When you have brand new windows in your home, they can provide a number of meaningful benefits. These include increasing your home value, increasing your safety, improving your energy efficiency, and reducing outside noise.
However, one of the most important factors when choosing windows for your home is something you may never have heard of before. This is what is known as design pressure ratings.
Understanding door and window design pressure ratings is essential for making sure your home is both up to code and as safe as possible.
What are pressure ratings, and what do you need to know about them? Let's take a look.
What Are Design Pressure Ratings?
If you're shopping for new windows and doors, you may have come across the term design pressure rating. This is a rating method that quantifies how much impact windows or doors can withstand.
The impact being discussed can originate from a variety of sources. Wind, rain, snow, and other environmental factors are considered primary forces of impact or load.
Design pressure ratings are measured based on the end-use of a product. This means that the rating is based on how much load a window or door can tolerate once it's properly installed at a property. This is, of course, as opposed to the rating it has before installation.
This rating system is backed by both research and science. There are a number of organizations that keep tabs on whether design pressure ratings are based on scientific research and resources.
The design pressure rating of a particular window or door comes from a number of lab tests. The tests look at how many pounds of pressure the item can deal with per square foot. The object will be put through a series of tests to find out just how much pressure it can withstand.
What Is Your Home's Required Design Pressure?
It's important to make sure you meet the design pressure rating for your home and location. While it's tempting to just buy the cheapest windows or the nicest looking ones, the rating is an essential piece of information in your decision. If you don't have windows or doors that are strong enough for your area, you can run into serious problems down the road.
It can also create a safety risk if your window are too weak. Whether or not your home incurs serious damage during a storm could just be a matter of how strong your windows and doors are.
You could also be in a bind if you try to make an insurance claim after a disaster. If your windows don't meet the minimum design pressure rating, your insurer might tell you you're out of luck. Since your home didn't meet the legal standards, they might not be obligated to cover the claim.
There is going to be a different design pressure rating in different areas. Let's learn more about how location can impact your minimum design pressure.
If your property is in a place that experiences frequent hurricanes or tons of rainfall, the design pressure rating for your area might be much higher than other locations. For example, Miami is one of the top five US cities on the list of hurricane vulnerability. The design pressure minimum of your home can also be affected by the height of your home.
How much pressure a window or door can take is relative to the height, depth, and length of a building. The placement of the window or door is also an important factor.
You can find the minimum design pressure rating for your area by visiting the website for your municipality. For more rural areas, you might have to call or visit the town office. It's common for cities to have literature that discusses minimum design pressure ratings.
(Are you wondering what type of door is the most efficient for your Miami property? If so, check out this article!)
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How to Read Pressure Ratings
When you are looking at the design pressure rating of a window or door, you're looking at a rating that measures how much force it can withstand. The stronger the window or door, the higher the design pressure rating will be.
How to Calculate Design Pressure Ratings
The process of determining a window's design pressure rating involves attaching the window to a wooden frame and then clamping it to a wall that has been made specifically for the test. On the inside of the window, the air pressure is then gradually reduced. This makes the outside air pressure gradually increase until the window finally breaks.
The window must not become permanently damaged before the test pressure reaches 1.5 times the DP for ten seconds.
If you live in Florida, the minimum DP rating that is generally recommended is 50. Impact windows, however, have to have a DP rating of DP60 in order to qualify for CAT 5-level protection.
The reason it's so important for windows to be strong in the face of storms is that having a window blown out can seriously compromise the structural integrity of your home. When your windows are blown out, air pressure can enter your home and potentially damage or completely blow off your roof.
Are You Looking For Impact Windows in Miami?
As you can see, design pressure ratings are essential no matter where you live. For homeowners in Miami, having impact windows and doors that can prevent interior damage during severe weather is vital. At Alco Windows and Doors, we're here to help you transform your home into a more beautiful, more efficient, and safer place.
Is it time for you to consider replacing your old windows with new impact windows? If so, book a free appointment today!
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