections in the afternoon heat
Newer two-car tract slabs have wide sections that bow more than a narrow door, which is why a strut is sometimes asked for. A west-facing roof heats those wide faces, and high daily cycles then lift the extra strut weight many times a day. Balance matters more on a busy door than on one that opens twice. An occasional gate does not brace the sections or change the spring math.
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 the garage door wind rated?
A strut stiffens a section and adds weight, and the balance has to be checked afterward. Track and jamb fasteners are looked at separately from that brace. The rating question is a different order from adding struts to the door you have.
Why does the door feel heavy after struts are added?
The metal adds weight the springs may not have been carrying. The door is balanced again, and the springs are corrected if it will not stay put. The opener is only judged after that balance is right.
Are the track bolts part of the strut job?
Track and jamb fasteners are separate. A strut on the section does not tighten or upgrade those anchors. Loose track hardware is corrected on its own if the inspection shows it has pulled.
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Name the street and whether the door is up, down, or stuck.
- Repairs and replacement parts
- Openers and controls
- New garage doors