Using storm shutters in Southwest Florida to protect your house is important. However, in order for them to protect your home you need to close them securely before the storm hits. If you have a single story house then it is a fairly straight-forward process. But if you have a 2 story home deploying your hurricane shutters may be bit more involved. So in this quick article we detail you how to close your storm shutters on the second floor.
How to close accordion shutters on second floor
If you have accordion hurricane shutters then this is an easy task. That is because accordion shutters can be closed from the inside of your windows. In turn, you can simply close them from inside your home.
Open your window and move or remove any screen so that you have access to the shutters. Unclip the shutters from the holdback clips (if you have them) and slide them closed. If you have a locking mechanism on the inside of your shutters you can also lock your accordions from inside your home.
Closing manual roll down shutters on second floor
Roll down shutters are also easy to deploy on second floor windows. Manual roll down shutters with crank or belt systems are opened and closed from the inside your home. So you can also close these shutters from the safety of your home.
Closing automatic roll down shutters
Automatic roll downs are possibly the easiest type of shutter to close for second floor windows. You can use your switch or remote system from inside your home to close the shutters securely.
How to close Bahama shutters on second floor
If your Bahama shutters lock on the outside you will need to close and lock them using a ladder. If yours have an internal locking mechanism you can close them from inside your home without a ladder.
How to close Colonial shutters above the first floor
For colonial shutters you need to secure them with a storm bar from the outside of the home. In turn, you will need to use a ladder to reach, close, and secure the shutters.
How to install non-permanent storm shutters on second floor
Non-permanent storm shutters include storm panels and fabric hurricane panels, and plywood sheets. Any non-permanent storm protection needs to be installed and uninstalled on the exterior of your windows for each storm.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to install them from inside your home. They need to be installed on the exterior of your home.
In turn, you will need to use a ladder to install any type of non-permanent shutter. And doing so safely is of the utmost importance.
If you need help you can see our step-by-step instructions on How to Put Up Storm Panels.
If you are unable to do it yourself you can also hire a storm panel installation service. This is a job that requires experience and safety, especially when dealing with ladders and fall hazards. It is recommended that you let professionals handle this work when possible.
You may also like: Hurricane Shutters FAQs
Image credits:
- “Hurricane Irma 2017 Doral preparations” by Cyclonebiskit is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- “1926 building Little Havana Miami hurricane shutters Irma” by B137 is marked with CC0 1.0.
- “Hurricane shutter closed” by Birdies100 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
