Disaster Safety Will Blow You Away
Did you know that the direction your door swings has a lot to do with how safe your home is during a high-wind event?
So how important is your front door swing when it comes to hurricane resistance? Dramatic video from the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) research and testing center in South Carolina may make you think twice when picking an exterior door. In the video below, the inswing door in the house on the left opens during a simulated high-wind event with catastrophic results.
I’ve been a fan of outswing doors for years primarily because they are more water resistant than inswing doors which have to rely on the threshold gasket to keep out wind-blown rain. Plus they are more air-tight, and that translates to energy savings.
Visit the IBHS Research Center’s Fortified website to get the latest information on how to build disaster-resistant homes: fortifiedhome.org
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Read about the testing facility in Engineering News Record a little while ago. It will generate some useful data. I wonder how the in swing entry door that failed was secured. Is there anyway of finding out if it was a simple entry lock or were there deadbolts. Out swing doors present issues of physical security and landing area/accessibility issues for residential entries. Doors do more than keep the rain out.