Doors and Windows - Hurricane Windows

I live in a hurricane zone, and I want to make my vinyl windows impact-resistant. As I understand it, under some Florida building codes, this means making the windows resistant to 120 mph winds. Searching the Net, I find window laminations for this purpose sold by ShatterGard, 3M, SSAF, ACE and SaFlex. All of these products appear to be certified by relevant authorities, with SaFlex apparently sold only to architects. Some (most) do not answer my phone calls. ShatterGard's stormgard product is sold only for a minimum 150 square foot installation, whereas I have only 110 square feet of window space, meaning that I would have to pay for 40 square feet that I would not use. That's the background info. Here are my questions.

-- Does it make sense to laminate vinyl windows for storm protection, or should these windows be completely replaced?

-- Which of the above products is (are) most cost effective for the owner of a small home like mine?

-- Are there big differences in quality (as claimed by vendors) among the above products?

-- Does any of these products (as apparently claimed by one vendor) meet the stringent 150 mph Miami-Dade hurricane-resistance standard?

-- Is there one installer or information source I could contact to get reliable guidance about what my next step should be?

Thanks in advance for any answers you might offer.

hi check this
url http://www.profilon.us/profilon.htm

You are specifically asking about impact windows. Dade code has a couple of variations if you are planning to use shutters for example, but I will keep this reply to impact only.

Saflex is a brand name for a Poly Vinyl Butyral (PVB). Saflex is manufactured by a company called Solutia which used to be part of Monsanto.
DuPont also offers a PVB product called Butacite.
There are also several foreign companies selling PVB in North America.
PVB is used to manufacter laminated glass. Basically, laminated glass is a sandwich of two layers of glass and a PVB interlayer. Your car windshield is laminated glass. The difference in a car windshield and the glass in an impact resistant window is the thickness of the interlayer.
In a windshield, a .030" interlayer is standard. In impact resistant glass, manufacturers generally use an .090" interlayer.
Dupont also offers an interlayer known as SGP for SentryGlassPlus which is substantially more rigid and tougher than PVB....but also more expensive.

The other names that you mentioned run the gamut from manufacturers to products to retailers..but all relate to aftermarket films.
Currently, NO film meets Dade code...sort of. The film manufacturers and sellers will deny this, and there are loopholes, but this is primarily due to how the product code is written...I will not go deeper into this because it is complicated and extensive. I would never consider a film for impact protection for several reasons, but that is personal opionion.

Answering your specific questions,

The impact window is a "marriage" of components. All of the components of the impact window are tested and certified to ensure that they work as a single unit...Adding laminated glass to ordinary vinyl windows is not an option. The sash and frame and hardware in an "ordinary" window simply lack the strength and rigidity needed.

Most big window manufacturers have impact products that meet Dade code.
The 150 mph requirement is actually very achieveable and many companies have products well beyond that limit.

Hope this helps!

Good luck and I wiould be happy to answer any specific questions.