It seems like hurricane season is getting longer and more extreme as the years go by. That means more potential for property damage as a result of heavy rains and high winds. But you don’t have to fall victim to the intense conditions that come with a hurricane’s impact, you can take steps to reduce the amount of destruction that occurs as a storm descends on your neighborhood.
It starts with identifying the most vulnerable areas of the home and taking precautionary measures to safeguard them against the force of nature that is a hurricane. The very first of these areas is your windows. Even lower category storms can bring a potential for destruction that can be very costly to repair or replace.
So what are the best ways to protect windows from a hurricane? We have three solutions that you can implement for keeping a storm from causing severe damage to some of the more sensitive parts of your property. Window glass can shatter easily, especially when various debris is thrown through it via winds circulating at high speeds.
It’s no secret that severe wind and precipitation can mean certain doom for some windows. Unless your home has been equipped with tempered or fortified glass panes, chances are you could be running the risk of some level of damage the next time a hurricane blows through your town.
When your windows are shattered they are no longer acting as a barrier between you, your family, or your personal belongings and the potentially deadly storm that is hammering the exterior of the house. Heavy rains that enter the home can also lead to extensive water damage if left unchecked for too long.
One precaution that too many homeowners try to use and find they’ve done nothing to stop the damage is to stick masking tape over their windows. Unfortunately, this is completely useless for preventing your windows from getting smashed in a hurricane. Don’t even bother with it.
So if your local weather service is warning you of another volatile hurricane season approaching, get ready and bolster the windows in your home from a hurricane using these methods that will work!
1. Protective Film
A reliable way to protect the windows in your home is through applying a protective film over the panes that bolsters their strength in the face of the level of pressure that a hurricane brings with it. If the window breaks, the protective film keeps the glass shards from flying around the house and posing a serious safety hazard to you and your family.
Some homeowners will apply this film to their windows because it’s a great way to protect the windows from other dangers like intruders who may try to break in. It’s an ideal solution for year round protection because once you apply it to the surface of the window it’s there for good and you won’t even see it. The film is entirely invisible.
But this film brings other benefits as it can filter out harmful ultraviolet light which can also be damaging to the interior of your home.
2. Plywood Planks
Perhaps the easiest and least expensive way to protect your windows from being damaged by a hurricane, plywood planks are a reliable barrier that can protect your windows from high winds and rains that are part and parcel of any hurricane.
You just need to pick the right size boards in terms of thickness and length. Choose a board that is about 5/8 of an inch thick and be sure it extends anywhere from eight to ten inches on every side of the window you are planning to cover with the boards.
There is one major drawback to using plywood in that you can’t see through the window once it’s been put up over the window. So you lose any visibility and light that you might expect to see, but it’s a small price to pay knowing that your window glass won’t sustain any damage once the storm rolls in.
3. Shutters
Similar in functionality to a plywood plank is a storm shutter that is permanently affixed to the side of your home. There are a number of styles and materials to choose from when you decide to go with shutters so you can choose some that will complement that exterior design of the house.
They’re also much easier and faster to deploy as a protective measure against the effects of a nasty hurricane. You can learn more about storm shutters by contacting your local dealer of Renewal by Andersen windows and find out how this protective measure can benefit your home and your family.
