Impact-Rated Windows and Hurricane Season: What you Need to Know

Hurricane season is just around the corner: do you know how impact-resistant your glass is? Impact-rated windows are a critical component of home safety during big storms, like the ones we see in Pensacola. They can protect your family from flying debris, and help your home hold up better to high winds and severe weather.

Here’s what you need to know.

What are Impact-Resistant Windows?

Think of what happens when a hard object hits traditional glass: it shatters, spewing tiny shards of glass all over the surrounding surfaces. Impact-resistant glass, however, behaves a bit differently. Here’s a breakdown:

• • New windows with double-paned insulated glass have a traditional piece of glass on the outside layer of the glass. This layer helps slow down the projectile.

  • These windows also have impact-resistant glass on the inside of the unit. The impact-resistant glass is two pieces of traditional glass with an inner layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) added to it.

  • The glass is also referred to as laminated glass.

While impact-rated windows with laminated glass will still crack if they come into contact with a flying object, they will remain attached to the inner membrane of the laminated glass, instead of shattering all over your home. Think of a windshield that’s been through a car accident – it may break, but it breaks in a spider-web pattern rather than a dramatic shatter pattern. That’s impact-resistant glass at work.

Impact-rated windows minimize the possibility of the glass in your windows being penetrated by flying objects. They also help protect your home from the destruction caused by hurricane conditions.

 Is Window Replacement Necessary?

If you don’t have hurricane windows in your home, do you need a full window replacement? That’s a great question, and it’s one our customers ask all the time.

Today, you do have the option of covering the exterior of the windows with metal panels or fabric. Unfortunately, these hurricane protection products can be difficult to install (especially on multi-story homes). They also feel claustrophobic when installed, and they require storage facilities and unsightly anchors on the exterior of your home. They also do not provide security for your home when they are not installed.

If you want the highest level of protection, you’ll need to invest in a comprehensive window replacement. Fortunately, this is a relatively quick process that will improve the value, safety, and security of your home.

When Should you Install Your Hurricane Windows?

Hurricane season is coming up quickly (it officially begins on June 1st), and there’s no time to delay. Protect your family, home, and valuables from hurricane-force winds, water, and flying debris with impact-resistant windows. If you’re looking for ways to improve your home safety, contact Lee’s Glass & Window Works.

Our team not only installs impact-rated windows, but the manufacturers we work with specialize in and are required to test the impact-rated windows for their suitability in your home. We install only ASTM International-certified or Miami-Dade Certified impact-rated windows, which have made it through the so-called “2×4” test.