Top Five Must Knows on How to Protect Your Screen During Hurricanes and Storms
Coastal living at its finest would not be complete without a friendly visitor that loves to pop in from time to time; the hurricane. Here in Florida we are blessed with plenty of access to gorgeous beaches, days out on the lake, and delicious tropical climate all year round. During the summer months, specifically beginning in June and lasting through November, Floridians in the true spirit of southern hospitality love to make preparations for our hurricane guests that might pop in. Now, although it is tempting to write a blog on how to host the ultimate hurricane party, which might pop up in the future; today we want to make sure you have the top five must-know on how to protect your screen enclosures during hurricanes and storms.
Here is our list of our Top Five Must Knows:
- Quick Hardware Inspection: Whether you’ve just installed your screen enclosure this year or you purchased a home with a screen enclosed room, make sure you do a quick inspection of the hardware around the screen enclosure. Take a few minutes to do a walk through of your enclosure checking for any loose screws, signs of rust or aging, and any potential maintenance needs. Screen enclosures are a wonderful addition to any home, allowing for a bug free space to relax and these enclosures have a very long lifespan. Nevertheless, it is still a great best practice to do a quick walk through before the beginning of June just to make sure everything is in order.
- Clear the Pathway: Now, hurricanes might pop in randomly and some might be a category two meaning a low maintenance guest but we might get a very particular guest called a category five hurricane which means all hands on deck for the ultimate preparation. If you receive a warning on the news or through other outlets, that a hurricane is rapidly approaching your area, you must clear your pathway–especially in your outdoor living space. What does this mean? Clear out all outdoor furniture, potted plants, dog houses, toys, anything that could become a projectile with heavy winds. Clear these objects from flying towards any winds and flying into your screen enclosure. We wouldn’t want to create an opportunity to create rips, cracks, or issues due to flying objects.
- Create a Debris Free Zone: On a similar note, make sure you create a debris free zone in your backyard, front yard, and porch areas. Removing furniture clears the pathway, cutting shrubs, removing large branches, and clearing out greenery that might be at risk of falling on key areas of the home like the screen enclosure or roof is a safe idea as well.
- Do Not Empty the Pool: Are you thinking about your pool screen enclosure? No worries here, if you’ve walked through, examined the nuts and bolts for loose screws and removed any potential debris, then you should be good to go. The big thing to note with pools is to do something which might feel counterintuitive; do not empty the pool. Keeping water in the pool ultimately keeps weight in the pool which will help keep your pool in the ground. Additionally this prevents contamination. Keep the water in the pool, add some bleach, turn off the power and you will be ready to restart your pool wellness activities in no time.
- Retract the Retractable: Fifth on our list is for retractable screen owners: follow the first four on our list, clear out large pieces of furniture and things that can fly and then retract those screens. Whether you opted for retractable screens for your front porch or to create a hybrid feel for a lanai leading to the backyard, during a hurricane you can have peace of mind that the best way to ensure nothing with blow away is simply retract the traditional screens and maintain the other best practices in hurricane preparedness.
One thing to rest assured of here in Central Florida is that you are not alone in your hurricane experience. We all prepare for our pop in guests during the summer months. The great news is that sometimes they don’t even decide to show up. The even better news is that if they do, we know the steps to make sure all is well in our homes. Whether you are looking to upgrade your older enclosure or add some retractable screens, do not hesitate in contacting us to get started. Contact U.S. Aluminum at 407-391-6783