9 Benefits of Hurricane Replacement Windows

Is it time to consider hurricane replacement windows? It is that time of year you know.

In the throes of a hurricane, your house is at its most vulnerable state.  While the wind does it’s best to rip your roof away, rafters and all, it whips the rain into tiny pellets of force. Not to mention the billions of projectiles that slam against your home from all sides.

Are you as ready for it as you can be?

Pros beat cons, hands down

Truth be told, it’s hard to think of any cons for this debate at all. Seriously, when considering the safety feature alone, there is no reasonable explanation not to get hurricane replacement windows installed as soon as possible.

We’ll just proceed with the pros because hurricane resistant windows have many benefits.

Continuous protection

We all know that just because they say a hurricane is heading our way, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll get hit with one. Mother nature is a fickle character. Dragging out and hanging the shutters can be a pain. Sometimes, we let things slide. Hurricane resistant windows always stand at the ready.

Energy efficiency

Summer in Florida is hard on the utility bill. There are no two ways around that statement. Hurricane replacement windows rate for energy efficiency. The reinforced glass serves as a barrier that keeps the inside air in and outside air out.

Shatter-proof

These windows aren’t just built to keep out debris hurled at your home in the midst of a ferocious storm. Intruders will think twice when coming in contact with a window that won’t come apart.

UV protection

Impact-resistant windows and doors also provide excellent protection from ultraviolet light. The sun is a glorious thing! However, it’s a destroyer in its own right. We, Floridians, do all we can to avoid the damage it can do, both to our bodies and our homes!

Noise reduction

Whether it’s a steady stream of traffic or the kids next door, outside noises can interfere with what we are doing inside. Hurricane resistant replacement windows work great to reduce the outside noise that makes its way inside your home. Therefore, you will be able to concentrate better, relax without interference, or take that mid-day nap undisturbed.

Insurance premium discounts

Check with your insurance provider. Many insurance companies offer premium reductions when hurricane resistant windows are installed in the home. The main reason being the continuous protection that they provide. They’re on to us, gang. It’s a gamble whether or not protective shutters will make it out of storage.

Lighting things up

As if it’s not scary enough sitting huddled together in the house while the winds howl outside! Hurricane shutters make it impossible to see outside. Moreover, that isn’t the only drawback.

It often finds us sitting in the dark, as well. Power outages are the norm during a hurricane. If you have hurricane resistant windows installed there is no need for shutters. Outside light, what there is of it anyway, will make the experience a bit less intimidating.

Can’t get around it

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992, the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) adopted new guidelines regarding windows in new construction. Consequently, as of 2001, building a new home in Florida and a few other at-risk areas requires installing hurricane resistant windows or shutters.

In the same fashion, people living in older homes benefit from installing them, too.

To be gauged as a hurricane resistant window, it must meet stringent impact requirements for both large and small missiles. Not of the explosive kind, but once air enters your home through a shattered window, the effect is the same regardless.

Large missile test

The large missile test involves a 9 pound, 6 foot long 2×4. It is hurled at the window with a force strong enough to project it 50 feet per second. To pass, not only must the window remain intact. The window glazing and framing must remain undisturbed as well.

Small missile test

Conducting the test consists of hurling 30 pieces of gravel or steel ball bearings at the window with a force to cover 80 feet per second! The window, framing, and glazing must remain intact to pass the test.

Pressure all around

When you install hurricane replacement windows in your home, the danger of flying glass decreases dramatically. However, that isn’t the most beneficial safety factor.

Broken windows allow air from the outside to get into your home en masse. Once in, it immediately starts looking for a way out! Rushing to the peak of your home, it pushes with all it’s might to escape again. All the while, the winds continue to beat relentlessly against your home from the outside. These forces often combine with catastrophic results!

Ripping your roof off with such force, it appears that your home exploded.

Still standing on the other side

Images of hurricane destruction easily come to mind when you live in areas affected by them. Devastation stretches for miles in the aftermath of Category 4 and 5 storms. Even smaller storms wreak havoc of their own, though.

As providers, we want to do all we can to ensure a safe environment in which our family can weather the storm. Installing hurricane replacement windows can bring you peace of mind. You know without a doubt that those windows are going to stay put.

Guaranteed.

Take an ounce of prevention

There’s a lot to that old saying. Prevention speaks volumes in regard to being ready for the hurricane season around here.

We don’t know if this season is going to be chock full of hurricanes or if they will never make landfall. (Of course, we will hope for the latter!) Either way, though, making the effort now to reinforce the strength of your home is a wise decision. Hurricane replacement windows provide benefits for you and yours for years to come.

Weigh it over a bit. Then, make the call to beef up your home to stand battle against the elements.

You will not regret it.