Do Hurricane Doors Open In Or Out

If there is a fire or explosion that occurs an outward swinging door could become a barrier to escaping the house.
Do hurricane doors open in or out. Doors which open outwards help to reduce the amount of water and snow entering the property minimising any damage. With inswing doors hinges and security features are inside your home which is a big security plus. There are some situations where external doors do indeed open in the other direction. However they are easier to force open with a shoulder or solid kick.
A good example would be fire escapes. If the door is a 36 inch door you need at least that much space in the room. Often newer garage doors will come with extra bracing and pins that go on the sides. But for exterior doors it makes more sense to open outward especially the metal insulated doors that no longer need storm doors.
Since garage doors are an exit we would install the doors to open in the path of least resistance. Also because they push against the frame when shut they are better able to resist hurricane force winds. Don t open a window during a hurricane despite persistent myths. For instance codes in hurricane prone areas may require exterior doors to swing in rather than out.
Outswing doors do not suffer much from wind driven rain and water leaks. Your strongest doors for this region or any coastal hurricane region are going to be an aluminum door with full laminated glass with this glass being anywhere from 3 8 to 9 16 thick. Hurricane andrew a category five hurricane ripped through the state in in that year causing massive destruction. Doors around the outside of your house swing in or out depending what type of door it is.
During an emergency people aren t always thinking clearly and thus it s worth making life as simple as possible. Although inswing designs offer some security because the hinges are on the inside. This code outlines door construction requirements the different types of hardware that should. There are three main ways you can protect your garage door during a hurricane.
Many of these doors have a design pressures to go 30 stories or higher depending on their location in the building. A large majority of homes in florida in america have outward opening doors especially those built after 1992. It makes sense that interior doors do not open into hallways. Photo by jan tinneberg on unsplash.
You might make it easier for the hurricane to destroy your home.