CDC says "Tape your windows."

[greeng13]

agreed stephanie...they have enough to worry about with the "elevated" terror alert

[borderPatrol2329]

too bad the CDC can't do anything about misinformation. It seems to be contageous.

Hurricane rated shutters are the most desirable. Plywood is the next best thing, but what if you can't get them in time? If your plywood job fails, what then? Would have been kind of nice to have had some back up.

Some have commented that the tape will be removed by the wind. If you have used the correct tape, duct tape, and correctly applied it, any wind that will rip it off will likely rip of your plywood job too! Also, why wouldn't you apply it to the interior as well? By the way, plate glass does not break in a million pieces, it breaks in large, lethal shards. Here is part of what I advised people in advance of France last week.

"Not everyone is going to be able to secure plywood or other material for a proper board up, so what can they do? Duct tape will be your best ally. Start with each window and create an X from corner to corner. Now create a cross from the mid points of the window. Now run the tape around the perimeter, half on the glass, and half on the frame. Overlap on strip to the inside, and on strip to the outside of you perimeter strip. Repeat this procedure on the opposite side of the glass. On the interior side of the glass apply a clear piece of polyethylene tarp (or kitchen cling wrap if you can't obtain polyethylene) with more tape. This is to protect you from spall. Spall is small splinters of glass ejected when glass is shattered. Be aware that all high strength glass, except that which has special film applied, is prone to spalling.

Tempered safety glass is very, very vulnerable to failure in Hurricanes. While it will withstand 4 to 5 times greater impact and windloading to regular glass of the same thickness, when it does fail, and it will, it basically disintegrates into 1/4" size pieces. Tempered glass launched by hurricane force winds will act like buckshot. Most entry doors, storm doors and patio doors are tempered glazing. Sloped glazing and some rooftop skylites may also be tempered glass, particularly if they are single glazed. You need to secure and protect tempered safety glass from any chance of impacts, and from excessive loading.

Assess all of your windows and doors. Factors that affect their strength are glass thickness, size, and shape. The thinner the glass, the more likely it will break when under Hurricane windloading. Similarly, even with thicker glass, large windows are more at risk. Shape can also play a part. Rectangular windows tend to fail ahead of square windows. This is because square windows distribute the loading equally to all points of the frame. So what can you do to shore up large windows short of boarding them up? Use broomsticks, poles, rods, or any sturdy material as a support. Don't get carried away and use something too large(thick), as it may break loose under its own weight at the height of the storm. Use the duct tape to securely fasten your piece of material across the center of the window on its widest side (not diagonally). If you have sufficient material, put it across the opposite side on the interior. This is for the negative loading (vacuum effect) on the leeward side. Be sure you material extends well beyond the frame. Be certain that it is well taped so that it doesn't become the missile that ends up breaking your window."

[greeng13]

referring to border....

i see where you are coming from...what exactly is the proper way to board up? (any links, etc?)...for me it is easier than removing duct tape...


*added after edit--------

i thought i read somewhere that you should drill "vent" holes in the wood?

[Ixolib]

Duct tape will be your best ally. Start with each window and create an X from corner to corner. Now create a cross from the mid points of the window. Now run the tape around the perimeter, half on the glass, and half on the frame. Overlap on strip to the inside, and on strip to the outside of you perimeter strip. Repeat this procedure on the opposite side of the glass.

Wondering how much experience you have with removing DUCT tape after a few hours, not to mention days!! The reason for shutters/plywood is to prevent air/wind intrusion into the structure. Duct tape will not prevent the windows from breaking, and hence, serves little purpose in protecting the integrity of the structure. However, since most windows in a structure won't break anyway, the extreme hassle created by the left-over mess that the glue on the tape will leave is well worth not even going there in the first place. Don't do it!!

[borderPatrol2329]

try a hair dryer, This heats and softens the glus, a flat putty knife to lift and scrape any stubborn tape, and a little varsol and a rag to clean off any remaining mastic.

