Hurricane Ready? (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

So I'm reading the newspaper today and I see this ad for Hurricane Window Tint. According to the ad, it will: add strength & protection; eliminate window boarding; and lower energy costs.

Now I can buy the last point and maybe even a little of the first point, but eliminate window boarding? Is this crazy?

Speaking of window boarding, I'm new to the Jacksonville area and I know hurricanes don't often hit here directly, but how do homeowners usually attach plywood panels to their houses. If I chose to do this, it would be nice to be able to do so without leaving big holes in the house after removing the plywood.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Hurricane window tint? Now why do I think that is overpriced?

I think I know what this stuff is - a little. An ad on TV showed a man attacking a window with a baseball bat.
Final score Man - 0 Window - 1.

I'd try and find out what the prices are without the "added" hurrican protection.

Glenn

 

[AjayM]

It works...up to a point. But keep in mind that a man beating on a window with a baseball bat doesn't exert as much force on the window as say an 8ft 2x4 flying along at 150mph. Boarding a window offers an extra layer of protection, plus even with the coating the window will still "break" but the tint film will hold it together.

There are a couple of ways to put up boarding, run down to home depot and look for PLyLox clips or "plywood sheathing clips" (check out http://www.plylox.com/ for an idea of what they are). Depending on your home, you can drill some holes in the side of the house, install some anchors/bolts and go that direction as well (this would be a bit stronger than clips above).

Andrew

 

[Johnny Angell]

Andrew, thanks for mentioning the plyloc clips. I will definitely check them out.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Yeah, I got to thinking about those windows later.

The windows just don't break into pieces, so a flying 2 x 4 probably wouldn't get through, but you'd have to replace the window when it was all over anyway. Now, if these windows were priced the same as plywood sheets, I could see it. They would stop some burglars too, but that's another story.

Glenn

 

[AjayM]

The flying 2x4 will go right through that window if the storm is strong enough;

These are pictures from Hurricane Andrew;
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gifs/1992andrew8.gif
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gifs/1992andrew6.gif

If you have a 10lb piece of 2x4 flying along at 100+ mph it's going to do a huge amount of damage to whatever it hits. A simple piece of plywood over a window isn't going to do a whole lot better, but the window behind it may stay intact.

Andrew

 

[John Alvarez]

The point of the ply wood is to also keep other crap and rain from flying in even if it did break. But I guarantee if you use a 3/4" piece of plywood it willstop a lot.

 

[AjayM]

That's true and obviously important, but the #1 point of putting "shutters" up is to keep the wind out of the house. Because if the wind get's into the house the chances of the roof coming off are exponentially higher (from the increased pressure coming from in the house), even in a "moderate" sized hurricane (IIRC Florida regs only state the roof has to stay on up to 120mph winds). It's also why a well designed and properly installed steel shutter is still the best option.

Andrew

 

[John Alvarez]

I want to get the steel shutters for my house but I'm worried about the anchor bolt holes not looking good when not in use. I have stucco over wood and don't want to screw up the stucco either.

Any body have experience with these? I like their easy storage rather than huge sheets of plywood.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I'd be interested in info on steel shutters too. I've got a brick exterior, so maybe the bolts wouldn't look so bad on my house.

 

[AjayM]

Most people will put the bolts back into the house after the shutters are down and paint over them. You notice them when you're up close to them, but I wouldn't say they look bad from a street level distance.

Andrew