What Makes Impact Glass Different from Regular Glass?
Impact glass is designed to protect your Florida home during a severe weather event, like a hurricane. Standard glass windows are made of a single layer of glass, called float glass, that breaks into large shards when something hits it. Not only are these shards extremely sharp and dangerous, but the open window now leaves the home interior vulnerable to wind, rain, and debris from the raging storm — not what anyone wants or needs during a hurricane.
Door glass, however, is different than window glass. Doors are made with tempered glass, which is designed to break into small, relatively harmless pieces. Tempered glass is heated and quickly cooled to create tension and strength in the glass and forces the glass to break into small pieces upon impact. However, tempered glass will shatter, so it’s not a perfect solution for homes affected by hurricanes and severe weather.
The solution is impact glass. Florida Impact glass is made by sealing two pieces of glass to an interior resin layer that’s incredibly strong. Instead of shattering upon impact, the glass pieces stay adhered to the resin, leaving the window broken but intact and the home’s interior protected. Impact glass is the ideal building material for homes in areas impacted by hurricanes and can be used to build extreme weather-resistant windows and doors.
How to Tell if a Door Has Impact Glass
Because severe weather glass is created by laminating several layers of materials together, certain “tells” set it apart from standard or tempered glass.
- Check the corners for permanent Etched Marks: High-impact glass windows require more time and resources to manufacture. Many companies will include an etched mark in their glass, so homeowners have no doubts about the quality of the materials installed in their homes.
- There May Be a Temporary Label: A temporary sticker or label is another way manufacturers set their impact glass apart. If your door is new, you’ll likely be able to find a sticker to let you know it’s impact-resistant.
- Look for reflections: Because of the impact of the glass’s multiple layers, you can see multiple reflections in the glass. Checking for two or more reflections in the glass is a way to tell that it’s impact-resistant, even if no stickers or etched labels are present.
- Ask an Expert: If you’re unsure about the caliber of the product in your home, don’t hesitate to call in a glass expert who can verify the type of glass.
- Please work With the Professionals at The Window Guys of Florida: We rigorously test, design, and certify our impact glass offering for extreme weather conditions.
- When you choose ODL products, you can be sure you’re getting the highest level of value in a weather-resistant glass.
Live in a Hurricane Zone? Your Front Door Should Be Impact Glass
When comparing impact windows vs normal windows, it’s important to consider where you currently live. Compared to the rest of the glass windows in your home, you might not think that your front door would pose a risk in the event of a hurricane or other extreme weather. But, the truth is that damage to entryways and windows causes more destruction to the home than most other factors due to the relative pressure differences inside the home compared to outside during a storm.
Impact glass from The Window Guys of Florida is a superior safety product and has undergone rigorous testing, including missile impact, water infiltration, structural loading, and forced air infiltration tests. We design our severe weather door glass products for wind-borne debris regions and high-velocity hurricane zones, and they are certified to meet Florida building codes.
This can make building and remodeling easier in hurricane zones. For example, our impact glass is approved by the Florida Building Commission for substitution in any glazed door or sidelight. That means that homeowners and remodelers won’t need to perform any additional testing to meet the building codes. Instead, they’ll simply have to provide the building inspector with documentation of our product’s approvals.
However, our severe weather products are also beautiful. The Window Guys of Florida offers a wide array of decorative door glass options that include impact glass. Whether a project needs a pop of modern privacy glass, traditional camping, in-door blinds, or classic clear glass, The Window Guys of Florida’s Severe Weather line has you covered.
It’s critical that your doors are equipped with the impact glass you need to stay safe. Not sure if your home is covered? Keep reading to learn more about identifying impact glass.
Where To Buy Hurricane Impact Doors in Florida
If you are looking to replace a broken window or change out your existing windows to hurricane-impact windows, then look no further than The Window Guys of Florida. We stock only the highest quality impact windows in all of South Florida. We possess the technology and expertise to install hurricane-impact windows to protect your home and loved ones. Contact us today or give us a call at (561) 598-6295 to speak to an impact window professional and get started on the road to installing hurricane impact windows.