YES!, an exterior door protect your home from a Hurricane
If you know the amount of damage a kid’s baseball can do to your home’s unprotected exterior door, and you live in a Hurricane prone area, then you must start acting fast. A whole lot of 155 mph baseballs hurled by the unforgiving storm will surely leave irreparable damages to it. But it isn’t just the exterior door that ought to be considered when preparing for the hurricane-force winds.
Determine the strength of the exterior door
Surely, you can’t be over-prepared when there’s a mega disaster underway. And that’s why the little attention-to-detail that can make a significant difference and salvage the house. Before you start evacuating, be sure to counter-check and ascertain that indeed the main door will not give way to the ferocious winds.
Check for Loose Screws and Wobbly Doors
Your first line of resistance ought to be to check the exterior door for any loose hinge screws. It is the most ignored move, yet hurricane-force winds are known to buckle the door if it is loosely held. Basically, replace old or shorter hinge screws with longer and newer ones and include an anchor. Also, add a deadbolt (1-inch long is perfect) to the door to enhance its strength and resistance when shaken by the winds.
Install Impact-Resistant Glass
Replacing that patio exterior door with a high-impact glass door will help avert the impending dangers. Hurricane glass doors are super-strong as they’re made of sturdy material that holds the glass slabs together. For the main entrance, consider installing storm doors too.
Use Plywood Shields
Away from that, don’t forget to shield the exterior door with plywood. Plywood is robust and cost-effective and can be pulled out with ease later when calm returns. Using it as a shield will reinforce the strength of that impact door.
Hunt for Home Insurance Discounts
Sometimes, home insurers choose to encourage homeowners to protect their properties by offering discounts for specific hurricane-mitigation improvements. Premiums for a house insured for $150,000 in areas where the hurricane is rampant can be as much as $8,000 if there are no hurricane mitigation measures. But upon installing plywood shields and high-impact glass exterior doors and windows, the cost can reduce to as little as $1,000 or less!
Conclusion
More importantly, close all interior and exterior doors and windows and evacuate ahead of time. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety says this simple move often helps prevent pressure increase from inside the house. If there’s excess pressure indoors, the roof will finally cave in, and that would mean even more loses!
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Also feel free to browse our IMPACT DOORS CATALOG