Houston Chronical/Homes June 20, 2010 Sect. R13
Hurricane Wind-abatement system like a bullet-proof vest for a home.
Each year hurricane season drives home and business owners to search for the best ways to protect their property.
Plywood is popular and the product and the means of attachment are tested or approved for winds of any real strength and an airborne piece of plywood driven by hurricane-strength winds can cause tremendous damage.
Plywood takes a lot of space and can warp during storagel. It certainly is a signicant challenge toinstall while standing on an extension ladder.
Metal shutters are another common option in some areas and they close out light and air as well as wind. They're extremely heavy and difficult to manage and they create a 'dark-cave effect' that concerns many people.
Thanks to the newest technologies there is an altenative. A manufacturer of hurricane protection systems has introduced a hurricane wind-abatement system that has become a mainstay in Florida and Texas. It is a system and a collection of installation options that are practical to use.
Impact-resistant screens are made of a heavy-duy geosynthetic prolpopylene mesh, not unlike the material of a trampoline. he heavy-duty screens block flying debris and 97 percent of wind a driving rain - while allowing natural lightin into the building. Multiple installations systems range from those that are installed manually to fully automated roll-down systems with remote controls. All of the installations meet and exceed the strickt requirments of the Florida Building Code as well as te Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. They are lightwieight, easy to install and allow light and air to filter through.
The new systems are readly installed by a pofessional remodeling contractor. Once installed the pre-hurricane implementation is quick and effective.
There are three ways to apply the screens: You can install them directly to and opening with a direct--mount screen or with a roll-down system that can be rolled manually or with a remote control.
With the direct-mount application
