The Glass Question

Astroguard Hurricane Fabric is the world’s most advanced hurricane protection system, capable of handling any size or strength storm with aplomb, and then be ready for the next one. And the next one. And the next one. It is a remarkable product, a wonderful answer to the question of “how best to protect my home or business?”

Of all the questions we get regarding Astroguard hurricane protection, the one we field most frequently is, “but won’t the glass break if the fabric is hit by something heavy?” The simple, short answer is, “Yes, the glass can break.” The longer, more correct answer is, “yes, and this is true for most other storm protection products also.”

Most folks are surprised by this answer, they have assumed that OSB, corrugated aluminum, plexiglass all will protect their glass from breakage. The truth is that each of these rigid products are either damaged or they allow projectiles through them with a direct hit. Have you seen the video? The one where the 2x4 goes straight through the OSB, damages the aluminum, but bounces off the Astroguard Hurricane Fabric? It’s remarkable. Astroguard is the product that can take multiple hits (tested up to 100) before failure. No other product can claim this.

But here’s the thing: keeping windows from breaking is not the final goal of hurricane protection. Think about it: in a hurricane event, what is the damage that costs the most to repair, takes the longest to fix, and can potentially cause long term health issues? Right, water intrusion. A broken window may cost $150 - $400 to repair, while an open window allowing rainwater in could cause damage in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair. I’ll let you choose which you’d prefer.

And here is where Astroguard really shines - it is 100% waterproof, and keeps rainwater out in a hurricane.

Check this out:

All the pressure of a pressure washer, and no water comes through. This is what you want during a hurricane.

We have anecdotal evidence of the ability of Astroguard to keep water from penetrating during hurricanes. A client of ours suffered tremendous water damage during Hurricane Florence because his impact-glass windows all leaked during the storm. All but one window, that is. He had ordered one Astroguard panel as a test, and installed it on one window prior to the hurricane, and, yes, you guessed it, that was the only window in his entire home that did not leak during Hurricane Florence. Shortly after, he hired us to protect his entire home. During Hurricane Dorian he had zero leaks, due to the Astroguard coverings on all his windows and doors.

If you are one questioning the efficacy of Astroguard due to the fact that it flexes, we hope this blog post has helped. If not, please feel free to reach out to us for more information.