FAQs About Hurricane / Impact Doors
- What Is An Impact Door?
- What Does HVHZ Mean
- What Are The Structural Benefits Of Impact Doors?
- How Do Impact Doors Affect The Energy Efficiency Of My Home?
- What Are The Security Benefits Of Impact Doors?
- Will Impact Doors Break?
- What Styles Are Impact Doors Available In?
- Impact Window & Door Specialists In South Florida
- More Impact Doors
When building or renovating your South Florida home, one of the most important decisions to make will be what doors you install. With the tropical storms and hurricanes we experience in South Florida, all new and renovated homes and buildings are being installed with hurricane impact doors – let’s look at some of the most common questions and concerns regarding Impact doors.
What Is An Impact Door?
Hurricane impact doors are specially designed to withstand the impact and forces that are associated with hurricanes, high-velocity winds, and flying debris. These doors are made of heavy-duty extruded aluminum and are fitted with impact-resistant laminated glass that may crack but is resistant to shattering.
Impact-resistant glass is traditionally thicker than standard glass panes and is made by layering sheets of glass with alternating sheets of plastic laminate film to add strength and prevent shattering on impact.
What Does HVHZ Mean
High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) is a building code mandated in certain areas of South Florida. After the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, there was a need to establish a more demanding building code to help homeowners choose products that would ensure better defense.
To meet the HVHZ standard, building materials have to survive the HVHZ missile test, where a nine-pound six-foot-long 2×4 piece of lumber traveling at fifty feet per second, or pellets traveling at 90 feet per second is fired at a sheet of glass. The glass is allowed to crack during the test but may not shatter.
What Are The Structural Benefits Of Impact Doors?
Doors play a large part in maintaining the structural rigidity of a building. A locked door acts as an integrated part of the wall, essentially making the wall itself whole. The moment a door is forced out of the door frame, a hole is created in the wall, which not only allows water and debris into the house but also creates a weak point where the wall can collapse and cause your roof to cave in with it.
How Do Impact Doors Affect The Energy Efficiency Of My Home?
Due to impact resistance glass being double planed and laminated, they offer better insulation than standard doors, keeping the cool air in and hot air out. Impact doors can also be coated with a UV coating to further filter UV-rays which further lowers the heat being transferred to the house, which leads to your AC needing to do less work, and contributes to lower energy bills.
What Are The Security Benefits Of Impact Doors?
While impact doors are designed to withstand the impact of storm winds and hurricanes, they have the benefit of being strong enough to defend against intruders. Combining the inherent strengths of impact doors with high strength hinges and locking mechanisms adds to the ability of impact doors to withstand the attempts of an intruder to try and brute force their way into your home.
Will Impact Doors Break?
While an impact door can take a lot of impact and abuse, far more than a standard door, they aren’t impervious to destruction. High impact forces may cause foreign debris to pierce and damage your impact door, potentially causing hinges, locks, or even the anchors mounting the door frame to fail.
While impact door glass can be pierced and damaged, the laminate prevents the glass from shattering and creating glass shards that can cause harm.
What Styles Are Impact Doors Available In?
There’s a misconception that impact doors only come in unattractive security style doors, but they come in a variety of styles to suit many needs and purposes. Some of the most popular style impact doors include:
French Doors
Impact doors can be made in both in-swinging and out -swinging styles and in both single and double door styles. French doors are a popular choice as they consist of large glass planes that allow a lot of light in and great visibility.
Sliding Glass Doors
Sliding doors share many of the same characteristics and benefits as French doors but are ideal for locations where space is limited as they do not require space for the door to swing.
Entry Doors
The main entry door often acts as the face of your home, and because first impressions matter, you want a door that is not only strong and functional, but matches the styling of your home. Entry doors can be clad in wood for a more traditional look and have a variety of glass inserts to accentuate any style.
Garage Doors
Garage doors are often forgotten about in the door conversation as they are so different in form and function from traditional doors. When replacing your doors with impact doors, don’t neglect to consider your garage as it can act as a point of weakness in a storm.
As one of the leading Impact door and window installers in South Florida, we have developed a relationship with some of the biggest names in storm proofing, to ensure our customers get the best product to suit a wide variety of home styles, needs, and budgets.
Some of the brands we work with include:
Impact Window & Door Specialists In South Florida
At STS Impact Windows, Doors & Roofing we provide professional impact window and door installations using products from the most trusted manufacturers in the industry, backed by a 3-year warranty.
Our history of preparing homes in South Florida to withstand the worst mother nature can throw at ithas given us the edge and experience to ensure that we recommend the best solution for your home.
For quotes, questions, or more information on our wide array of impact doors and windows, give us a call today and talk to one of our team members at 561-763-1675 or contact us online.
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