sgd570_beauty_shot_0

If your home's windows have ever blown out, broken or shattered in a storm or hurricane, you know how much damage it can cause to your house. You may be motivated to put in stronger windows, and a good choice would be impact windows. Here's why.

What Is A Hurricane Impact Window?

To introduce hurricane impact windows, they are windows made with layers of ultra-strong laminated glass. The glass panes are designed specifically to prevent shattering shards of glass during extreme weather events.

Hurricane impact windows are sized and custom manufactured to fit the existing window openings in your home or workplace.

Impact windows can be used to replace basic glass in spaces as large as storefront windows. Also, as small as the glass sections in residential doors or for any window size in between.

Impact window glass undergoes rigorous testing to ensure hurricane-proof strength. During product testing, the glass is pitted against the force of a five-pound steel ball dropped from a height of 40 feet. In addition, a 16-pound bowling ball dropping from 10 feet.

Impact windows from Wind Safe Shutters surpass the maximum test standards of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., a nonprofit safety testing group.

The Windows Resist Strong Wind And Impacts

Impact windows are rated to stand up to hurricane-force winds and flying debris that impacts the glass. If you don't have to worry about glass flying and/or rain water into your home and wind rushing in to raise the roof or cause other damage, your home will be much safer in a hurricane.

Flying glass is just one problem with strong winds. If the wind and rain blow in your house, it can do a lot of damage, especially tropical storm or hurricane winds. Winds can destroy your belongings and even damage the structure of your house.

Driving rain is also an issue. Since rain can last a long time during a storm event, a lot of water could be driven inside your house, and that could lead to mold and water damage.

Impact Windows Are Hard To Break Through

The reason impact windows stay in the frame when they are struck is because of a tough membrane that's applied between two panes of glass. The glass is still vulnerable to cracking, but the glass won't fall out of the frame. Instead, the glass adheres to the tough film, so it stays in place. This allows the windows to stay strong when impacted by flying debris or by an intruder trying to smash their way inside your house.

Constructed from a sturdier form of glass than traditional windows, hurricane impact windows can withstand intense storm forces. For instance, strong winds, intense rains, and large pieces of flying debris meeting or exceeding hurricane standards.

If you evacuate before a hurricane, you may worry the whole time you're gone if intruders are trying to break in. In another case, if your home is open and exposed because the windows failed. With impact windows, you'll have this extra layer of home security all year long, and not just during hurricane season when you get new impact windows put in.

Enhanced Energy Efficiency

Advanced sealing technology allows for greater thermal control and energy efficiency, UV light filtering. Our hurricane windows are constructed with Low-E glass, (Low Emissivity) delivering UV protection by filtering out 99% of harmful UV rays.

You will also find that especially during our summer months. The heat reduction will allow your air conditioning system to be less strained. This often results in more cost savings on your monthly utilities.

Impact Windows Help With Energy Savings

Because of the way the windows are made and installed so they are very secure in the walls, impact windows are very energy efficient. The two panes of glass and the membrane between them cut down on the amount of heat loss or gain your home gets in different seasons. The windows not only protect you and your home, but they can also even save on your energy bills. This is the case especially if the windows you have now are old, drafty, and only have a single pane of glass.

Talk to Wind Safe Shutters about the pros and cons of impact windows and the best impact windows to buy for your region of the country. These windows can give you peace of mind when a bad storm approaches whether you're at home during the storm or away.

At Wind Safe Shutters, we provide timely and professional hurricane impact window and door installation for Florida Gulf residents, serving these regions:

To learn more about hurricane impact windows and other storm defense solutions, contact Wind Safe Shutters to arrange an in-home estimate.