Impact Windows FAQs

Yes, absolutely. In order to obtain the discounts or credits, all of the house openings must be protected. Homeowners with questions about mitigation should contact their insurance agents to make sure they are receiving proper credit for any steps taken to strengthen their home. Citizen offers premium discounts to those policyholders who show proof of risk mitigation alternatives. According to Florida statute 627.0629 regarding residential property insurance, all insurance companies that provide homeowner’s insurance to residents in Florida must offer some type of discount for dwellings that have an effective windstorm protective system installed.

For a window or door system to be considered impact-resistant certified, it must meet testing standards set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). One of the most rigorous requirements comes from the Florida Building Code which, given the increase in frequency and strength of hurricanes in recent years, has incorporated many of the lessons learned from prior hurricane-driven disasters. The Florida Building Code, for example, requires that every exterior opening in a structure be protected against wind-borne debris. This protection can be accomplished by either storm shutters or by impact-resistant windows and doors. To learn whether or not a product is considered impact resistant, ask your window dealer for a copy of the Notice of Acceptance (NOA) issued by the Miami-Dade County. The NOA is the document issued by the County which provides specific information, including dimensions, parts, materials, accessories and installation guidelines, about the particular product in question. The NOA certifies whether or not the product has passed the impact-resistant test. This product also sets forth an expiration date until which the approval has been issued for.

The test for large missiles consists of firing, from a cannon, a six-foot, 9-pound 2×4 piece of lumber at the window system at 50 feet per second. Basically, the window system must remain intact after the lumber makes impact against the window glazing. The small missiles test, on the other hand, exposes the window system to a variety of impacts with 30 pieces of roof gravel at approximately 80 feet per second.

Wind load refers to the forces or pressures exerted on a structure and the components comprising the structure (i.e., garage doors, entry doors and windows) due to wind. Wind-load pressures are displayed in positive and negative numbers because wind pressures are assumed to act both toward and away from a building surface. When the forces act toward the structure, they are categorized as positive pressures. On the other hand, when wind pressures act away from the structure, they are labeled as negative pressures. Impact-resistant windows and doors are tested for both pressures, negatives and positives. The NOAs show detailed wind-load pressures for each window dimension that passed the test. Wind-load calculations refer to the both negative and positive pressures that structural engineers will calculate for us in order to cost-efficiently design a glazing solution for a specific property or structure. Without the wind load calculations, we don’t know with certainty if the window meets and exceeds the potential wind forces during a hurricane.

Yes, absolutely. Garage doors typically account for the largest opening in a building and are a critical component to the structural integrity of the building’s envelope. As a result, the building code is very specific about rating garage doors.

Impact windows and doors main design characteristics are the shatter-resistant glass securely fastened to a heavy duty aluminum frame. The impact-resistant glazing consists of two layers of annealed or tempered glass bonded to an intermediate layer of a shatter-proof membrane. This membrane is typically made of Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB), a plastic film which varies from .015 to .090 inches in thickness, depending on the design pressures needed. If the outer glass breaks, the shattered pieces will adhere to the PVB film. In contrast, standard-glass windows are made of standard float glass that, when broken, will fracture in large sharp shards.

Yes, hurricane windows and doors are available in a variety of color tints, including gray, bronze, blue and green. Gray, bronze and green colors carry about a 5% premium; blue is typically much more expensive.

Windows play a crucial role in maintaining the building envelope of a structure. A broken window can easily be the trigger for a massive destruction of a structure during sustained hurricane forces. When high-speed winds enter a house, they create a significant difference in inside/outside air pressure. When this difference occurs, the structure is most likely to loose its roof in order to provide a way out to the sustained pressure. It is widely known now that when a structure loses a window and allows for a point of entry to the wind, massive destruction will follow.