Duct tape will help a window from breaking from windloading, since it stiffens the glass to a certain degree. It also helps to hold it together if it breaks. In my racing days we referred to Duct Tape as '90 mile an hour tape'. it worked great to secure loose body panels. I ran at speeds up to 140 mph, so it will take the wind.
You claim that most windows won't break in a structure? Unless you have 2 lites of 1/2" Heat Strengthened glass laminated with .060 PVB, they will. Most annealed glass that is used in residential constructionh does not have the tensile or flectual ability to stand the windloading on their own. Tempered safety glass is worse. While a little stronger, when it breaks, it breaks 100% throughout the entire window into small 1/4" sizes.

How much more of a hassle is it cleaning the outdoors out of the indoors?

[LaBreeze]

Maybe the CDC meant to put double-sided tape on the inside and outside of your windows in order to catch all of the mosquitoes that will be swarming after the storm - it's a way of fighting West Nile Virus! Just kidding.

[Scott_inVA]

Another reason this is stupid is many new energy efficient residential and commercial windows are manufactured the same way as is vehicle glass.

These new windows will (like vehicles) crumble into relatively harmless pieces. There have been tests conducted on this tempered glass by first applying duct or masking tape, then shooting a projectile into the glass. Result...large pieces with SHARP edges instead of a pile of little round (safe to pickup) pieces of glass.

So, let's add "dangerous" to the list of reasons (wastes time, doesn't help, nearly impossible to clean sticky adhesive, foolish looking) why taping windows is folly.

[soapbox] This is a myth akin to driving away from a tornado, parking under an overpass and climbing the bridge embankment to crouch under the bridge. 2 people died during the OKC outbreak doing this. They fled their home...which was completely missed by a TOR. Unfortunately, the bridge was not [/end soapbox].

Scott

[borderPatrol2329]

These 'new' windows you refer to have been in use in automobiles for over 50 years.
I am the Vice President of a Glass Company, sit on the board of two major industry associations.
Now what was it you wanted to tell me about glass?

[Ixolib]

You claim that most windows won't break in a structure? Unless you have 2 lites of 1/2" Heat Strengthened glass laminated with .060 PVB, they will.... How much more of a hassle is it cleaning the outdoors out of the indoors?

I'm saying if you have 15 windows in your house, most won't necessiarly be broken in a storm. And those that are broken are typically broken because of flying debris, or abrupt changes in pressure - not by force of wind alone. So... If you simply tape the windows, regardless of sticks, etc., they will still break and allow wind into the structure.

My point is this. Tape does not limit wind intrusion into the structure - which is the MAIN reason for covering the windows in the first place. Of course, if they are not protected, some will break because of flying debris - and in those cases - tape would not have done a darn thing to save them anyway. Bottom line is this... protect the windows with wood/steel/aluminum to keep the debris from getting to the glass. Otherwise, take your chances and don't bother taping. It'll just be a pain to clean up in the likely event that not ALL of your windows will break anywhow...

I'll say it again - tape will not stop a stick/shingle/rock/shell/limb pine cone, traveling at 130mph, from breaking your glass.

[Janie34]

Probably has something to do with Homeland Defense. All kinds of federal agencies (even those not officially under the HD "umbrella") are more aware of disaster preparation these days. Thats not to say they are necessarily correct in their advice, though.

Not to bring politics into this, but I wish that all of these "agencies" would focus on their specific purpose and not what another agency is responsible for. Perhaps more will get accomplished.

It isn't only the CDC. Its agencies like NASA as well, although I haven't seen NASA advocating such foolishness. Since 9/11, detection and preparation has become one of NASA's primary responsibilities. Mostly along the research and design angle.

If there wasn't inefficient duplication of labour and resources, it wouldn't be called the federal government.

[Scott_inVA]

These 'new' windows you refer to have been in use in automobiles for over 50 years.
I am the Vice President of a Glass Company, sit on the board of two major industry associations.
Now what was it you wanted to tell me about glass?

If directed at me...nothing.

My comments are an ongoing attempt to advise people of the folly of "Xing" glass windows. Any type of structural window.

And congratulations on your business acumen.

