A hurricane’s force can be brutal. So brutal that it can leave windows seriously shattered, doors destroyed, and roofing torn apart. This puts a lot at stake, considering that these parts of buildings are supposed to offer a solid line of defense. This is especially true for a place like Florida, which is known to experience this natural disaster frequently and sometimes intensely.
While no methods conclusively prevent or even reduce a hurricane’s frequency and intensity, people must prioritize mitigation strategies. Therefore, knowing the importance of investing in hurricane-impact windows and doors is crucial.
Thankfully, this article delves into this subject. By the way, for more information on the frequency and intensity of this natural disaster in Florida, you can see: https://www.wired.com/.
Hurricane Impact Windows – Your Home’s Strongest Defense
As the name implies, these windows are specially designed to withstand a hurricane’s force. The major difference with regular options is the materials used in making them. At least two major features qualify them.
First, dual-pane glass helps them withstand the intensity of a hurricane better. The second, and just as important, is using a strong interlayer. This could be SentryGlas® or PVB (polyvinyl butyral).
Hurricane impact windows come in very handy, especially for places like Florida, where hurricanes are frequent and often very intense. Aside from hurricane impact protection, these windows provide other benefits. Some of the other benefits include:
Enhanced Security
Its robust construction is a major reason it outperforms regular options in this regard. For example, the multiple uses of glass layers further bonded with a strong interlayer make breaking through very difficult.
Its frame strength also makes it more secure, as reinforced frames are usually installed alongside it. Furthermore, breaking through such creates a scene because of the noise involved. This in itself is often enough to deter thieves from attempting to break through.
Energy Protection
They are highly energy-efficient, and the use of such can help significantly reduce certain expenses. Heating and cooling expenses are an example and a very important one, considering how much people typically spend on indoor heating and cooling.
These windows enable this in several ways. For example, because they manufacture them with high-level quality assurance, their seals are tight and prevent air leakage. This contributes to enhanced insulation and reduces HVAC usage.
UV Protection
UV (Ultraviolet) radiation has adverse effect on health and property. This is why it is smart to invest in things that offer protection by absorbing or blocking these rays. Choosing impact windows is, therefore, a smart decision as they provide great protection against UV radiation.
UV radiation is emitted by the sun and can cause various degrees of damage to one’s health. Speaking of its adverse health implications, it can cause:
- Damage Skin Cells – Leading to skin discoloration, premature aging, among other things.
- Render the Immune System less Effective
- Cause DNA Mutations
You can click here for more on the adverse health effects of UV radiation. UV radiation can also damage property, and some of the ways this can happen include:
- Carpet and Upholstery Discoloration
- Wood Deterioration
- Glass and Glazing Damage
- Stone and Concrete Discoloration
- Rubber and Plastic Damage
- Color and Dye Fading
It can even damage fabrics, artwork, and photographs. So, consider impact windows for the sake of protecting lives and properties inside your building.
Noise Reduction
Impact windows should be seriously considered in places where there are noise concerns. They significantly reduce sound transmission, and some of the reasons they can do this include the following:
- Multiple Glass Layers – They do not consist of a single layer but several glass layers. So, sound levels that would usually be transmissible through a single glass layer would have to go through several glass layers.
- Insulation – There are air pockets/gaps between the panes, and they help dampen sound vibrations, which contributes to noise reduction. Manufacturers also equip them with tighter seals for enhanced insulation.
- Glass Properties – Besides consisting of several glass layers, the sorts of glass used have sound-dampening properties. This is the case with both SentryGlas® and PVB (polyvinyl butyral)
Insurance Incentives
Insurers typically provide incentives and better insurance policies to homeowners who make such an investment. They believe that the added protection from impact windows makes the chances of such clients needing liability coverage very slim. So, it can be your path to reducing your insurance premium payment.
Hurricane Impact Doors
These doors have a robust design and are made with stronger materials compared to regular doors. Their design aims to offer the following:
Solid Construction
Its core materials are one of the major ways that it differs from regular doors. While regular options have cores that consist of dense materials such as foam or particleboard, or even hollow cores, hurricane impact doors have strong cores.
This could be solid wood or steel cores, for instance. Their construction is more solid compared to regular doors.
Secure Anchoring
A major goal is ensuring that even during high winds, the door securely fastens to the surrounding structures. This also calls for attachment to a solid surrounding.
Frame Strength
While having a strong door slab is important, the frame’s strength is equally important. This is because a weak frame would prevent even a strong door slab from offering absolute protection against a hurricane’s force. As a result, hurricane impact doors are designed with both strong door slabs and equally strong frames.
Weather Stripping and Sealing
Wind troubles are not the only concern during these storms. People also have to deal with water troubles, which is why hurricane impact doors prevent water and air infiltration because they have advanced seal designs.
By the way, the benefits of hurricane impact doors are more than just offering protection against a hurricane’s devastating effects. It also offers the same benefits as hurricane impact windows, as discussed above.
Conclusion
Windows and doors should not only serve aesthetic purposes, but functional purposes as well. To this end, hurricane impact windows and doors are clearly among the best windows and doors for hurricane-prone areas. This is because they effectively protect against the devastating effects of this natural disaster.
However, one must purchase the right quality and properly install them. Therefore, choose the right company to take care of their purchase, installation, maintenance, and repair.
