How Dallas Weather Affects Your Garage Door
The relatively flat elevation of Dallas, TX reaches no more than 500-800 feet at the highest point. This offers little protection from strong winds and extreme weather.
Why is this a concern?
Because, as most Dallas residents know, the city is characterized by a wide range of temperature extremes that vary throughout the year, as well as significant weather phenomenon.
In fact, Dallas has been ranked as the city with the highest risk in the entire nation for weather hazards according to The New York Times, April 1, 2011 Article “Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster”.
Dallas received this designation because, as the article says, “Dallas has lots of almost everything, but quakes, including hail, wind, drought, and floods”. Over 379 other American metro areas were considered when Dallas won the title of the city with the highest amount of weather hazards. The fact that Dallas beat out over 378 other major cities in the country is noteworthy.
Dallas winters include strong cold fronts that occur about three times a month during the season, and they often are accompanied by unexpected and extreme drops in temperature. According to the National Climatic Data Center, 5 months out of the year (November-March) Dallas experiences temperatures that reach below freezing. Yet for seven months out of the year (April-October) temperatures reach above 90 degrees, and even above 100 degrees for 3-6 weeks. There is little middle ground or adjustment period between the cold months of winter and the blistering hot months of summer.
So does this mean there are no Spring or Fall months? They exist, but very briefly. The most distinguishing features of Spring are excessive rains, violent hailstorms and strong winds. The Dallas area is ranked as one of the Top 10 most hail prone areas in the entire country according to Riskmeter dot com (a website that evaluates risks). Hail storms are known to cause millions of dollars worth of property damage each year in the Dallas area when you combine the damage to vehicles, roofs, landscaping, windows, sunroofs, garage doors, and gutters.
If the extreme temperature swings and the devastating hail storms are not enough to convince you that Dallas is the “King of Weather Hazards”, then also consider the fact that Dallas is located in what is known as “tornado alley”.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, Dallas is Number Three in the list of the Top 10 Most Tornado Prone Cities in the entire United States. Even when the wind does not reach the status of a full tornado, it is still often strong enough to cause serious damage. Therefore, Dallas is also ranked as one of the Top 10 Most Windiest Cities.
It also is noteworthy to mention the high UV index rankings that the city of Dallas experiences. For most years, the months of April-September receive a ranking of “Very High” on the index in Dallas. March and October also receive a ranking of “High” on average for most years. That means that for 8 months out of the year, Dallas experiences above average UV intensity. Why is this important? UV rays damage the cells of all living things, such as people, plants and animals, as well as the molecules of non living things, such as the paint job on our car, house, and garage door, and the stain on our fence and deck.
All of these features combined- the extreme weather temperatures, the sudden weather changes, the hail, wind, and high intensity of UV rays, affect the comfort and safety of the local residents in Dallas. It also affects the homes of the residents, and the choices that homeowners make when selecting materials and products that must stand up against the outside elements. For the purpose of this article, we are considering how the Dallas weather affects your choice in selecting your garage door company and the garage door itself.
It’s no question that Dallas garage doors must endure a lot of stress. They must be strong enough to hold up against brutal hail storms that can and will pummel the surface of your garage door, as well as the garage door hardware. Garage doors in Dallas also need to be durable enough to avoid warping due to severe wind gusts, sudden temperature changes, and UV exposure. Even parts malfunction can occur on low quality parts or improperly installed parts, when subjected to these elements.
Since Dallas was voted as the city with the MOST weather hazards, you need a garage door company with the MOST experience installing garage doors in Dallas, as well as using nothing short of the highest quality parts and materials. At Complete Overhead door, we are the best garage door company in Dallas for all your garage door installation, garage door repair, and garage door maintenance needs.
Special care needs to be taken when choosing a Dallas garage door company, as well as when choosing which garage door to purchase. If you do not order a high quality garage door that can withhold the meteorological punishment of North Texas, you soon will regret it. Likewise, if you use a company that is inexperienced with Dallas weather phenomenon, you may soon find the garage door they installed blown off or broken during the next violent Dallas wind storm. Improperly installed garage doors that come loose during these wind storms can crash down on top of vehicles, or fly into neighbor’s yards, causing injury or property damage.
At Complete Overhead Door, we only use the highest quality garage doors, garage door openers, hardware and parts. These materials have a proven track record of holding up against the toughest Dallas weather. In addition, we have 22 years of experience providing quality garage door installation, garage door opener installation, and garage door repair IN THE DALLAS AREA. As local residents ourselves, we understand the durability that your materials need to have, and the attention to detail that your installation job requires. We are proud of our outstanding reputation for quality, expertise, fair prices, and customer care.
We understand at Complete Overhead Door that you are not a professional Dallas garage door company. That’s why you have called us- to be an expert in your corner, one that is knowledgeable on every sort of brand and is qualified to give you sound and reliable advice. We take this responsibility seriously, and want to be the last garage door company that you ever have to call!
Why take a risk using an overhead door company that appears to be local and experienced, when actually in truth they just opened doors, just expanded here from another area or just relocated to Dallas? They may be use to using materials or installation techniques that were sufficient where they came from, but will simply NOT hold up to Dallas weather, which includes hail storms, powerful wind gusts and strong UV rays.
Will they know to seal your wood carriage house door with a UV coating that will help to prevent the wood from the “Very High” UV ratings in Dallas? If not, you probably will notice the wood fading, peeling or splintering prematurely. If they do not seal the wood with a rock hard sealant, then not only can the sun damage you door, but also it will have less protection during the next hail storm. The wood may even begin to warp if it wasn’t properly sealed.
A less experienced Dallas garage door company may not even offer the option of steel carriage house doors that look like wood, yet are much more durable for the Dallas weather. Many home owners are not aware of this relatively new product yet, and if the garage door company is not knowledgeable enough to offer or suggest it, then how would you know its available?
Likewise, if a less experienced Dallas garage door company uses inferior hardware, rollers, tracks, or other parts, they may not be able to hold up for very long during the sudden shifts in extreme cold and heat that Dallas experiences. You might soon discover your garage door making unusual noises and having trouble opening and closing properly.
It just isn’t worth it. In the end, you will have to call a more experienced and reliable garage door company, such as us at Complete Overhead Door, to re-do the job correctly and with higher quality parts and materials. Save yourself the wasted time, additional expenses and all the headaches by calling us to begin with!
At Complete Overhead Door, you will enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have a trustworthy, professional and well qualified Dallas garage door company with many years of local experience performing garage door installation and garage door repairs. If you want the job done correctly, and done correctly the first time, then a reputable garage door company is the only option.
But don’t call just ANY Dallas garage door company, call the BEST- Call us today at Complete Overhead Door!