Eyes may be windows to the soul, but that doesn’t mean that windows should be an invitation for the world to access your house and take your stuff. Nor should it be a conduit for accidents or a weapon for Mother Nature’s wrath.
The good news is that’s not an isolated opinion at Hall’s Window Center. We work with manufacturers who consider safety a crucial ingredient in window and sliding door design, making these items a deterrent to crime rather than a vulnerability for your house.
Let’s start with the type of window you choose. Casement windows, the style you open and close via a crank, are considered the safest in the industry, because there’s no way for an outsider to access the mechanism. Simply close your windows when you leave or lock up for the night.
Double-hung and sliding glass versions rely on cam action locks, similar to push tabs, to resist outside tampering (and sometimes inside jobs, if you have curious children who could fall out of the window in an exploratory moment).
According to the National Glass Association, today’s glass is covered by standards that include safety glazing materials, so if broken, the glass has fewer chances of causing injury or death. Furthermore, most patio doors use tempered glass, which is stronger than ordinary glass and, should your house be the unlucky winner of a tree branch flying in a storm, let’s say, it shatters into thousands of small pieces, which aren’t as likely to create severe cuts as larger shards. Other glass doors use laminated glass, so if they break the pieces stay together, held in place by the plastic interlayer. Think of your last crack in a windshield.
Thanks to coastal storms in the past two decades, this same technology for impact-resistance is being applied to windows as well. And we’ll be the first to say that any glass can be broken, but if the pieces don’t fall apart, a burglar needs more time to access your interior. And any time barrier is a homeowner’s friend.
Not to mention, it takes a repeated strike to the same location to create that first crack, and whooo-eeee, is that loud. The kind of loud that sounds an alarm. (And if you want an actual alarm on your windows, we can make that happen, too.)
Ask your Hall’s rep about the science that goes into the glass you’re choosing! We’re happy to align you with the manufacturing process that provides the protection you want. While we’re chatting, here are more ways we can help you secure your peace of mind:
- Night latches: Night latches allow you to keep your sliding windows open a few inches for ventilation and still keep the security of the window system. Sash stops also prevent your windows from toppling inward.
- Safety screens: Today’s screens are a joy to explore. Gone are the meshes that your pets could tear up and your children could push them out.
- Reinforced frames: High-quality frame construction isn’t just for temperature transfer! Fusion-welded main frames and sashes contribute their own strength and security to the window.
Drop in at Hall’s Window Center showroom at 11297 White Rock Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742 and let us show you just how non-threatening replacing your windows can be.