Any ideas for fire shutters to finish off an otherwise
'fireproof' house?

or is going with a  fiberglass window good enough.
There seem to be a lot of reports of vinyl windows
buckling and letting enough smoke in that the house
is totaled.

I'm not worried about the windows surviving a fire
unscathed, but rather having the house envelope
not penetrated.   There are lots of roll up ones
(including some automatic), probably for commercial
installations where they're trying to do Class 1.

They're all ugly.   Maybe there is a type I could hide
near the lintel.


I've googled, but would like something similar to
a normal colonial shutter in steel with a spring and something
that burns/melts and lets it close.

have you considered using aluminum windows, with impact glass? as we do here in florida?
i believe they are available with impact rated thermopane glazing also.
you could also add aluminum storm shutters, with or without a solid sheet of aluminum behind the louvers.
here is the metro dade county web link that lets you research approved products (shutters and windows categories).

http://www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp

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Assuming you are trying to rate from the outside in, i.e. a neighbours house burning will not effect yours. Depending on your frost conditions, it might be feasible to use fire suppression wall wash type sprinkler heads to keep the windows wet. This should keep any window below melting point.

Posted By FBBP on 20 Jul 2012 10:06 PM
Assuming you are trying to rate from the outside in, i.e. a neighbours house burning will not effect yours. Depending on your frost conditions, it might be feasible to use fire suppression wall wash type sprinkler heads to keep the windows wet. This should keep any window below melting point.

that's an idea.   i'd seen the big sprinkler head on top of the roof type, but i'm guessing
you're talking about normal sprinks under the eaves.

my former housemate almost lost his place in San Diego.   neighborhood burned, but
he had been watering his avacado grove and it burned halfway, and stopped it before
the house.

Check out Rollac Shutters of Texas. I have known and delt with company for over 25 years. They will lead you in the right direction!

How big of a problem is this? I mean, how many houses have been lost or damaged simply because they had everything except fireproof shutters? Can't help but think that the money and resources could best be spent elsewhere, particularly if someone is thinking about being "green".

Exterior Rolling Shutters have many other benefits besides "Fireproof" and are known as Hurricane Shutters in Florida; Solar Shutters in California as well as Security Shutters in other areas. We have used them (Built-in to the wall) in vairous ICF wall Construction complemented with a SIP roof.

That's great if you are in the market for a product you can't see through to put on your windows that does all those things, but I asked about "Fire Shutters" in particular. I am wondering how many buildings are lost because they didn't have fire protection on the windows, specifically?

Posted By ICFHybrid on 24 Jul 2012 01:38 PM
That's great if you are in the market for a product you can't see through to put on your windows that does all those things, but I asked about "Fire Shutters" in particular. I am wondering how many buildings are lost because they didn't have fire protection on the windows, specifically?

If you are located with a high fuel load with-in 30 feet or so ( such as a house next door or big trees) and you have already taken steps such as non combustable cladding and non vent attic space, than it seem only natural to take the next step and protect the windows. A sprinkler type fire suppression won't block the view and may drop insurance rates. In urban settings many houses are lost because the one next door burnt, most I feel because of vented soffits but also because of windows. That is why most codes deal with the allowable amount of glazing on the exposed side in conjunction with the distance off the property line.

you have already taken steps such as non combustable cladding and non vent attic space

I am wondering how common that might be.
So do you only need fire shutters on the sides that have another home within 30 feet?

Posted By ICFHybrid on 24 Jul 2012 01:05 PM
How big of a problem is this? I mean, how many houses have been lost or damaged simply because they had everything except fireproof shutters? Can't help but think that the money and resources could best be spent elsewhere, particularly if someone is thinking about being "green".

I believe the stats are around 70% of all home wildfires are caused be embers landing inside of the vented attics, vented soffits or on top of the roof of the home that has a combustible roof material. The remaining 30% is based on the flames coming up on the home and fuel sources (trees, brush, propane tanks) helps keep the fire going and catches the structure on fire. A single ember can travel one mile and can start a house fire if it lands on a combustible surface (wood, leaves, etc)

If you take away vented attics & soffits and install a metal roof, you are way ahead of the game. If you make 30 feet of defensible space around your home and build a homes exterior with non-combustible materials, you are in very, very good shape. Having your home catch on fire is highly unlikely and the windows should not be a factor if there is no large flames sitting on top of it.

I believe propane tanks need to be buried in high wildfire areas but they are not. When these fires hit the propane tanks become grenades and flaming bombs. Firefighters despise above ground propane tanks more than anything because they will explode just from the heat and can fly like missiles through the air. This includes propane tanks for outdoor gas grills.

Shutters would be overkill in my opinion if you followed the above guidelines but if you really want to spend the money and go the extra mile, I say go for it. Incorporating them into the design is a lot cheaper and aesthetically pleasing than trying to install them after the home is built.