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 Mobile ViewEXTERIORS of buildings ADHESIVES, EXTERIOR CONSTRUCTION AGE of a BUILDING - how to determine ALGAE, FUNGUS, LICHENS, MOSS ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID ATTIC CONDENSATION CAUSE & CURE BARK SIDE DOWN on DECKS, TRIM, STEPS BASEMENT WATERPROOFING BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE BRICK VENEER WALL Loose, Bulged BRICK WALL DRAINAGE WEEP HOLES BOOKSTORE - EXTERIORS BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE BUILDING SETTLEMENT CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION DECK COLLAPSE Case Study DECK FINISHES COATINGS PRESERVATIVES DECK FLASHING LEAKS, ROT Case Study DEFINITIONS of ENGINEERED WOOD OSB LVL etc EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings ENGINEERED WOOD Flooring ENGINEERED WOOD Products EXTERIOR WALL SIDING TRIM & FINISHES FIBERGLASS INSULATION FIBERGLASS HAZARDS FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD FLASHING MEMBRANES PEEL & STICK FLASHING for METAL ROOFS FLASHING ROOF WALL DETAILS FLASHING ROOF-WALL SNAFU FLASHING SIDING DETAILS FLASHING WALL DETAILS FLASHING WOOD ROOF DETAILS FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP FOOTING & FOUNDATION DRAINS FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE FOUNDATION WATERPROOFING FRENCH DRAINS GALVANIC SCALE & METAL CORROSION GLUES ADHESIVES, EXTERIOR CONSTRUCTION GRADING & SITE WORK, EXTERIOR GUTTERS & DOWNSPOUTS HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS KIT HOMES, Aladdin, Sears, Wards, Others LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE LEAD TEST KIT for HOME USE LEED GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION LOG HOME GUIDE LIGHTNING PROTECTION MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE PAINT ANALYSIS, DIAGNOSTIC USES PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR PORCHES & Sunrooms PORCH CONSTRUCTION & SCREENING RAILINGS, DECK & PORCH RAILINGS, STAIRWAY RETAINING WALL DESIGNS, TYPES, DAMAGE RETAINING WALL GUARD RAILINGS ROOF ARCHITECTURAL STYLES - PHOTO GUIDE ROOF CLEANING RECOMMENDATIONS ROOF COLOR RECOMMENDATIONS ROOF DORMER TYPES - PHOTO GUIDE ROOFING DIAGNOSIS INSPECTION & REPAIR ROOF VENTILATION SPECIFICATIONS SHEATHING, Gypsum board SHEATHING Homasote & Other Board SHEATHING, OSB SHEATHING, Plywood SHEATHING, FOIL FACED - VENTS SIDING, Sheathing Identification - Photo Guide SIDING, ALUMINUM SIDING, ASBESTOS FIBER CEMENT SIDING ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES on WALLS SIDING ASPHALT SHINGLE or SHEET SIDING DAMAGE by SPLASHBACK SIDING EIFS & STUCCO SIDING, FIBER CEMENT SIDING HARDBOARD SIDING STEEL SIDING VINYL SIDING, WOOD PRODUCT CHOICES SIDING, WOOD INSTALLATION SIDING WOOD, FAILURES OVER FOAM BOARD SIDING WOOD, FLASHING DETAILS SIDING WOOD SHINGLE INSTALLATION SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS STAINS & FINISHES, INTERIOR STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS STONE CLEANING METHODS STRESS SKIN INSULATED PANELS STUCCO WAll FAILURES DUE TO WEATHER STUCCO WALL METHODS & INSTALLATION STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION STUCCO PAINT FAILURES SURFACE GRADING, SITE DRAINAGE TERMITES, ROT THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS THERMAL MASS in buildings TRIM, INTERIOR INSTALLATION TRUSS UPLIFT, ROOF TRUSSES, Floor & Roof VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in BUILDINGS VENTILATION in buildings VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS in buildings VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO WALL SIDING TRIM & FINISHES WALL FINISHES INTERIOR WATER BARRIERS, EXTERIOR BUILDING WATER ENTRY in buildings WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS WIND TURBINES & LIGHTNING WINDOWS & DOORS Best Practices, Windows & Doors CLIMATE, WINDOW CHOICES FOR CONDENSATION on WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS DOORS, ENERGY EFFICIENCY DOORS, EXTERIOR, Selecting & Installing DOORS, EXTERIOR FRAMES DOORS, INTERIOR DOOR FLASHING DETAILS DOOR SOURCES GLASS vs HEAT MIRROR SOLAR GAIN/Loss HURRICANE, WIND, & STORM-Resistant WINDOWS Protect the Window Openings Miami-Dade Storm-Resistant Windows Code for Impact-Resistant Windows Storm-Resistant Window Construction Performance Grade, Pressure, Windows LOW-E WINDOW GLAZING LOW-E VS QUAD-GLAZING LOW-E RETROFIT ADD-ON FILMS MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION of WINDOWS POLYCARBONATE GLAZING SITE BUILT DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOWS SKYLIGHTS, GUIDE SKYLIGHT CONDENSATION PROBLEMS SKYLIGHT DESIGN ISSUES SKYLIGHT ENERGY EFFICIENCY SKYLIGHT INSTALLATION Procedures SKYLIGHT LEAK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR SKYLIGHT VENTILATION DETAILS SLIDING GLIDING WINDOW DEFECTS SLOPED GLAZING DETAILS SOLAR SHADES & SUNSCREENS STORM WINDOW INTERIOR STORM WINDOW PLASTIC CHOICES STORM WINDOW WEEP HOLES SUNGAIN, FILMS, LOW-E GLASS SUNSPACE GLAZING for SUNTANNING VERTICAL GLAZING DETAILS VINYL WINDOWS VINYL / PVC WINDOW WARPING WINDOWS, ALUMINUM WINDOW CERTIFICATION WINDOW EFFICIENCY Features & Ratings WINDOWS, FIBEGLASS WINDOW FLASHING & SEALING Guide WINDOW GLAZING Based on Climate WINDOW HARDWARE PHOTOS WINDOW INSTALLATION, Flange-Type WINDOW INSTALLATION, Integral Brickmold WINDOW / DOOR ENERGY EFFICIENT, DOE WINDOW / DOOR AIR LEAK SEALING HOW TO WINDOW LEAKS INTO BASEMENT WINDOW MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION WINDOW SHADING, SCREENING WINDOW SOURCES WINDOW TYPES, Guide WINDOW TYPES - 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Hurricane windows: here we provide a guide to hurricane, storm, and wind resistant windows and skylights, including citing storm resistance standards, building codes, and products. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, Daniel Friedman, Steve Bliss, Wiley & Sons, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. Guide to Hurricane, Wind, & Storm-Resistant Windows
