Dustin and I made a video discussing window film, hazardous locations for glass, and options for making a home safer.
If the video doesn’t appear above, please click this link to see it: https://youtu.be/Igkq7bQoZkY
Conclusions:
- If you have standard glass in a hazardous location, do something to make it safer. Either replace the glass with tempered glass or have a safety film applied.
- If a safety film is going to be applied, the best option would be to have 3M™ Safety & Security Window Film professionally installed. I contacted Columbia Window Film and Graphics, and they had a minimum fee of $250 to install this film. Also, they said this fee might cover roughly five windows, but of course, prices vary depending on a lot of things. If they can make the film look good for this price, I call this a bargain.
- If you’re going to apply a safety film yourself, make sure that you have a lot of patience. The film that I used in the video was BDF S8MC Security and Safety Film.
For detailed information on safety glass, please check out Douglas Hansen’s excellent article on the topic: http://www.codecheck.com/cc/ccimages/PDFs/SafetyGlazingHansenOctober2011.pdf.
Author: Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections
Jim Vaughn
September 5, 2017, 12:22 pm
Good job, guys – thanks for the video. That was pretty impressive. Film is not approved everywhere (like here in VA) – but it obviously is much better than nothing. I always recommend replacing windows at hazardous locations with safety/tempered glass.
Jim
HOMEAuthority
Arlington VA
Fred Sylvester
September 5, 2017, 1:04 pm
Dito to what Jim Vaughn said…..not an approved method in Florida and other areas affected by hurricanes. Just want to be sure we don’t give some people in those areas a sense of security. Fenestrations and their installation must be protected with systems that meet Notice of Acceptance or FBC product approval protocols. Thank you for your informative blogs and happy safe inspecting !