How to Upgrade Your Hurricane Windows
If you live in an area of the county where hurricanes are a regular occurrence, you need to take measures to protect your house. The high speed winds can hurl debris at your home with massive amounts of force, so you need to make certain structural changes to a home in order to make sure that it can weather the storm. The windows are a key weak point to reinforce, because if they give way, your home will immediately become much more vulnerable to water damage and flooding during a hurricane.
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Instructions
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Measure all the windows in your house. Windows that are standard shaped and that have easy access can be measured by anyone with some basic construction expertise. Always measure twice to make sure you get the correct dimensions. If you have windows that are oddly shaped or custom cut, you should have a contractor come and measure the window to make sure you get accurate measurements.
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Buy or order in your new hurricane windows. You want to order windows with the highest possible design pressure (DP) rating. The higher the rating, the more protection the windows will give, and the more expensive they will be. A DP 50 window will be resistant against even category 5 hurricanes. (See References 1)
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Hire a contractor to come in and replace your old windows with the hurricane-resistant windows. You should use a contractor when installing anything into a home that is a safety feature, to make sure it is done correctly. Most makers of hurricane windows will have a list of contractors that are certified or approved for working with their products. These can be good to use because they will have experience working with those exact types of windows.
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Check with your home insurance company to see if your rates will change. Some home insurance policies offer lowered rates when safety features are added, and in hurricane country upgraded windows will often fit the bill.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't want to tear all the windows out of your home, or can't afford the cost, you can install hurricane shutters on top of the windows. You can install steel shutters that hang on tracks on your windows, or wooden shutters that add a more decorative appeal while still offering additional protection from hurricanes. Shutters are a must if you live in hurricane country but don't have upgraded glass in your home.
No hurricane system can guarantee 100 percent that nothing will ever penetrate or break a window. While a very strong rated hurricane window could resist hugely high winds and hail, it can be difficult to predict the force that will be created by debris that is thrown at the windows. Always take precautions inside your home as if the windows will eventually be breached during a severe hurricane.
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