Finally bit the bullet and upgraded to those hurricane-rated windows everyone's always talking about down here. Honestly, I was pretty skeptical at first because, you know, windows are windows, right? But after last year's storm scare and having to board up the house (again), I figured it was time to invest in something sturdier.
Anyway, installation wrapped up about two weeks ago, and so far I'm actually pretty impressed. First off, they're way quieter than my old ones. Didn't even realize how much street noise we had until it suddenly disappeared. And the AC seems to be kicking on less often too, which I'm hoping means lower electric bills (fingers crossed).
But here's the thing—haven't had a real storm yet to test them out properly. The sales guy showed me all these videos of flying debris bouncing off without leaving a scratch, but you know how sales pitches go... always a bit exaggerated. So I'm curious if anyone else here has these types of windows installed and has actually been through a hurricane or tropical storm with them. Did they hold up as promised? Any regrets or unexpected downsides?
Also, side note: cleaning these things is kind of a pain. They seem to smudge easier or something... or maybe that's just me being picky, lol.
Anyway, would love to hear some real-world experiences before hurricane season really kicks into gear again.
We had ours installed about three years ago, and they've been through two decent storms since then. Honestly, they held up great—no leaks or damage at all. Cleaning is definitely annoying though... microfiber cloth helps a bit.