ARMA and BHMA Offer High-Wind Standards for Severe Windstorms and Hurricanes.

Wind-Resistant Products -- from Doors to Roofs -- Minimize Storm Damage

NEW YORK -- With hurricane season upon us, experts are reminding builders and homeowners about new wind-resistance standards for products such as doors and roofing shingles. The new standards benefit homes and other buildings in hurricane-prone, coastal areas -- and all areas affected by storms and winter weather.

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) and the Steel Door Institute (SDI) have published a national severe windstorm resistance component standard, ANSI A250.13, "Testing and Rating of Severe Windstorm Resistant Components for Swinging Door Assemblies."

The standard deals with a common challenge faced by builders and specifiers: constructing entryways that can withstand sustained wind speeds or gusts in the range of 110 to 150 miles per hour and wind-borne projectiles associated with severe windstorms and hurricanes. Once the exterior envelope is breached, either by wind force or debris, the fluctuation of the internal and external pressure can cause catastrophic failure of the building structure. For this reason, it is vital to maintain the integrity of the entry system.

"Standardization and independent product approval is a valid and practical way to test building products and construction methods in high-wind areas," said Mike Tierney, Standards Coordinator for BHMA. "The component standards give builders and consumers reassurance that products and components are tested and certified to withstand windstorm conditions."

Likewise, the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) released a simple-to-use Layman's Paper titled, "New Wind Standards for Asphalt Shingles," which explains what builders and consumers need to know when buying wind-resistant shingle products. It includes a new wind-resistance classification system developed by ARMA, based on 14 years of research and wind tunnel testing. This classification system is now incorporated in the International Code Council's International Building Code 2004 supplement, used by builders and municipal inspectors.

According to Russ Snyder, executive Director of ARMA, "consumers and builders need to know two crucial things before purchasing asphalt shingles: the wind zone location of the building being roofed and the wind classification of the shingle proposed for the building." Wind zone location can be obtained from town or county building code enforcement offices. For most of the continental United States, the wind zone classification is 90 mph (maximum average wind speeds). Some coastal and inland regions, however, may have wind zone designations of up to 150 mph.

It is also critical that shingles are properly installed to withstand occasional or sustained high winds. To assure maximum wind performance, notes ARMA, asphalt shingles must be applied to a properly installed deck following the manufacturers' requirements for number, type, and placement of nails.

Resources:

BHMA: for more information or to purchase copies of ANSI A250.13 standard, please visit www.buildershardware.com or call 800-699-9277. Purchased standards are available as printed documents or as electronic files (PDF) for immediate download.

ARMA: Download "New Wind Standards for Asphalt Shingles," at http://www.asphaltroofing.org/downloads_high-winds.pdf.

About BHMA

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association is an industry leader in building safety and security. BHMA is the only organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop and maintain performance standards for locks, closers, exit devices and other builders hardware. The widely known ANSI/BHMA A156 series of standards describes and establishes the features and criteria for specific types of hardware products. In addition, BHMA sponsors third-party certification of hardware products, which is a requirement for a product to bear the "BHMA Certified" mark -- insuring that the product meets the ANSI/BHMA standard. For more information on BHMA, please write to BHMA, 355 Lexington Avenue, Floor 17, New York, NY, 10017 or visit the Web site at www.buildershardware.com.

About ARMA

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) is the North American trade association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of bituminous-based residential and commercial fiberglass and organic asphalt shingle roofing products, roll roofing, built-up (BUR) roofing systems, and modified bitumen roofing systems. For more information, visit www.asphaltroofing.org.