The easiest way to protect exterior doors from storm damage is to insure they have hurricane resistant glass. Hurricane resistant glass looks the same as regular glass. Most all homes have exterior doors that have large glass panels whether it is a hinged entry door or a patio sliding door. High storm winds such as hurricane force winds can be in excess of 150 mph. This wind is strong enough to punch through exterior entry doors and shatter patio doors. The result can be a flooded home.

Even if you have hurricane resistant glass doors you should still take precautions to avoid window damage and a resulting flood. Here are a few suggestions to protect your windows against high wind storm damage.

Check the condition and strengthen all exterior doors:

· Check all exterior doors for loose or missing hinge screws. Strong hurricane force winds can buckle an exterior door that’s not secured tightly. Consider replacing hinge screws with longer screws that pass through the door jambs and anchor the hinges to the wall framing.

· Screw the door threshold tightly into the house framing, not just the door jambs.

· Add a deadbolt to your door to make it more wind resistant.

Shield exterior doors with plywood panels:

Plywood is the best shield against high wind and it is inexpensive to buy and install. Screw plywood panels of ½ inch thick plywood over doors. Overlap door frames by a good six inches. The plywood panels can be precut to size and made available to install quickly. You don’t want to be running to the store for plywood when the storm is bearing down on you.

Replacement exterior doors with high impact glass doors:

A sliding patio door with high impact glass cost more than a regular patio door of the same size and type but is worth the investment to protect your home. High impact glass is made with a tough plastic film sandwiched between two panes of tempered glass. That plastic helps the glass resist shattering in high wind conditions.

Most insurance companies will reduce your insurance premiums if you have taken steps to reduce home damage from high storm winds. High impact glass doors and ready available plywood panels to cover windows during a storm can protect your home and in most cases can save you money on the cost of insurance and storm clean up.

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