by Alan Sealls
Published: Wed, May 20, 2009 - 6:26 pm CST
How are your windows? They are one of the most vulnerable parts of your home when it comes to high wind. We get sudden high wind from severe thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes. Of course we get them from tropical storms and hurricanes too. You might be surprised to know how weak average windows are when it comes to things flying in the wind. To demonstrate what you can do to safeguard your windows I set up a little demonstration with some help from some professionals. Watch the streaming video but don’t try this at home...Welcome everyone to backlot baseball at news 5. It’s a beautiful summer afternoon with a light breeze. In honor of hurricane season we have a special match up. Representing the Mobile BayBears is Jarrod Parker ..the Diamondbacks top pitching prospect. His competitors are All American Windows, Sunrooms, and Storm Protection. They are on Highway 90 in Mobile. These guys look hungry. I don’t know if I’d want to run across them in a dark alley. So today’s match comes down to a fastball at hurricane speed vs. different windows and window protection.
All American is starting with a common defensive strategy - Plywood. Each time the fastball just bounces off. So plywood cut to fit your windows is fairly good wind protection.
Up next is steel shutters. They look like wood but they are stronger and termites can't chew on them. Jarrod puts a little more heat on the pitch and the steel shutters laugh at the fastball.
On deck is aluminum panels. You can almost guess that they’d stop the ball but they may get some dents which is a whole lot better than having stuff fly into your house in a storm!
Jarrod Parker is just warming up but his fastball leaves a mark. The shutters hold though.
So far it's clear that plywood, steel shutters, and aluminum panels have all held back the fastball.
Bob Smith brings out a newer material called impact glass. It is sort of like windshield glass with a polyvinyl film sandwiched between glass. Bob says “it’s intrusion, storm resistant, and resistant to most types of impact,” and much stronger than windshield glass.
Jarrod's pitches strike the glass several times. The glass breaks but the film holds it in place. The ball does not go through.
All American seems confident in their products.
Just for fun they bring out a standard window, the type most of us have in our homes.
Without any protection on the window Jarrod throws a slowball, not even hurricane force. And the glass- Breaks.
Whether it’s the winds of a hurricane or tornado, strong windows will do you good, and of course, in a hurricane you have more options in planning ahead with additional window protection like plywood, shutters, panels, and high impact glass. You've got options. Don’t wait.
Fire Danger!
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