Why Your Garage Door Needs Reinforcement Struts

If you possess a double garage door in your home garage, you probably have a steel bar on the garage door’s inside. This bar supports your garage door when you open it. It also serves to reinforce the door and protects against high winds.

Experts in garage installation in Bakersfield call these steel bars reinforcement struts. While reinforcement struts act as an important part of your home garage, they can also become dangerous if your children decide to climb atop them while your garage door is moving.

What Exactly Are Reinforcement Struts?

Reinforcement struts get screwed into place with hinges or get held into place with clips. Homeowners with a double garage door may need to get reinforcement struts installed to maintain their garage door’s weight when open. They can also use reinforcement struts to keep the door from bowing under pressure. Some lighter garage doors might become more prone to bending. If the garage door doesn’t have polyurethane or polystyrene insulation, they could also become prone to bowing. Experts say that you should get three reinforcement struts onto your garage door. You might need four if you have windows in the upper part of your double door.

Government Regulations for Reinforcement Struts

If you reside in an area that has high winds, you will need to deal with standards for installing reinforcement struts to strengthen your garage door and protect your residence against the winds. You should not install reinforcement struts yourself as the number of struts you need will differ according to your situation. Your door might have also gotten calibrated to counterbalance a specific weight. If you change your door’s weight by putting in reinforcement struts without getting your garage door recalibrated, you could risk your family’s safety.

If Strong Winds Are on the Horizon

If you have to deal with high winds but don’t have reinforcement struts installed yet, follow these guidelines to keep your family safe:

First, don’t park your vehicle too close to your garage door. The pressure from the winds could pull off your garage door. This stress could cause a lot of damage to your car.

Second, don’t leave your garage door open when winds are coming. The wind will try to find any way to get into your garage. If your door gets left open, the winds can damage your garage. The storm winds can even make their way into your residence.