South Florida living comes with many benefits–sunny days and nearby beaches, to name a couple. But one downside to living in Miami is the threat of hurricanes. Hurricane season brings heavy rains, strong winds, and the risk of damage to your home.
There are ways to protect your home from catastrophic damage, notably, impact doors and impact windows to ensure the weather stays outside. What are the benefits of impact doors? Why should you have them professionally installed in your Miami house? Let’s dig in.
Looking for a professional opinion? The expert team at USA Home Improvement provides free consultations for impact doors in Miami and the surrounding areas.
The benefits of impact doors in Florida go beyond hurricane protection. They can keep your house safe all year, lower your electricity costs, and reduce noise pollution.
Hurricanes bring strong winds, whipping rain, and flying debris, which cause the most damage during storm season. Impact doors are reinforced to be hurricane-resistant, protecting your home from interior devastation. If the storm is able to breach your doors, the debris can cause damage to not only your home but also injure your family.
Hurricanes aren’t the only danger to your home. Intruders often go for your front or back doors to break in during a burglary. Impact doors are strong enough to hold tight against any crowbars, and the glass is more shatter-resistant than typical door glass, so you can sleep peacefully knowing your family is protected.
It’s no secret that Miami's summer temperatures are, well, sweltering. Energy costs soar during the warm months as families in South Florida try to keep the inside of their homes cool. One factor leading to even higher electric bills is doors that leak, allowing the heat in and the cooled air out.
Impact doors are the most energy-efficient option for your home–the insulation prevents unwanted heat exchange, acting as a seal between the indoors and out.
Noise pollution is such a common occurrence in our lives that we may not even notice it anymore. Any noise from outside your home, including music and loud vehicles, begins to impact your sleep, diminishing your mental and physical health. According to data from US News, Miami is the second worst American city for sleep health, and one of the deciding factors was local noise pollution.
Impact doors keep outside noise out, providing peace and quiet in your living space.
There are several different types of impact doors, so you can use them around the entire outside of your home–from the front door to a sliding patio door, and even your garage door. Most options are available in many different frame colors, frame materials, and glass tints.
Impact doors go through rigorous training to ensure they stand up to the most intense of conditions. They are usually made with fiberglass over a core material that will not warp or distort during extreme weather with reinforced hinges and frames. Even impact doors made of glass are resistant to hurricane conditions. Impact doors are not only protective, but they also come in many styles and materials to fit the aesthetics of your home.
Sliding glass impact doors open horizontally by sliding on a track. They are available in many sizes, from 2 panels to 8–acting as a perfect patio entrance and providing expansive views of your property.
On top of being Low-E and using Argon gas as insulation, sliding glass impact doors allow natural light to flood the interior of your home. This can reduce the need for lights during daytime hours, further lowering electricity costs.
French impact doors, also known as swing doors, are a charming option for many homes. Large, modern glass panels and interestingly styled panes add to your home’s curb appeal. Like sliding glass doors, they allow natural light in while keeping all elements out. The concealed locking system provides added strength and security from potential intruders.
There are many different impact doors to choose from, and the consideration factors depend on your home and your goals.
To keep your impact doors strong and efficient for many years, proper care and maintenance are necessary.
Glass impact doors should be regularly cleaned with soap and water, but that is not enough. While it will remove any dust or grime on the surface, it does nothing for the dirt that could accumulate between the frame and the glass. If that dirt is left over time, it can cause the impact glass to crack at the edges, which ruins its integrity and can cause failure from a strong impact.
The reinforced hinges of impact doors need extra care to maintain their structural integrity. Any squeaking or metal-on-metal creaking can wear down your hinges, impeding their effectiveness in a storm. Regular care to make sure all parts are properly lubricated and moving freely is key in caring for your impact doors.
While we know impact doors can stand up to the strongest winds and the heaviest of flying debris, they should still be treated with care in your home. Avoiding unnecessary wear and tear from slamming is crucial for the long-term integrity of your impact doors.
You may find some small cracks in the film on the glass of your impact door or other minor issues that seem inconsequential. However, these small problems can prove disastrous if left over time. The glass film reinforces the strength of the glass, so it should be regularly inspected and promptly replaced.
The importance of impact doors in Miami cannot be overstated. If it's time to protect your home and upgrade its aesthetic, the expert team at USA Home Improvement is standing by, ready to provide a free consultation. We offer affordable financing on all impact doors and installations, so reach out today.