impact windows

The windows in your home may be one thing you never thought about that could cause major problems. As building codes were much more lenient when your home was first built compared to today, many things installed back then would never pass inspection if put up today. One such thing are the standard builders windows of the 90s and 2000s. These poor windows were a low cost option installed on cookie cutter homes that offered little in the way of defense. With a performance lifespan of 15-20 years, they’re already past their expiration date. If you’ve never considered swapping out your original windows, it’s likely time to make the switch. Even so, subpar windows can appear to be perfectly fine, which is why there’s a few key signs to determine when it’s time to replace your standard windows.

It’s Cold When It Should Be Warm And Vice Versa

When a window is new, it can keep the temperature of your home consistent all year round. As time goes on though and the years pass by without proper maintenance or repairs to maintain its efficiency as an insulator begins to fail dramatically. This forces your A/C to work that much harder to keep your home hotter/colder depending on the temperature outside. Cold drafts and excessive heat can seep into your home much quicker than they would with higher performing windows, which can lead to a rather uncomfortable living experience in your home.

Exterior Noise Is Seeping Inside Constantly

The sound of cars driving by, lawn mowers cutting grass on a Sunday morning, and dogs barking at 4am can be bothersome. Subpar standard windows can allow that noise to flood the interior of your home, making it an impossible task while just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. This will continue to get progressively worse as more time passes.

Windows Won’t Move

Windows are a crucial part of any home’s infrastructure. The older they get, the more likely it is that rust and rot will form on their frames which makes moving or repairing them nearly impossible. In the event of an emergency, your windows should function as a means for escape. If you can’t open them and are trapped inside then that poses serious problems to both safety and reliability.

You’re Relying On Shutters Or Wood Panels During Hurricanes

South Floridians have to rely on various techniques and materials to defend their homes against the prospective damage of a hurricane, with two key solutions being aluminum shutters and wood panels. While both have been traditional means of defending your home, they’re outdated and potentially more dangerous than you might expect. Instead, count on impact windows. Impact Windows are the best choice for protection against high winds and flying debris during major storms. They’re rated for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone and all Miami-Dade building codes, which means they’ll keep your home safe even if a hurricane strikes.

If you’re looking for high-quality impact windows for your home to replace your subpar standards windows, contact the Eurotech Industries team today!

It’s a hot summer in Florida and as you know, air conditioning units are working overtime to keep homes cool. While this helps with the temperature of your house during these sweltering months from June through September, it has an effect on how much energy goes into running that unit all year long—with one big takeaway being higher costs throughout the season!

The windows of your home are more than just a pretty face. They have major functions that affect the temperature inside your home in different ways, from letting cold air escape to maintaining solar heat gain. Subpar, standard windows can leave your home suffering all year long, heating it up dramatically and forcing your A/C system to work significantly harder. Why suffer through a hot summer? Your home doesn’t have to be hotter than the sun with impact windows and doors installed in your home.

Your Home Gets Hot Due To Solar Heat Gain

Although the sun is a brilliant source of heat and light, it can also take away from your home’s comfort by heating up windows. This process, called solar heat gain, takes place when rays hit surfaces such as glass which absorb most if not all radiation inside them before passing through into our homes where they begin to warm your home internally.

Homes in South Florida are often sweltering during the summer because of how little insulation standard builder’s windows provide. The result is a house that experiences dramatic temperature fluctuations throughout an afternoon, making it hard for homeowners to stay cool without using air conditioning or opening up their windows at night when they become too hot inside from excessive daytime sunlight coming through them.

Stay Cool Through The Hot Summer Months

Keeping your home cool and comfortable during the summer is not an easy task. There are a few tips you can use to beat the heat. These include:

Count On Window Treatments

When you have beautiful natural light all day, it’s wonderful. With that said, you’ll likely be feeling the effects of that sunlight in a matter of minutes. If your home gets too hot because of prolonged exposure to the sun in South Florida during summertime, consider closing curtains or blinds when not using a certain room so that your air conditioning doesn’t need to work extra hard!

With these, you can avoid the problems of hot and stuffy rooms that come from heating up your home with no natural ventilation. These will actually do a significant job in stopping solar heat gain throughout most parts of this day which is great for your A/C unit as well!

Don’t Open Your Windows, Even For That Ocean Breeze

It is tempting to open your windows when your home starts feeling hot and muggy, but this will not help. Not only is hot air coming into the house with high humidity levels (which could reach 70%-90%), but there are other potential dangers such as pouring rains that start out of nowhere.

Make The Switch To Impact Windows

Your windows are playing a major role in how much heat gets into your home this summer. As mentioned earlier, underperforming or older window treatments will do little to no job at all for insulating and thus allowing solar energy gain transfer inside, leading to a stressed out A/C unit. Impact Windows are a great way to save on energy costs while keeping your home cool and comfortable during hot summer months. The natural insulating effect of these windows prevents heat from entering your home, so you’ll get to enjoy a much cooler home all Summer long.