We review the proper installation details for windows and doors, and we compare the durability of different window and door materials and types. This article includes excerpts or adaptations from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons. See WINDOWS & DOORS our home page for window and door information, and also see POLYCARBONATE GLAZING for impact resistant window glazing, and see WINDOW TYPES - Photo Guide for a photographic guide to window and door types and architectural styles. Our links at page left provide in-depth articles on window and door selection, inspection, installation, problem diagnosis, and repair. In response to the devastating impact of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida enacted stringent codes to protect homes from severe storms. Other coastal states have followed suit in recent years, and now similar provisions in the International Residential Code (IRC) apply to coastal areas from Texas to Maine. Protect the Window OpeningsResearchers attributed much of Andrew’s destruction to wind penetration into homes through broken doors and windows, leading to extensive water damage and, in many cases, roofs blown off and houses destroyed. Our photo (left) shows storm-exposed beach-front hotel windows at Boca Raton, FL. The keys to preventing these problems were strengthening roofs and protecting windows and doors from wind and wind-borne debris. To protect windows, the new code allows three options:
The trend in new home construction is toward impact-resistant windows, sometimes marketed as “storm resistant” or “hurricane-rated.” Miami-Dade County Standards for Storm-Resistant WindowsMiami-Dade County enacted the most stringent standard and test protocols, subjecting windows (and storm shutters) to a test in which a 9-pound 2x4 is hurled into the glass at 50 feet per second, followed by 4,500 cycles of positive and negative wind loads equivalent to a 146-mph wind. Miami-Dade also conducts AAMA/NWWDA testing for design pressure and water intrusion, but it conducts the water intrusion test after the structural test is completed rather than on a new window. Windows and doors that pass the Miami-Dade Product Control Standards are required throughout Miami-Dade County and most other coastal areas in Florida. International Residential Code for Impact-Resistant WindowsThe International Residential Code (IRC) requires impact-resistant windows in all hurricane-prone regions along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts from Texas to Maine. Depending on the wind-speed zones established in the IRC, windows need to meet design pressures ranging from 30 to 80 psf, and they must meet impact-resistance standards under ASTM E1886 or E1996. The design pressure required depends on both an area’s design wind speed, found on IRC maps, and the building’s exposure rating from A to D. Most buildings are rated Exposure B for “urban and suburban areas or wooded areas” or Exposure C for flat, open terrain with scattered obstructions of less than 30 feet. Waterfront buildings exposed to winds flowing over open water for at least a mile are rated Exposure D, the most severe. Storm-Resistant Window ConstructionUnder pressure from both the building codes and insurance industry, most major window manufacturers have developed impact-resistant windows for residential applications that feature laminated glass along with heavier frames and hardware. The glass is similar to auto windshields with a plastic interlayer, but it is significantly heavier. Double-glazed units get a second layer of tempered glass either on the interior or exterior. Vinyl-framed windows are heavily reinforced with aluminum, and all windows use metal mullion bars anchored to the framing between mulled units. Window-to framing attachment methods are also beefed up to comply with the new codes, and in some cases, metal clips are used to anchor the window to the frame. Storm-resistant windows cost from two to four times as much as standard windows; but under pressure from code agencies and insurance companies, these windows will soon become standard fare in coastal construction and other storm-prone areas. Performance Grade and Design Pressure for WindowsHow well a window performs when subjected to heavy rains and high winds is indicated by its performance grade and design pressure. The design pressure is a structural rating only, while the performance grade also indicates that a window has met the water resistance and air infiltration standards for that grade (see Table 3-2 below).
The minimum recommended design pressure for residential doors and windows is 15 psf. A design pressure of 15 means a window has been tested to withstand sustained wind pressures of 22.5 psf, roughly equivalent to a 95-mph wind, applied to either side of the window, simulating both positive and negative wind pressures. The test pressure is always 150% of the rated design pressure to provide a safety factor. To earn a performance grade of 15, a window must also pass a water pressure test of 2.86 psf, which simulates rainfall of 8 inches per hour with a wind speed of 34 mph. In coastal areas or other areas prone to heavy winds or hurricanes, higher grade windows are recommended and may be required by code. Also see WINDOW TYPES - Photo Guide. Industry Associations for Windows & DoorsAmerican Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) www.aamanet.org Efficient Windows Collaborative www.efficientwindows.org National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) www.nfrc.org Sustainable by Design www.susdesign.com Shareware calculators for sun angles, solar heat gain, and shading Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) www.wdma.com -- Adapted and paraphrased, edited, and supplemented, with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction. Questions & Answers regarding this articleQuestions & answers about building storm & hurricane protection: how to choose, install, use hurricane-damage-resistant windows. Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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