Royal Garage Door Provides Clopay WindCode Garage Doors
The Royal Garage Door team is proud to be a Clopay garage door provider. On top of Clopay being America’s favorite garage doors and the only garage doors to hold the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, Clopay has created WindCode standards that allow their doors to withstand extreme wind speeds and built-up internal pressure.
It used to be only Florida building codes required reinforcements related to wind speeds and pressure due to their hurricanes and high winds, but now even the Kansas City area has building codes requiring garage doors to withstand 90 mph winds. In August of 1992, Hurricane Andrew blasted through southern Florida and initiated a push to change building codes. According to a report issued by FEMA on building performance during Hurricane Andrew, the failure of garage doors caused significant damage to homes and buildings. The report indicated garage door failure lead to the buildup of internal pressure inside the garage and home. These internal pressure combined with suction pressure on the exterior walls resulted in a complete or partial blow out of walls and roofs.
Clopay’s WindCode garage doors are built to withstand high winds and meet the building codes designed to prevent the damage done to homes seen in Hurricane Andrew. Clopay WindCode garage doors receive a “W” rating related to the region’s building code requirement. W1 codes are required for areas like Kansas City while W8 codes are required for areas that experience hurricanes, like Florida. Although many garage door companies supply doors for wind load areas, Clopay has the advantage of a built-in reinforcement system.
What makes Clopay’s WindCode garage doors better than other brands wind systems requires an understanding of “storm ready” (Clopay) vs. “add-on” (other brands) reinforcement. With the “add-on” system, a homeowner must install long posts into the floor and ceiling and attach them to the garage door to reinforce the garage door before the storm hits, and then remove them again afterwards to resume normal operation. Clopay makes it simple, just close and lock your door. Clopay’s WindCode products include standard garage door features as well as steel reinforcement struts and C-Channels to strengthen structural integrity. Heavy-duty commercial grade track provides additional strength and durability. Heavy duty springs are used to insure maximum performance. Finally, heavy duty commercial steel rollers are used and designed to withstand more intense wind pressures. All of these features make Clopay WindCode garage doors storm ready!
To ensure maximum protection for your home and quality of product, Clopay emphasizes testing! At Clopay’s technical center they have developed tests simulating the pressures found with high wind speeds to make sure their doors meet or exceed building code requirements. Clopay builds their doors to withstand extreme weather conditions and they test them continuously to prove it. Clopay leads the industry in WindCode product development and testing, which makes them the market leader. For those who also love windows in their garage doors, Clopay also offers WindCode Impact Resistant Windows up to a W6 building code standard! The windows include smooth, structurally enhanced window frames with strong, durable, UV resistant, clear LEXAN glazing. (Picture below display’s window options)
Due to the complexity of installing WindCode garage doors, meeting codes, and pulling permits, Clopay highly recommends professional installation! Eric and Gary can help you determine which garage door is best for your home. The steps suggested by Clopay are to:
- Determine the minimum wind speed your door must meet or exceed (Kansas City is 90mph, W1) (Picture below)
- Determine if your home is in an Exposure B or Exposure C region
- Exposure B is a typical urban or suburban setting, or wooded terrain
- Exposure C is an open terrain with scattered obstructions, flat open ground, grasslands, or shorelines in hurricane-prone regions.
- Determine the structure type of your home (One or two story)
Being in the Kansas City area, we have a high likelihood of experiencing intense winds and pressure changes associated with spring storms. The Royal Garage Door team loves living in Tornado Alley, but it sometimes has its downfalls that requires special precautions. Call Eric at 816-509-2780 or Gary at 913-438-7305 to get an evaluation of your door and how it will withstand this year’s storms!
Clopay Website, WindCode Video, and WindCode Brochure available at http://www.clopaydoor.com/wind-code-about.aspx
