With the storm all over the news, you’re probably scourging around to find a solution – something to protect your Florida home from the abrasive wind. You’ll probably stumble upon Hurricane Window Film, and as a quick TL;DR and PSA, Hurricane Window Film is not real.
If Hurricane Film Isn’t Real, What is Being Promoted?
Hurricane Window Film is a specially designed polyester material that is applied directly to the inside of the windows. The goal of the window film is to protect you and your home from high-velocity winds and flying debris , while also providing typical window film benefits such as UV Protection, Heat Reduction, and overall safety.
Sound familiar?
Hurricane Film is just rebranded Safety And Security Film.
Can Safety Film Protect Us & Our Home From Hurricanes & Storms?
Great question, and honest answer from us is that it won’t protect you, but something is better than nothing.
Here’s what most safety and security films are created to do:
- Increase Protection From Flying Or Broken Glass
- Deter Smash and Grab Burglaries
- Reduce Fading from UV Light
- Preserve Appearance of Furniture & Fabrics
- Abrasion Resistance
- Easy Removal
Safety and Security film provides most of the benefits from normal residential window film, while providing added safety protection.
The primary benefit with safety and security film isn’t that it can withstand the damage but rather that it holds the glass pane together. For hurricanes and storms, who’s winds can be from 75+ miles per hour, your glass may shatter, your glass pane may come off the window frame, but the safety and security film will hold the pane together, so shards won’t be flying around, potentially cutting you or your family. Sure the safety and security film can withstand a couple of hits from a bat before it shatters, but we wouldn’t consider it the ultimate protection against the hurricanes.
What Does Solar Solutions Recommend For Your Vero Beach Home?
Our personal recommendation if you are looking for safety and security film is 3M™ Scotchshield™ Security Window Film S2400. This film type is the thickest in 3M’s safety and security lineup at a whopping 25 mils. It’s still a polyurethane construction, designed to be tear resistant and for glass fragment retention, blocks 99% of the UV Rays, and all while being optically clear at that thickness.
The applications for 3M S2400 include:
- Preventing Flyring glass shards in the following applications:
- Spontaneous Glass Breakage
- Break and Entry Incidents
- Seismic Events
- Intentional and Accidental Explosions (per 3M’s Spec Sheet)
- Impact protection from wind-borne debris
- Helps delay intruders in break and entry incidents
- Helps Protect against Ultraviolet fading
- Helps meet many industry performance standards for Glass fragment retention
Heads up, the product must be installed with 3M Impact Protection Attachment sealant to ensure you get the full protection and benefits, but our film experts can go more in detail with you if you’re interested.
So back to the PSA. Hurricane Window Film is not real – just rebranded Safety And Security Film. However, some protection is better than none, and our personal recommendation if you are looking for a safety film would be 3M S2400. If you have any questions about our residential and commercial window film service, give us a call. Here at Solar Solutions, we’re here to help!