It’s hurricane season once again, that unpredictable time of year where buffeting winds and dramatic rainfalls are all too common. During these months it can’t be under-stressed how every step taken in preparation can make a world of difference in how well one keeps themselves, their loved ones, and their property safe.
As if to punctuate this point, hurricane Laura is barreling straight through Louisiana right now, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake and demonstrating just how much it pays to secure the hurricane vulnerabilities properties have.
(For the record, when unprepared the average post-hurricane repair job in the U.S. in 2020 costs over $8,200 USD.)
Though when it comes to effectively defending against hurricane conditions, there are few better guidelines to follow than the Miami-Dade Code of Florida.
Standing as top industrial standard in hurricane protection, building products that satisfy the Miami-Dade Code are approved for use in most all hurricane regions—and thanks to breakthrough methods in Reaction Injection Molding (RIM) manufacturing—skylight models are now more than capable of surpassing those stringent safety standards by reinforcing buildings against even the most radical storm conditions.
Hurricane Proofing under the Miami-Dade Code
Considering how Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the country, it naturally makes sense that people of the region know how to build against these disasters better than most—and the Miami-Dade code was their first official guideline published on how to do so.
Originally enacted in 1992 after the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew, the Miami-Dade code has come to be regarded as the top standard of hurricane resistance for building products in Florida and beyond, with other hurricane-prone states and entire separate nations referencing the same (or highly similar) standards to combat the hurricanes that come their way as well. For instance, the Pacific and Caribbean Islands, the Islands of Hawaii, Japan, and even select parts of South America have all adopted and implemented the Miami-Dade code as their highest global standard for hurricane safety.
Although, while this code is appropriately protective, it is also understandably limiting in other ways. If building products can’t meet hurricane standards, then they, unfortunately, need to be ignored by denizens of hurricane afflicted regions. All to say, many have had to give up their skylight ambitions due to the mandates of the Miami-Dade Code.
But with the revolutionary solid-state designs emerging now, anyone can enjoy a secure, code-compliant, skylight regardless of where they live.
Skylights that Stand against the Storm
When imagining how to reinforce the structural integrity of a property against great storms and hurricanes, a new skylight probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
After all, the last scenario anyone wants during an emergency situation is for shattered glass to start raining down from overhead. But in truth, that fear of skylight failure under environmental pressure is becoming a thing of the past.
That’s because while unstable fixings and breakable glass are well-placed worries in antiquated skylight models, the solid-state skylight designs being produced today take hurricane protection to an entirely new level—one that even exceeds the strict requirements of the Miami-Dade Code.
Hurricane-Grade Solid-State Skylights
As mentioned earlier, such advancements in skylight manufacturing have only become possible thanks to recent innovations in RIM manufacturing.
Reinforced glass glazing’s capable of withstanding everything from the high-velocity winds of hurricanes, to the ballistic impacts of firearms, do much to reinforce new models too. But it’s the solid-state construction RIM allows which truly cements the unbreaking security of skylight’s contemporary designs.
Looking at construction step-by-step, this incredible level of durable protective quality is achieved by injecting liquid aliphatic polyurethane into a preheated mold that’s shaped-to-order to ensure a perfect skylight fit. The superheated polymer then cools to form the skylight’s actual frame while simultaneously bonding with the reinforced glass panel placed within.
The result is a single solid-state skylight that lends greater protections than any other models made in the past. Better yet, because everything is bonded into one individual piece there are no removable parts or additional fasting’s to worry about.
Additionally, this enhanced manufacturing method has introduced a breed of skylight performances so reliable that providers like ourselves can offer 20-year transferable warranties for the models we produced. And yes, those warranties do account for skylights installed atop the most hurricane-prone properties around.
Finding your own Hurricane-Proof Skylight
It’s well understood that skylights supply an invaluable range of environmental and health benefits to users, and with the modern hurricane protections seen above that solid-state models provide, there’s no reason for weather-concerned residents to miss out on them any longer.
To learn more about the range of hurricane-grade skylight options available to you, feel free to browse through the affordable commercial and residential solid-state solutions we offer at Vtech here.