How Are Hurricane Shutters Deployed?

There are many different types of shutters that hurricane shutter suppliers sell. The most common types of hurricane protection include; accordion shutters, bahama shutters, colonial shutters, roll-up shutters, and aluminum storm panels. I will discuss how the shutters differentiate from each other in terms of ease of use, hurricane protection, and looks. Many people reading this are probably sick of putting up hurricane storm panels every hurricane season and then taking it down after and having to take up storage in your garage. In this article, I will discuss the different ways the types of shutters deploy.

Accordion Shutters

By far the most popular shutter that people transition to from heavy storm panels are the accordion shutters. Accordion shutters are on the cheaper side for easy to deploy shutters and thus are very popular. They open and close using a railing system that pulls and opens. This allows the user to keep them closed during hurricane season, and open during the offseason without having to store them like storm panels, thus saving you room in your garage. After sliding the accordion shutters shut with the railing system, you must lock them with a key, and you're done. This process should take around 20 minutes to deploy on all of your windows and doors.

Bahama Shutters

Bahama shutters are known for their bahama-style look that adds aesthetics and protection to every property. The bahama shutters close using a top-hinge design that is very easy taking seconds to deploy. All you have to do to close unlock them and disengage from the locking rod then pull the shutters toward the center of the window and match up the grooves and it’ll lock. These are an easy option and can also provide privacy, hurricane protection, and sunshade.

Colonial Shutters

Colonial shutters are very easy to deploy, they open and close like a book. When you are ready to deploy the shutters, close the sides inwards and then lock together with the storm bar and screw in wing nuts to secure it in place. This will allow maximum protection so that the sides don’t fly open during heavy wind activity.

Roll-Up Shutters

By far the easiest type of shutter to use is the roll-up shutters. Roll-up shutters take hardly any work to deploy. Roll-up shutters are controlled by an electric motor that moves the shutters up and down with the touch of a button. Using the wireless remote, you can deploy up to four windows at a time taking seconds. Roll-ups are the most convenient taking the least amount of time and effort to deploy. If the power is out and you didn’t have time to deploy your shutter, don’t worry, there is a hand crank option that you can manually crank with ease to deploy the shutter. With the wireless remote you can be indoors or outdoors and the remote will still work. Roll-up shutters are very easy to use but tend to be the most expensive option out of all the types of shutters.

Hurricane Storm Panels

The most time-consuming type of shutter to deploy is the hurricane storm panels. These storm panels tend to be very heavy and sharp around the edges so make sure you take proper precautions and wear gloves. To deploy the shutters, you place each hole around the premade holes in the walls and use a wing nut to firmly hold the shutters in place. There are many holes to screw in, that is why this shutter takes so much time. Make sure to have someone helping you by holding the shutter up and matching the holes so that it will be easier to tighten the wingnut. This whole process can take from 6-8 hours to do depending on the size of your home.

I hope that this article helped you and gave you a general idea of how long and difficult deploying each type of common shutter is. If you are looking to transition away from the heavy steel storm panels, I suggest going to the accordion shutters because they are cheaper and just as easy to deploy as other shutters.

If you’re in the market for hurricane protection, give us a call at (321)956-3102 to set up an appointment for your Free Estimate! We also service porch screening and porch enclosures here at Johnson Aluminum Products. We offer accordion shutters, bahama shutters, colonial shutters, roll-up shutters, and storm panels.