taped windows

He he that's exaxtly what I thought, Must have done it for the camera's.

As well as that it holds it together a bit better when it does break.

However masking tape would just break itself I would think.

David, the masking tape is not strong enough to stop vibration. It dose stop the glass from bleep tering into too many small sharp pieces to fly around the room when something hits it. To stop the vibration you would need to have something to stop the glass from moving. Like when you put your finger or hand against the windshield to stop vibrating it puts pressure on it and stops it moving.
My main point was that glass in cars don't break and bleep ter like house windows so what is the point of taping it with one diagonal cross of tape.
I have been through every cyclone in Cairns since Winifred in 87 and that was the first time I have seen someone tape a car window.

Damien

I agree Damien

I think masking tape on car windows is just taking the concept too far and as you say car windows will fragment onto tiny pieces as per safety regs.

Taping windows does help. Similar to the skin on a drum - if you tap the drum you get a vibration noise and if you tape across it with masking tape it dulls it right down and stops that vibration dead.

There is no official recommendation to pressurise your home during a cyclone, rather to keep windows and doors shut and secured. It is common for the personal access hole to lift due to pressure changes as the eye passes overhead.

The taping of windows is only to reduce the glass being thrown about in a dangerous manner, as the tape would have minimal effect on the ultimate point at which the glass fails. Most failings of glass are due to objects penetrating them...not much tape can do to stop that.

Andrew

Muntoo,
have to disagree on the pressure bit, you should always equalise the pressure by opening the windows on the opposite side of the house to the wind to stop a pressure difference between outside and inside the house. If this happens you risk removing the roof and walls.

Have a good one.

There are no official recommendations by disaster management agencies to open windows on leeward sides these days as the wind direction changes can be quick and these become the windward side when close to the eye.

Andrew

Andrew,
I have never had any problems opening and closing windows on the leeward side during any of the three cyclones I have been in. Never seen a 180 dregree wind shift in any of them either.

Have had the manhole cover dance up and down in all three cyclones and not just when the eye passed over.

Althea left leaves plastered into our wall with a stack of Xmas cards left untouched sitting on a table beside the wall.

No problems RA, just didn't want people going around doing these things unnecessary especially when we really want people to be secure and sheltered rather than worrying about getting up and picking the correct side to open and close. Winds does change 180 degrees when the eye passes overhead, and in most cases near the eye will experience a 90 degree shift.

I've never seen any evidence to say that opening the windows reduces any likelihood of roof structures and/or walls moving....not to say that it doesn't exist. The issue seems to be one of positive pressurisation due to window/wall/debris failure. The building report from TC Larry from the Cyclone Testing Station mentions the main causes of internal pressurisation due to door lock failure, inadequate window frame fixings and wind driven debris puncturing the wall cladding.

Sir Kev might be able to add something, as per his paycheque :)

Hope that helps,
Andrew

Andrew,
Just a short note and you may have miss understood me with the wind.

I was talking about wind shift and not wind direction. I.E. wind direction 180 degrees south. Wind shift 180 degrees south shifting through 20 degrees.

Have a safe one and the 4 people who's houses stayed in one piece in Larry all opened their opposing windows. Have they studied this at all in their report, not questioning just asking.

Not that i know of RA, i'll do some asking around :) Unfortunately there were numerous factors affecting the survivability of those homes, with skew nailing and roller doors being at the forefront of damage assessment as far as i understand.

Andrew

Sorry folks response was cut short above.

I meant to say what Rockape is getting at.

We were told in an official cyclone preperation course that you need to open windows on either end of the house.

was always told to open windows on away side of house from wind direction , so that house does not pressurise and consequently blow any windows out and let in the elements

........... mind u that was when was in darwin in early seventies and NW WA in the 80's................thank heavens cyclones are rare down here

Things have changed.
The advice from authorities now is to close all windows & all external & internal doors for the full duration of the cyclone.
The theory of opening a window on the leeward side of the house was to create a vacuum in the house which would assist in holding the roof down. Since Larry in the field results & lab testing has given rise to the theory that the vacuum puts too much preasure on the windward walls & windows which reduces the structural integrity & negates any benifit to the roof.
The closing of internal doors is to create cells within the house. As internal doors in cyclone rated houses open into the room the door does not rely on the latch to keep it closed in the case of a window or wall failure.
Roller doors are recomrended to be closed as well. Open the roller door & you will definately save it, but it might be at the peril of the rest of your house.