Hurricane glass door inserts. Do you need them?

How to determine if you need hurricane proof impact glass doors

Hurricane glass door inserts are specifically designed for hurricane protection for your exterior fiberglass doors. This link will help you determine if you should purchase the impact glass door inserts vs. standard tempered glass. Most of Florida’s residents live in counties closest to to Gulf and Atlantic shore. Arial night time photos easily support this since you can see the density of populations in Tampa Bay, Miami, and East coast cities such as Daytona. After hurricane Andrew our high wind zones changed towards inland by sometimes as much as 30 miles. Some images of hurricane proof doors are on our main page

The insurance industry was especially effective in introducing change since they had the most economic risk with insurance claims. So how does a homeowner really know the wind speed at their residence? Easy, the ATC website has created a website so you can calculate yourself.

It is very informative however. Hurricane glass door inserts with impact glass is very strong so if you are considering etched glass inserts, consider if you need impact hurricane glass door inserts. Remember impact glass door inserts are sized to fit Plastpro fiberglass doors, not wood doors. Plastpro doors are strong enough to withstand the weight of impact glass door inserts. We sell the doors also with our etched glass impact inserts. Here is a chart that shows you size and glass type availability for impact glass inserts as well as the standard tempered glass inserts.

Here is the easy process:

Find the Windspeed at Your Address

To find the wind speed for a specific site, select one of the following methods:

Above the “WIND” square enter the address. The site will forward you to a page with various information results. Residential homes are considered to need hurricane wind impact protection if the RISK CATEGORY II is equal or above 140 mph.
Read the additional information provided on the site pertaining to water levels for your area. That could change the initial result.
Choose the glass type you like for your door depending on the windspeed at your address.
The standard Plastpro doors are hurricane rated for all of Florida with the exception of Dade county (Miami). Plastpro has a special hurricane rated door just for that area.

They do have this disclaimer:

WINDSPEED WEBSITE DISCLAIMER

“While the information presented on this website is believed to be correct, ATC and its sponsors and contributors assume no responsibility or liability for its accuracy. The material presented in the windspeed report should not be used or relied upon for any specific application without competent examination and verification of its accuracy, suitability and applicability by engineers or other licensed professionals. ATC does not intend that the use of this information replace the sound judgment of such competent professionals, having experience and knowledge in the field of practice, nor to substitute for the standard of care required of such professionals in interpreting and applying the results of the windspeed report provided by this website. Users of the information from this website assume all liability arising from such use. Use of the output of this website does not imply approval by the governing building code bodies responsible for building code approval and interpretation for the building site described by latitude/longitude location in the windspeed report.”

Applied Technology Council ATC

Hurricane rated glass door inserts can be optional or mandatory

In Florida, 140 mph and above require hurricane protection for your glass doors. The image above shows a location in Pasco county. There is leeway if your project is a remodel and less than 30% (?) (check with the county building department because rules do change) of your exterior glass openings are being replaced. Many people do prefer hurricane impact glass though just for the extra protection and sound deadening properties of impact glass. The cost difference for impact glass can be double but you are having the opportunity to do this just once!