FINALLY A HURRICANE PANEL THAT MAKES SENSE For the last couple of years the”Buzz Phrase” has got to be “Hurricane Protection.” With all the storms we have had lately I’m sure we have all been a part of, or witnessed serious storm damage. We have seen damage that could have been prevented if everyone had hurricane panels of one sort or another. But to my amazement, not all panels are equal in protection or cost. I have learned that some styles aren’t even worth having. Some people have spent good money for panels that are good for only one damaging storm. Listed below are some comparisons to the different styles of products available, some with scary conclusions. There are the old traditional heavy gray galvanized panels. You know which ones I mean. The ones that you have to figure out what window they go to. Which side is up? Do we start mounting them from left or right? Or, how come every year we never have all the nuts and bolts? Not a fun job. The people with that lousy job are the people who wait until the last minute to put them up, hoping the storm makes a sudden turn away from us. The ever popular accordion style system seems real popular for businesses, homes and condominiums. At a glance they look to be a great and practical solution to those old heavy galvanized panels. But taking a closer look, they’re not practical at all. The big draw back is all the small moving parts. They have a thin panel supported by a hinge about every six inches sitting on top of a set of wheels or rollers that ride on a track or channel just like a real train. At the top of this panel is a plastic guide riding in another channel. When they are new they glide right along very effortlessly. When you factor in age, corrosion, salt and sand grit, the train no longer eases down the track at all. IF you are a person who seldom closes the shutters, picture this headache: You get the warning that a storm is coming and it is time to “baton down the hatches.” You go to your patio to pull shut the accordion shutters and they get hung up and won’t close all of the way. PANIC! Not a good time to get service people to respond. The other negative fact is that in a storm they are only good for one hit. When you buy hurricane panels it is considered to be a one time purchase. If during a hurricane they get warped from winds or struck by an object they will no longer fold back together in a nice neat stack and roll down the track to their out of the way parking position. Therefore, you can’t open a door or window. The people at “Easy Hurricane Panel” company have a solution to all of those weak points.

They have recently expanded their product line from their popular selling lightweight panels to include “BI-fold Hurricane Panels,” a panel that makes sense. This panel was designed with the sliding door application in mind, but using the common sense technology used in your front door and bedroom doors. The easy to use Easy Hurricane BI-fold panel does not use aluminum tracks or frames around a window. Nothing to step over. This lightweight aluminum composite panel is mounted and hinged to the wall on the side of your sliding glass door. It parks out of the way just like your opened front door or bedroom door by using the “dead wall” area built into every room. Out of the way, and even out of sight if you paint it to match the wall. You can even mount a picture on it if you wanted to. But when the time comes to use it, they open and close just as easy as using your front door. (Now when was the last time you had problems opening or closing it). Just unlatch it, pull it closed across the sliding glass door opening, secure the lock pin from the inside of your house, close the glass door, and you are done. This Easy Hurricane BI-fold system has been tested, approved and state certified. It exceeds all Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties hurricane wind and impact specifications. All Easy Hurricane panels have been approved for all condo floor levels. (Not all manufactures have these ratings). With hurricanes …. the higher the altitude … the higher the wind force. If you haven’t bought hurricane panel protection for your sliding glass doors yet, these are some good facts to consider. If you already own an accordion style system keep in mind the maintenance issues that you need to keep up with and the damage drawbacks you will be dealing with after the storm. It might be time to consider making a change before the next storm hits.