The Impact of Hurricane Impact Windows – part 2 of 2

(for the first half of this post, see The Impact of Hurricane Impact Windows – part 1)

INSTALLATION
For the window to withstand hurricane conditions, something similar to the 9,000 cycles of positive and negative air pressure they undergo in impact testing, the installation is every bit as important as the quality of the window.  Dave Olmstead, spokesman for PGT Industries in Venice, Florida, agrees that no matter how strong a window is the attachment to the building structure is critical. Olmstead says a window that is 53-inches by 76-inches would have 28 square feet of exposure, and with a wind speed of 146 mph from a category 4 hurricane would result in a load on the window equivalent to 1,958 pounds of pressure. For the window to perform correctly, the load has to be transferred to the building itself, which is done by using suitable anchors to transfer the load from the window or door frame to the rough opening without causing failure. Therefore, the installer needs to be knowledgeable in how to use this system and its different anchoring mechanisms.

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The Impact of Hurricane Impact Windows – part 1 of 2

1992 was the year that changed everything. That was the year Hurricane Andrew blew through South Florida and wreaked havoc to the tune of $25 billion. Building officials blamed much of the destruction on wind pressure leaking in through broken windows and doors, causing roofs to blow off and walls to collapse. To reduce the potential of future damage resulting from big blows, the code was changed to fortify buildings against wind penetration, thus the advent of impact resistant window.

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