You can protect your family and home from hurricanes with hurricane rated windows. Impact windows are a popular choice for homeowners looking for hurricane protection in areas vulnerable to hurricanes, such as Southwest and South Florida. What are impact rated windows, and how are they are different from regular windows? Keep reading as we discuss these topics and more in this guide.
What Are Impact Rated Windows? How do they Work?
Impact windows are engineered to withstand extreme weather conditions, such as the intense winds and air-borne debris experienced during a hurricane. Impact-resistant windows are constructed of (you guessed it) impact-resistant, laminated glass instead of regular or tempered glass. They also have impact-resistant frames, built from materials such as aluminum and vinyl.
Impact-resistant laminated glass is composed of three layers:
- Outside layer = glass pane
- Middle: a clear interlayer made of either PVB or SGP
- Interior layer = glass pane
These three layers are laminated together into one sheet in a special manufacturing process. The finished product is referred to as laminated glass. It is similar to your automobile’s windshield glass. It can fracture if struck hard enough, but it will remain in place (not broken into a million pieces).
Laminated glass can withstand intense hurricane winds and the impact of wind-borne debris that are flying around during a hurricane. It is the interlayer that keeps the outer glass panes from breaking apart. Impact glass can fracture, but it does not break like regular glass. It remains in place. This means your home will not become pressurized even if your windows are struck.
In a nutshell, these windows provide hurricane protection. Impact resistant windows can withstand the hurricane force winds and the impact of flying debris during hurricanes and major storms.
Impact Windows Must Meet the Florida Building Code and Have Florida Product Approval
To be classified as impact-rated windows, they must pass specific tests (such as large and small missile tests). In addition, they must meet strict design specifications. These requirements are outlined in the Florida Building Code. The windows must meet or exceed them to be considered impact rated in the state of Florida. If they do, they gain Florida Product Approval.
Hurricane Windows Ratings & Requirements by Location
It is important to note that windows may be approved for use in one location but may not be approved for use in other locations.
One example of this is windows approved for use within a High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), such as Miami-Dade, Broward Counties, or Coastal Palm Beach County. If you live in a HVHZ then the Florida Building Code as well as your municipality will most likely require you have impact windows approved for HVHZ use.
In addition, your local municipality (city or county) may have its own requirements. And these may be different than the Florida Building Code’s requirements. For example you may live in an area that requires High Velocity Hurricane Zone approved windows even if you don’t live in a HVHZ.
In turn, it is important to understand what the requirements are for where you live. That is because you will need to confirm that the windows you are buying meet those requirements. If you are unsure it is recommended to work with a professional hurricane shutter company.
You should also note that requirements do change from time to time. The FBC is reviewed periodically. And such major storms, such as Hurricane Ian lead to changes in the requirements in certain areas, such as Southwest Florida. In turn, it is important to be aware of these changes as you are shopping for windows.
Benefits of Impact Rated Windows
Impact windows offer a lot of benefits to homeowners in areas prone to hurricanes. These include the following:
Hurricane protection & security
At their heart, impact rated windows are meant to protect your home and family against the toughest hurricanes. They prevent your windows (and doors) from breaking and your home from becoming pressurized, preventing more serious damage.
In addition, they offer added security protection for your family. Because they are extremely difficult to break through they prevent burglars from breaking into your home. This is helpful after a storm, when you are not at home, or every day you are at home.
They provide peace of mind that your home and loved ones will be safe.
Convenience
Impact offer 24/7 hurricane protection and require zero installation or removal before and after a storm. This means your home will be protected regardless of if you are home or away. There is no installation and removal like with storm panels. You don’t have to do anything but ensure they are closed and locked.
Energy Efficiency
In addition to protecting your loved ones your new impact-resistant windows provide energy efficiency. This means they will make your home more comfortable and reduce your heating and cooling bills.
Lower Insurance Premiums
In addition to saving money on your heating and cooling bills you will also save money on your insurance premiums. Most insurance companies offer discounts on your premiums when you install appropriate impact windows. This is because they increase the hurricane protection ability of your home and reduce the likelihood of damage and injury. Contact your insurance company for specifics for your situation.
Great Looks
If all of these benefits are not enough, how about improving your home’s curb appeal. Impact resistant windows can freshen up your home’s appearance by replacing old, worn-out ones. And they look just like regular windows so your home’s appearance will not change.
How to Confirm Your Windows are Impact Rated
This is an important question to ensure you have windows that will protect your family and home. It is also important to ensure they meet the requirements of where you live, such as HVHZ, etc.
Below are some recommendations. These can help you confirm that the windows you are buying are in fact impact-rated.
Supplier provided documentation
Your window installation company or contractor should be able to help you with this. They should also be able to provide you with the documentation you need to confirm they are impact rated.
You can start by first asking them if their windows are impact rated and approved for your property’s location.
It is also not a bad idea to ask them for documentation confirming the windows are in fact approved for your property’s location.
This may include documentation confirming the windows:
- Have an appropriate Florida Product Approval Number (FL #) or Miami-Dade NOA number
- Are approved for use in HVHZ areas (will be designated as HVHZ approved) IF your home requires this
Search For Florida Product Approval Number
If you live in Florida, all impact rated windows should have a Florida Product Approval Number (FL #). If you have this number you can search for the windows’ documentation yourself.
You can search for products that have Florida Product Approval using a public search accessible on the Florida dbpr Product Approval search site.
Important note when searching for approval documentation:
Generally it is the manufacturer that applies for and receives the product approvals. Most window installation contractors source windows from the large manufacturers. So you will need to know which manufacturer your installation company sources their windows from in order to verify they are approved.
For instance, we install impact-rated windows from Eastern Architectural Systems along with other high-quality manufacturers.
HVHZ Approved
Within the FL Product Approval for each product it will state whether the product is approved for use within a HVHZ, and/or approved for use outside of HVHZ. This is of course helpful if you live in a HVHZ zone.
Search For Miami-Dade Approval NOA Number
You can also search for products that are Miami-Dade approved as well.
Products that have a Miami-Dade NOA Number will come up on the publicly accessible Product Control Search.
As we stated above, it is the window manufacturer (not the installation contractor) who will apply for and receive the product approval. So you will need to search for the manufacturer of the windows vs the installation contractor name. You can ask your impact window installation contractor for this information.
Conclusion
Hurricane rated windows can protect your family and home from even the worst hurricanes. But not all windows are hurricane rated. And not all impact-resistant windows are approved for use in all areas. So before you purchase new windows you need to ensure that they are in deed rated for hurricanes and approved for use in your property’s location.
If you need hurricane impact windows for your home, including in Southwest Florida then we would love to help.
Or call (239) 369-8600 for immediate service.
