Hurricane doors give your home automatic protection against hurricane damage. However, before you choose doors, you should ensure that they have weather-appropriate features. Read on to learn more.
1. Strong Weather-Resistant Impact Glass
While regular glass is easy to break, the glass in hurricane-rated doors is stronger. Typically, hurricane doors contain impact-resistant glass. This glass should be able to cope with high winds and impacts. It usually has multiple layers with an interior reinforcing laminate material. It shouldn't shatter and break like regular glass. While glass in a hurricane door might not always stay in one piece in a severe storm, it shouldn't pose any safety risks or allow the inside of your home to get damaged. This glass usually shatters in place and won't fall out of its frame. Its interior layer holds it together even if it breaks.
2. Reinforced Frames
Standard door frames are designed to be strong. It takes a lot to damage a frame. However, regular frames can't always withstand the battering they get in a hurricane. They might buckle and bend. Their locks might blow apart. Once this happens, the whole door might collapse. You lose the protection it gives your home.
Hurricane door frames should be stronger than the norm. They contain reinforced materials and multiple locking locations. They go through tests to check that they can stay in place and in one piece during high winds.
3. Stronger Seals
The seals on a hurricane door are important. They prevent wind and rain from coming in through the door. If they don't work, then you'll have some interior weather damage to deal with after the storm. Look for doors with extra-strong seals and weather stripping features. Weather stripped doors have extra seals over all of the potential access points. These seals are stronger than the norm and should make a door completely weathertight.
4. General Damage Resistance
The most robust hurricane door loses some efficiency if its materials will naturally degrade or get damaged over time. For example, if hinges and screws aren't corrosion-proof, then they will rust as they age. This rust damages the metal and makes it weak. If a door has weak spots, then it loses some of its ability to cope with high winds and storm conditions. For example, if a hinge is weak, then it is more likely to break.
Effective hurricane doors mitigate these risks by using naturally long-lasting materials. For example, their hinges and other fittings are often made from stainless steel or aluminum. These metals won't corrode and create weak points in their doors.
To learn more, contact a local hurricane door company.
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