For safety of houses against hurricanes, there is a range of hurricane protection products available in the market which satisfies Florida Building Code (FBC) standards. The FBC approves TAS methods for testing as per the Miami-Dade County norms. The shutters developed with TAS testing can be used in High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) in Florida. The FBC gives nod to shutter products which pass TAS testing.
There is a variety of shutters available in the market including, Manual or Electric Roll-Down Hurricane Shutters, Aluminum Hurricane Panels, Clear Polycarbonate Hurricane Panels, Accordion Hurricane Shutters, Bahama Hurricane Shutters and Colonial Hurricane Shutters. Each shutter has different traits in terms of weight, capacity of protection from hurricanes. One can select the best shutter that suits their requirement depends on the specific opening in houses to be covered with shutters. All offer relentless protection against the strong winds and debris but not all of them are as handy and easy to operate. Also, not all offer clear view and most of these are opaque. It is the plastic made hurricane shutters that offer high visibility and thus these can be put in place all through. Being light weight yet sturdy, these provide full protection to the doors as windows. Being easy to operate, these are recently catching the attention of the buyers.
Aluminum hurricane panels are inexpensive, can be removed, installed and stored when not in use. It is commonly used to protect doors and windows. But, it has a drawback, one cannot see outside, once it is installed on windows or doors. These lightweight panels are more useful for small openings/windows and are useless if the opening is too big as these become too heavy for large openings and fail to provide adequate protection.
Unlike in Aluminum hurricane panels, Clear Polycarbonate Hurricane Panels are transparent and allows light to enter though the windows. These panels are lightweight, removable, simple to store and easy to install. Accordion Hurricane Shutters is another option. It requires regular maintenance. It offers more security from in event of storm and hurricanes. Also, it remains fixed to the opening and it does not require any storage.
If you want to give your house a better look along with the securing it from storms, Bahama Hurricane Shutters is a better option. It requires minimum maintenance, no storage and can be easily operated. Like Bahama, Colonial Hurricane Shutters are also decorative. It requires minimum maintenance. One should take opinion of expert and authorized agents before selecting a hurricane protection product for their house.