Contact Eurotech Industries today to learn more about the benefits of impact windows and how they can make a huge difference this summer.

It happens to everyone: they go back and forth as to whether their home really needs impact windows or not. They see some of the benefits, but they fail to recognize how much of a difference impact windows can actually make for your home. The Eurotech team is here to let you in on a secret, though: there’s a few telltale signs that you need to make the switch to impact windows as soon as possible. These include, but are not limited to:

Key Signs You Need To Switch To Impact Windows

Your House Is Never The Right Temperature

Have you noticed that your home is seemingly never the right temperature? No matter what you do with your thermostat, it still manages to feel cold in the winter and hot during the summer. This is likely the effect of underperforming windows. Standard windows were originally designed with an inert gas such as argon that filled the space between each pane to help regulate the temperature inside your home. As time wears on, this gas slowly escapes, leaving nothing to regulate the outside temperature. This causes your home to be colder in the winter months and hotter during the summer.

Impact windows insulate your home dramatically better than standard windows, keeping your A/C system from working overtime to keep your home cool/warm throughout the year. This, in turn, also leads to a lowered energy bill all year long.

You’re Relying On Shutters Or Wood Panels During Hurricanes

When Hurricane Season rolls around, are you relying on subpar hurricane defense systems such as wood panels or accordion shutters? While they’ve been the traditional solutions for South Floridians for years, they don’t provide nearly the same level of protection that you’ll find with impact windows. Rated for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), impact windows are designed to provide superior defense against high wind speeds and thrown debris during a serious storm such as a tropical storm or hurricane.

You’re Uncomfortable In Your Own Home

There are several reasons you feel uncomfortable in your own home—all of which can be avoidable with impact windows. It’s natural to feel uncomfortable in your own home following such circumstances. Impact windows, though, completely remove this from being a possibility. As burglars and other intruders look for weak points in your home, windows tend to be the most targeted areas. With impact windows that are designed to withstand wind speeds upwards of 150+ mile per hour winds, your windows become your strongest fortification.

On top of home defense, there’s plenty of other reasons why you may feel uncomfortable in your own home. This can include things such as outside noise. Whether it be traffic or loud neighbors mowing the lawn at 7am on a Sunday, nobody wants to be disturbed within their own home. Impact windows drastically reduce the amount of outside noise that is able to make its way into your home thanks to their construction.

If you find yourself suffering from any of the above, it’s time to make the switch with Eurotech! For a free quote, contact the Eurotech team today either online or give us a call at (954) 630-9967.

If you’ve decided to upgrade your current window systems: congrats! You’re taking the first step towards increasing your home’s defenses while beautifying the exterior and interior of your house at the same time. While searching for new windows, you’ve likely come across a few different terms, including impact windows and hurricane windows. What are they, what’s the difference between them, and which one is right for your South Florida home? The Eurotech team breaks it down for you!

What Are Hurricane Windows?

Hurricane windows are a staple in South Florida, providing homeowners and business owners alike with the defense necessary against large storm patterns from tropical depressions all the way to category 5 storms. Built to withstand the toughest wind speeds upwards of 150+ mph, hurricane windows have to be strong enough to defend against thrown debris, high wind speeds, and heavy pressure during a large storm such as a hurricane.

With Hurricane season being as unpredictable as it can be, having to put up and take down shutters and wood panels for half a year can be taxing and especially difficult depending on the placement of certain windows. With hurricane windows installed, you won’t have to worry about installing traditional hurricane defense, as hurricane windows stay installed all year long. This allows you to focus on securing other essentials for your home before the storm ever arrives.

What Are Impact Windows?

Impact windows are windows that have been crafted to withstand tremendous impacts without shattering. Utilizing a 7/16″ thick laminated and heat strengthened glass pane, as well as a heavy gauge aluminum alloy for the frame, your windows are built to withstand anything that gets thrown its way. Impact windows defense against intruders and thrown debris, as well as offers ancillary defenses against things such as UV rays, heat, and sound pollution.

So What’s The Difference Between Hurricane Windows And Impact Windows?

Unless in very unique circumstances, hurricane windows and impact windows will typically mean the same thing. Geographically, you might find citizens residing in Southeast states referring to them as “hurricane windows”, whereas midwest and western states may have a completely different name for them! Always make sure to check the ratings for your impact windows to ensure that they were truly designed to withstand any impact, including heavy winds from large storm patterns such as tropical storms and hurricanes.

If you’re looking for stunning hurricane windows for your home or business in South Florida, look no further than Eurotech Industries. Our impact window and door systems were designed to defend against whatever Mother Nature throws your way. To learn more, simply contact us online or give us a call at (954) 630-9967.

When Mother Nature strikes your home, it can cause damage in a variety of different ways. 