Scott

[RevDodd]

One of the weather guys up in Raleigh perfectly pegged taping windows just before Floyd. When a reporter asked him if people should begin taping up their windows he sort of grimaced and said "If they want to spend a lot of time doing something that ultimately will serve no purpose."

He also called taping windows the hurricane equivalent of duck and cover...

[blueheron]

Guys, ----the point being made is to protect persons from these flying missiles. My parents went thru Hurricane Andrew at ground zero (they were in their mid-70's) they had old shutters, but once the glass in the 1960's windows broke they were petrified of the flying debris--even fiberglass insulation inflicts painful cuts. Remember Andrew and ITS last minute turn??? They were trapped in their house by gridlock and ended up on the BAD side of the storm.
I could care less about clean up or interior damage, I want to protect people from unexpected wind gusts, shifts in hurricane track, etc etc.
When you live in a city that has not had a serious hurricane in 60 years, and only received minimal damage from last two hurricanes (Sarasota) it is hard to justify steel shutters.

[Ixolib]

These 'new' windows you refer to have been in use in automobiles for over 50 years.
I am the Vice President of a Glass Company, sit on the board of two major industry associations.
Now what was it you wanted to tell me about glass?

You know your glass - no doubt. But I know my hurricanes. And while I'm no VP, I've been at "ground zero" through 5 majors here on the MS Gulf Coast since 1965. The procedure you describe with tape will simply not have the intended effect - this has been proven time and again.

[alicia-w]

I looked all through the CDC website and didnt see anything about tape on windows during hurricanes. ANyone want to provide a specific link? The only thing I could find about tape was using it in concert with plastic to cover doors and stuff during nuclear events to protect against radiation and stuff like.

[borderPatrol2329]

If you will note, the advice I offered was in the case that proper boarding up material was unavailable. The method I offered was far superior to an applied 'X'. It creatred a web, both inside, and out, and secured the glass to the frame around the entire perimeter. The use of a broomstick or similar material securely taped across the center of the glass, and extending beyond the frame to reduce deflection from windloading. No, it will not prevent breakage if it is impacted with sufficient force, but in the event of breakage, it should hold most of the window on place. The idea is to protect the contents from the elements, and to prevent structural failure due to stack pressure. Even if the taped window ultimately fails, the longer it holds, the lesser the damage. The concept of making glass shatterproof is the very basis of the current glazing requiremnets for Dade County (Miami). These are the most stringent codes in
North America. Commercially, the glazing must be a minimum of two lites of 1/4" Heat Strengthened (not Tempered) glass laminated together with .060 pvb. When installed correctly, this glass will outperform any surface applied board up material. Tempered glass, on the other hand, is probably the worst type of glass you can have in a hurricane prone area.

As for boarding up, it is only as good as the material used and the method applied. Poor installation or inadequate material is far more useless than tape, as it can become an airborne missile, and then leave your windows with absolutely no protection, which brings you back to square one.

Were you also aware that glass that is under stress will resist impact better than glass that is not? It is the same princile as a drum skin.

Seems to me that if you were in the path of a big one, it would be prudent to use tape in addition to proper shutters. Kind of an extra insurance policy. I would rather be cleaning off Duct Tape than 4 feet of sand and debris like some people are currently doing on South Hutchinson Island.
http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/08/56/73/image_873568.jpg

[Ixolib]

Seems to me that if you were in the path of a big one, it would be prudent to use tape in addition to proper shutters. Kind of an extra insurance policy. I would rather be cleaning off Duct Tape than 4 feet of sand and debris like some people are currently doing on South Hutchinson Island.
http://img.coxnewsweb.com/C/08/56/73/image_873568.jpg

Well... we've about beaten this one to death. I've never sold glass for a living, and unless you've personally witnessed the awesome force of these storms first hand - on numerous occasions - it appears our respective expertise leaves us at a stalemate. But I do know this... all the tape in China won't stop the Atlantic Ocean from pushing half a beach wherever it wants to. That, my friend, is power well beyond either of our abilities to truly comprehend.