How To Protect Windows During A Hurricane

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Due to climate modify, the severity of hurricanes is worsening in many parts of the earth.^[1] If you alive along a coastline, information technology is reasonable for y'all to be concerned about your windows. Consider a cheap DIY fix like hurricane film or plywood covers. Installing metal, plastic, or fabric over your windows, or replacing them with high-touch on glass, will protect your windows and qualify you for lower homeowner'south insurance premiums at the same fourth dimension.

i
Build plywood covers for your windows. Plywood is a cheap and popular pick for covering windows. Pick plywood sheets that are at to the lowest degree ⁵⁄₈ inch (ane.6 cm) thick. Measure the perimeter of all your windows. Cut the plywood and so that it extends 8 inches (20 cm) past the window in every direction. Install the plywood covers before a storm with bolts, screws, window clips, or butt bolts every 12 inches (30 cm).^[ii]
- Attaching plywood to the window frame volition help prevent flight droppings or pressure level changes from breaking the glass.^[iii]
- When installing plywood, go someone else to help you lift the heavy panels.
- Plywood is not up to code in many areas, and is unlikely to lower your insurance premiums.
2
Embrace your window glass with hurricane pic. Hurricane film is an affordable transparent plastic that you can leave in place year-round. Measure the perimeter of your windowpanes and buy enough film to cover each windowpane entirely. Peel the film off its backing and stick it slowly to your windowpanes.^[4]
- Hurricane movie does non prevent your window frame from blowing off, and might not fifty-fifty protect your window from breaking. However, it will protect you from glass shards, and will keep the current of air out of your house.
- Homeowner'south insurance premiums are non usually lowered for hurricane film.
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three

Go along your windows closed during a tempest. Exercise not open your windows during a storm. Some people say this will lower the force per unit area in your house, only you actually want to keep the pressure from the hurricane out of your dwelling house.^[5]
four

Do not put duct tape over your windows. There is lots of misinformation about hurricane safe, and one persistent myth is that putting tape in an X or a grid over a window provides reinforcement. This is untrue! Duct record will not provide protection from a hurricane.^[6]

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1
Order metal or plastic tempest shutters. Storm shutters, or panels, come in aluminum, steel, or reinforced plastic.^[7] Plastic is more expensive, merely will too allow in calorie-free, then yous won't be left in darkness if a hurricane blows out the lights. Depending on the kind of shutters you purchase, you may need panels the same size equally your window, or panels that are several inches larger on every side.^[8]
- All hurricane shutters have a width of 15.25 inches (38.vii cm).
- Lodge shutters, H tracks, and F tracks from your local home construction store or from a metals or plastics distributor.
- If you lot are bolting your windows instead of installing tracks, you will non demand to buy H or F tracks.
- Purchasing shutters will usually lower your homeowner's insurance premium.
- Plastic volition run you well-nigh $18 sq. ft, while metallic will autumn around $xi sq. ft.
two
Install your tempest shutters or rent a professional person to install them. If yous're doing it yourself, measure the window height and the shutter height. Decrease the window height from the panel height, so divide the result by 2. Commodities the H rail that number of inches or centimeters above the window opening. And then install the F track the full length of the console below the H rails.^[nine]
- For instance, if your panels are 6 inches (fifteen cm) taller than your windows, install the H track iii inches (vii.six cm) higher up the window.
- Slide the shutters into the H track. Attach the lesser section of the shutters to the F track with bolts.
- As well the instructions, the bolts, and the wing basics included with your buy, y'all will demand a screwdriver.
3
Consider investing in fabric storm panels. Fabric storm panels are more than expensive than metal and plastic panels, simply they come with some advantages. Once they are mounted, they are very piece of cake and quick to put up, meaning it won't accept you long subsequently a tempest alert to protect your windows. They're also lightweight, and so yous can put them up yourself, and they fold up for storage.^[ten]
- Find a dealer online or at a abode comeback retailer near yous.
- In most cases, your dealer volition install the fabric panels for you. If not, follow the included instructions for installation.
- Fabric panels are merely equally effective equally metal or plastic shutters, and will besides qualify you for savings on insurance.
- PVC fabric runs around $12 sq. ft, whereas Kevlar will cost y'all nearly double that.
iv
Replace your windows with high-bear upon glass. Touch on-resistant glass is two-paned drinking glass with a protective layer in between them.^[eleven] They cost more than regular windows, but it will protect your domicile during a hurricane. Information technology may besides assistance lower your heating and air-conditioning bills.^[12]
- Purchasing high-bear on glass will likely lower your insurance premium.
- Hire a professional to give you all-new windows.
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How do you protect windows during a hurricane?

Steve Linton is the President of Deltec Homes, a custom dwelling house building company in Asheville, North Carolina. With nearly 20 years of experience, he oversees all home building projects for Deltec Homes. He specializes in hurricane-resistant homes, green habitation blueprint, and sustainable building. Steve holds a BS in Structural Engineering from Cornell Academy and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

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There are actually three approaches you can take. The start is to attach plywood to the window frame. That will assistance keep debris from breaking the glass and changing the pressure in your dwelling house. You can as well have touch-resistant windows installed—these are fabricated from 2 sheets of glass with a protective layer between them. The third is to install a storm shutter that you tin put on the window earlier a hurricane comes.

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Do non use duct tape or other household materials to protect your windows. They will non assistance.
Keep windows closed during a storm.
Keep your altitude from windows during a storm, fifty-fifty if you lot have protections in place.
Ever evacuate if y'all are in an evacuation zone, even if your firm is well-protected.

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