| By :
Mark Etinger
There are many ways to protect your home against hurricanes (besides just moving inland). There’s hurricane shutters, which provide significant protection but require a great deal of manual labor. There’s also window film, which claims to be impact resistant as well as provide solar and UV protection. However, films don’t provide a secure hold between the window and the frame, often allowing the window itself to fly out of the wall. There’s also hurricane windows. Hurricane windows, or hurricane impact resistant windows, provide continuous protection from wind borne debris. First developed in response to Hurricane Andrew in August of 1992, hurricane windows can be put into place during construction or installed later as a key tenant improvement. Hurricane windows provide an advantage over shutters or plywood, in that they don’t need to be put up or cut…. just installed once for continuous protection! Hurricane windows are intentionally designed to be structurally part of the building. This makes it much more unlikely that wind will get behind the window and pull it out (A common problem with shutters and window film). Most of the damage that occurs to buildings during a hurricane is through broken windows, as flying debris breaks the glass, allowing high pressure air into the home. Often these strong winds blow out the homes remaining windows, and sometimes even blow the roof right off the house. Ever see a video of a home in a hurricane, the roof peeling off like the skin of an orange? It’s not the wind pulling at the roof; it’s the wind rushing through the house and literally pushing it off the top of the home. By protecting your windows, not only are you protecting the inside of your house, you could literally be keeping your roof over your head. Most hurricane windows provide some security to your home as well. After all, if a hurricane can’t break into something, it usually means the average burglar can’t either. While obviously the main focus of hurricane windows is to protect yourself and your home from high-powered winds, (hence the name “Hurricane Windows,” not “burglar Windows.”) it doesn’t hurt to know your hurricane windows will protect you from other things too. Proper installation is a major component. The best hurricane windows in the world won’t make a lick of difference if they’re installed incorrectly, allowing wind to leak into your home. (In other words, there’s no point in having the window, if you’re going to leave it OPEN!) The method of installation varies, depending on the type of window, as well as the materials the home is built out of. More often than not, your warranty becomes void if an inexperienced person installs them, and often professional installation is required. In most cases, hurricane windows are more expensive than other types of window protection, such as shutters or film. However, after installing these kinds of windows, you should be able to expect some sort of discount from your insurance company, which will no doubt assist with the costs. It’s also important to remember that it’s your property and your life, and often times spending the extra cash pays off in the long-term.
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