From heavy snowfall to large hail, to torrential rains that lead to flooding, the environment can be completely unpredictable and leave serious damage in its wake. While living in sunny South Florida certainly has its perks, it’s not exempt to these types of damage. In fact, South Florida is in the direct path of tropical storms and hurricanes alike, which bring heavy winds and serious rainfall as they move across the Atlantic Ocean towards Florida.

While homeowners have typically elected for more traditional methods such as accordion shutters or standard wood panels to protect their homes, impact windows actually protect your home tremendously better than the former options. In fact, impact windows offer protection against a number of environmental factors that could impact your home in a variety of ways.

Hurricane Protection

Designed with hurricanes in mind, impact windows offer drastically improved protection for your home over traditional methods such as shutters or wood panels. Eurotech impact windows are rated to withstand wind speeds upwards of 150+ miles per hour. This means that high wind speeds and airborne debris won’t be able to destroy your home in the middle of even the toughest storms. 

UV Protection

With South Florida’s demanding heat it can be just as hot inside as it is outside! Homeowners may find themselves getting sunburns while sitting inside their home all day. This is caused by the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays passing through standard windows and into your home. Not only can UV rays affect you, but can damage your belongings inside as well. Continued direct impact by UV rays can cause fabrics and paints to fade over time. Thankfully, Eurotech impact windows drastically reduce the amount of UV that is able to penetrate into the interior of your home, keeping you and your belongings safe—even if it’s 100 degrees out!

Sound Protection

Whether it’s a heavy storm raging outside, neighbors mowing their lawn early in the morning, or just traffic passing by, constant noise can quickly deteriorate your quality of life inside your home. Thick impact glass acts as a heavy insulator, keeping unwanted noise out of your home, bringing back the peace so you can enjoy your home with your loved ones to the fullest without any unnecessary distractions.

The environment may throw everything it can your way, but you can rest assured knowing you and your family are safe against the elements with your impact windows installed. To learn more, simply contact the Eurotech Windows team online, or give us a call at (954) 630-9967.

While it may not seem like it, 2021 Hurricane Season is officially upon us. Starting every year in June, Hurricane Season officially gets underway, looming over South Floridian’s heads all the way through November. Unfortunately, many South Floridians will wait till the last minute as a hurricane is just hours away to start prepping for the incoming storm. Rather than just wait till it’s too late to start getting ready, it’s important to start your hurricane preparedness plan long before the first storm gets named.

Stock Up On Essential Supplies

Long time South Floridians know that every hurricane can knock down power lines, and cause blackouts across cities. Power could be out for a few days to several weeks. This leaves homeowners with no way to cook, store perishable foods, use their air conditioner, etc. The first step to your hurricane preparedness plan should be to stock up on absolute essentials. Some essentials include:

• Non-Perishable Foods
• Batteries
• Water
• First-Aid Kit
• Sanitary Items (soap, toilet paper, etc.
• Battery Powered Fans
• Battery or Solar Powered Lights
• Solar Charger & Battery Bank

Stocking up in advance gives the bonus of avoiding the rush to the stores after a storm is confirmed to be heading our way. The moment the storm is officially coming towards us, the masses rush out to their local store, swarming every aisle and shelf. Waiting can lead to very limited supplies being available. Don’t stress out at the last minute, and stock up early.

Set Up An Evacuation Plan

While homeowners across South Florida will hunker down through every single storm, there are a few that should not be messed with. Each year, there tends to be 2-3 category 4 or 5 storms, pulling wind speeds upwards of 160 miles per hour. These storms are not to be messed with, as they only leave devastation in their path. It’s important to establish an evacuation route in your hurricane preparedness plan. In the event of a high-powered storm emerging, knowing where to go can be all the difference to getting to your destination in a safe and timely manner. When planning your hurricane preparedness plan, make sure your evacuation destination is somewhere away from the coast, and at a higher elevation. 

Ensure Your Home’s Safety With Hurricane Resistant Windows and Doors

Protecting your family, home, and belongings should be the priority when it comes to your hurricane preparedness plan. Many homeowners elect for either simple shutters or even just wood panels. While they are better than just leaving your windows exposed to the environment, they shouldn’t be your only defense. Higher category hurricane-strength winds have been known to rip panels and shutters off. Most homes built throughout the South Florida area before 2000 were constructed without hurricane-resistant windows. Updating your homes with hurricane-resistant glass offers far superior protection against the elements. Paired with shutters, you and your family can rest easy even when the toughest storm comes rolling through.

With so many different brands available, finding the right hurricane-resistant windows for your hurricane preparedness plan can be difficult. Thankfully, you can trust our glass when you need to most. All Eurotech Windows & Doors are rated far higher than the competition. Interested in learning more? Simply contact us online or give us a call at (954) 630-9967 and our team will be happy to assist!