Impact windows are one of the best ways to protect your home not only from hurricanes, but also from would-be intruders. Whether it’s Mother Nature or a home invader breaking windows in your home, you definitely don’t want your windows to break too easily.
While no window, regardless of how tough it may be, is immune to breaking, impact windows are capable of absorbing an incredible amount of punishment before failing, frustrating intruders and surviving impacts from flying debris that would shatter normal windows to let wind, rain, and more into your home.
But how hard is breaking windows that are impact-rated? How tough a time does an intruder have getting past the glass of a properly constructed and installed impact window?
You could take a look at impact window statistics and ratings to get a rough idea of how tough these windows are… or you could try smashing one for yourself!
No, we aren’t talking about finding and smashing random windows in the area (seriously, please don’t do this at home). Rather, Karoly Windows has set up a display in our Tampa Showroom where those interested in getting new impact windows can try their hand at breaking windows with a baseball bat!
Wait, You’re Really Breaking Windows at Your Tampa Showroom?
Yes! It’s a special display we have going on while supplies of excess impact window panes last. Customers interested in getting new impact windows can put on a pair of safety goggles (safety first!), grab a metal baseball bat, and go to town on an impact window.
Here’s a video of one man trying to break the window in the display with the bat:
He really went to town on that thing!
But, just to prove that impact windows are tough to break, Brandon Shannon, our CEO, followed up the baseball bat display with one of his own, stomping on the window over and over to try to get the glass to fail completely.
He did not succeed:
[Insert Video of Brandon stomping on the window]
As you can see in the video, he’s stomping on that window pretty hard and fast in a position a casual intruder isn’t likely to manage, so he can put more force into each strike. Still, the window doesn’t fail completely.
The glass cracks, but the laminate interlayer beneath it holds the broken pieces of glass together in the sash, allowing the glass pane to retain its overall shape and keep blocking the follow-up kicks and stomps.
The best part about this durability test? We picked up the window afterwards and took a close look at the back of the pane.
While the side of the glass that took the direct strikes of the bat was chipped and cracked, none of that affected the window glass on the other side. The back of the window pane was perfectly smooth and intact, ready to provide protection even if the top layer of glass got broken through by the window-breaking test.
This is what separates a real impact window from a non-impact window. The non impact window lacks many of the redundancies and security features that the impact window has. So, the vast majority of non-impact windows, even when fitted with impact glass, would not have stood up to the baseball bat, let alone the kick test!
Where Do You Get the Sashes for Your Window Breaking Display?
The sashes for the test can come from a variety of sources. Some homeowners let us take their old window sashes for the display, letting us compare different brands to see how they hold up. Most of the sashes we use for the display come from this.
When we remove old windows, we do our best to keep them intact as we take them out. This way, we can reduce the risk of glass shards at the work site. Being able to take the old sashes and use them for our breaking windows display is just an added bonus!
Why Is Breaking Windows So Hard with Impact-Rated Models?
So, what is it that separates an impact window from a non impact window? There are several things that impact windows do that set them apart from non-impact windows:
- Impact Windows Have Shatter-Resistant Safety Glass. A key part of an impact window’s construction is the use of safety glass in the window’s sash (or sashes, as the case may be). This means that the glass itself is less prone to shattering than standard glass.
- Impact Windows Have Laminate Interlayers. Some non-impact windows may use safety glass, but impact windows back that up with laminate interlayer materials that adhere to the glass itself. When the glass does get broken, such as by a heavy impact with a metal object, the laminate layer sticks to the broken glass, keeping the glass in place. This not only minimizes the risk of spalling (glass fragments that go flying when glass shatters), it keeps the glass pieces between whatever broke them and the interior of your home.
- Impact Windows Typically Have Multiple Layers of Glass. Why stop at one layer of protection when you can have two? Or three? Impact windows typically have at least two layers of glass panes to provide redundant protection in case the top layer of glass fails. While non-impact windows sometimes have multiple layers of glass for energy efficiency reasons, they lack the durability of laminated safety glass.
- Impact Windows Have Reinforced Window Frames. It isn’t just the glass that makes impact windows so good at absorbing punishment. The frames they use typically have more rugged construction than non-impact frames. This allows them to absorb shocks and impacts that would bend or break normal window frames without failing. Even if you put strong glass in a non-impact window, it won’t be able to withstand the same level of punishment as an impact window if you don’t have a reinforced frame as well!
These innovations have added benefits beyond simply making the window tough to break. The extra layers of glass help with both energy efficiency and soundproofing by adding an airtight barrier that makes it harder for both sound and heat to get through your windows.
So, impact windows are often more energy efficient and soundproof than non-impact windows by default.
Do I Really Need Expert Installation for Impact Windows?
A lot of homeowners wonder if they can just DIY the impact window installation. After all, it can’t be that much harder to install impact windows than regular windows, right?
Here’s the thing: it is more difficult to put in an impact window than a non-impact window. Even non-impact windows should be installed by an expert with a license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to ensure that things are done the right way.
Here are a few of the reasons why you should get your windows professionally installed by a qualified expert:
- Impact Windows Tend to Be Heavier Than Non-Impact. In most cases, impact windows are going to be significantly heavier than non-impact equivalents. This is largely due to the multiple layers of thick, laminated safety glass and the reinforced frames. Being heavier, you should have a team of professionals to handle the installation just for safety’s sake.
- Insurance Companies Won’t Provide Discounts Based on DIY Work. Insurance companies are obligated to provide premium discounts when a home has 100% impact windows in every window opening. However, if those windows weren’t installed by a qualified & certified professional, the insurer may decline to provide the discount. This is partly because unpermitted, DIY work may fail the wind mitigation inspection required to qualify for the discount.
- Professionals Know All the Critical Steps. Installing impact windows is meant to help protect your home from the worst effects of severe weather and break-in attempts. When doing installation as a DIY project, it’s all too easy to forget an important securement, not know how to use shims and bucks to ensure a level window installation, or simply not have the right tools on hand to get the job done correctly. With a professional installation, you don’t have to worry if your new window is installed correctly. You’ll have an expert handling all the details for you.
Want to Try Your Hand at Breaking Windows?
Book an appointment at our Tampa Showroom to take a crack at one of our impact window sash samples to see for yourself just how tough impact windows are to break!
As the saying goes: “Seeing is believing!”
Or, skip the trip and book an in-home impact window installation consultation. Though breaking windows may be more fun, the important thing is getting the best windows to protect your home from hurricanes and other threats as soon as possible!
