There are many attractive benefits to living in The Sunshine State. There is a good standard of living, enough sun rays, and a seemingly endless variety of outdoor and cultural activities. But, everything comes at a cost. The price we pay for our exceptional standard of living in Florida is hurricanes. Your little piece of paradise can be wiped off the map in one day if you are not prepared. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your home from one of nature’s most destructive forces. Installing Impact Rated Replacement Windows can help protect your home from hurricanes.
Switching to options accessible for Home Owners here
There are three standard window protection systems available to the homeowner during hurricane season, and boarding up these windows is a common occurrence every storm season. However, it is not expensive but is unreliable, a big job and does not provide any insurance discounts.
Several types of storm shutters are available. They are reasonably priced and effective. However, they are an eyesore most of the year and must be maintained if they work well when needed. Also, they do not provide any real protection against break-ins.
The most effective protection is Florida Replacement Windows. Such windows are undoubtedly a larger investment. However, they provide nearly foolproof protection. Modern Impact Rated Replacement Windows are virtually indistinguishable from regular windows, are always ready to go when the storm comes, and require no maintenance to do their job.
What Makes an Impact Rated Window Safer Than Other Windows?
Impact Rated Windows are designed, built, and tested to withstand wind gusts up to 200 miles per hour. The frames are constructed of steel, aluminium, or wood. The frames and attachment of glass to the frame are tested to ensure structural integrity. A Cyclical Pressure Test certifies that the window structure can withstand 4500 negative pressure and 4500 positive pressure cycles. The glass in such windows is resistant to flying debris traveling at a velocity of up to 100 feet per second. Certified windows are tested per the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) code E1886 to ensure they can withstand the forces generated by hurricane-force winds. Florida Building Codes TAS 201 (Large and Small Missle Test), TAS 202 (Uniform Structural Load Standard), and TAS 203 (Uniform Cyclic Pressure Standard) specify even more rigid testing requirements for some counties.
What Is Different About the Glass In an Impact Rated Window?
The glass in an Impact Resistant Window is a near relative of automotive windshield glass. It consists of two layers of tempered glass with a shatterproof plastic layer sandwiched in between. Ordinary window glass, when broken, shatters into dangerous shards. Tempered glass, found in many high-quality windows, will shatter when broken. The pieces will be of a small, pebble-like consistency. Laminated Impact Resistant Glass will shatter like tempered glass, but the tough plastic layer will hold the pebbles in place. Impact-resistant panes usually use thicker material for added strength.
How Do Replacement Impact Resistant Windows Protect My Home From a Hurricane?
Standard glass in windows and doors are the weakest link in the protective envelope of a house. Years of testing have illustrated that window and door openings enable wind, rain, and debris into the building once broken. These are the primary cause of damage. If the structure’s envelope has been compromised, the 200 miles an hour wind that the impact-resistant replacement window is tested to withstand is now entering the structure. The pressure created by such a wind gust pushing into a house can blow the house apart. In the opposite case, the wind blowing across or away from the opening can create a vacuum that can virtually collapse the building. Windows that can withstand such wind and projectiles created by a hurricane can prevent such damage.
In the end, it is the homeowner’s call to make. They can take chances with plywood, hope the shutters will close adequately or don’t worry about the windows when the next hurricane comes to town. Replacement Impact Resistant Windows are designed, built, and tested to be the best, last defence when nature turns violent. Those of us lucky enough to live in this paradise know the cost. Don’t let that cost include your home.