07.18.10
Understanding Ratings
Many people understand that hurricane shutters are installed to protect their home or business. While some shutters do this by preventing the glass in a window from being broken; others do it by forming a tight seal if the window is compromised. This gets us to the real reason for hurricane shutters. Protecting the integrity of the whole building or house by preventing a pressure difference between inside the structure and outside. If this is not done it can lead to the roof of the structure being degraded to the point it comes off.
So how does a consumer know if their shutters can help protect their home or business from this type of catastrophic damage? Well Florida has some the toughest building codes in the country when it comes to external hurricane protection materials. A product is “rated” if it passes a series of independent tests that meet very high protection standards. This system is known as TAS and if a product passes this testing it can be used in a Florida HVHZ (High Velocity Hurricane Zone).
These tests are used to determine if a product can withstand impacts both large and small, wind and water. Not all products are rated and a consumer doesn’t just have to take their contractor’s word that a product is rated either. Consumers can look up products here: http://www.floridabuilding.org/c/default.aspx
Just click on the product approval section, fill in a few boxes about the product you are looking for and it will tell you if it’s indeed rated and approved for use.
Consumers should ask their contractor if they are using rated products. Besides piece of mind for the consumer this could translate into potential insurance discounts too. Most insurers will not offer mitigation discount if the storm protection has not been rated and approved. Here at Coastal Storm Shutters all our storm protection products meet this standard and offer you the best protection options for your biggest investment.