Central Florida Hurricane Protection
UltraShield Hurricane Screens
Explore retractable hurricane-screen protection for your outdoor openings. We help you determine whether UltraShield fits your home, your openings, and the way you use your space. The official Florida record identifies it as an operable impact-protection system; the exact approved configuration still has to match your structure and opening.
Hurricane screens lowered around a covered outdoor living area.
Your Main Questions, Answered
Straight answers first. Some details genuinely depend on your openings, and those are marked so you know what still has to be checked at your home.
Is this hurricane protection or an ordinary insect screen?
The UltraShield system documented on this page is an impact-protection product listed in the Florida product-approval system. That is different from an ordinary comfort screen. The approval applies only when the exact approved system is selected and installed within its drawings and limits.
Confirmed at your property assessment: We confirm that the quoted product and its documents match the system shown here. An insect or solar screen must never be treated as hurricane protection unless its own approval says so.
Could it suit my lanai, patio, or other opening?
It may suit a wide outdoor opening where a retractable screen system is preferred, but the product name alone does not establish that it fits. Opening dimensions, the structure available for mounting, access, supports and the approved installation details all matter.
Confirmed at your property assessment: We measure the opening, inspect what the housing, tracks and any required supports can fasten to, and compare those conditions with the official drawings before recommending it.
What does it look like when open and closed?
When retracted, the screen material is stored at the top of the opening. The housing and side tracks remain visible, and some installations may require additional supports. When deployed, screen material spans the opening with a lower member at its bottom. The finished appearance depends on the exact configuration and mounting conditions.
Confirmed at your property assessment: We show where the housing, tracks and any supports would sit on your opening before anything is ordered.
How much view and light remain when it is deployed?
The deployed screen is not opaque, but it is still material across the opening and it changes the view and incoming light. The amount depends on the exact screen supplied, the lighting on each side and the opening itself. We do not promise an unobstructed view or a particular light level.
Confirmed at your property assessment: Ask to see the exact approved screen material being quoted and view it from both sides before deciding.
What does operating and securing it involve?
UltraShield is an operable system that moves between a retracted position and its approved deployed position. The Florida approval specifically leaves the design and operation of the roll-up mechanism to the manufacturer, so the exact method, securing steps and physical effort must be confirmed for the system quoted rather than assumed from another screen.
Confirmed at your property assessment: We explain and demonstrate the exact operating and securing procedure for your quoted configuration, including safe access and the effort involved, before you decide.
What affects the installed cost?
The number and dimensions of openings, mounting structure, housing and track placement, required supports, access for the crew, finish, site-specific engineering, permitting and the approved configuration all affect the installed cost. You receive a written estimate for the actual scope; no price or monthly payment is implied on this page.
What maintenance does it need?
Keep the tracks, housing opening and surrounding area free of debris and nests, inspect visible parts for wear or damage, and operate the system periodically according to the instructions supplied for the exact installation. Cleaning and lubrication must follow that manufacturer guidance; do not apply generic lubricant to the screen material.
Where UltraShield Hurricane Screens Fit Best
UltraShield may be considered where a homeowner wants approved impact protection across an outdoor opening in a retractable format. Suitability is decided opening by opening against the official drawings — not by the product category alone.
Situations they suit
- Lanais, patios and other outdoor openings whose dimensions and mounting structure fall within the exact approved system.
- Homeowners who prefer screen material across the opening when protection is deployed rather than a solid shutter curtain.
- Openings with suitable space for the housing, side tracks, lower member and any supports required by the approved configuration.
- Projects where the homeowner has reviewed how the deployed screen changes the view and light and is comfortable with the visible hardware when it is retracted.
Practical tradeoffs
- The housing and side tracks remain visible when the screen is retracted, and some configurations may need additional supports.
- When deployed, screen material remains across the opening and changes the view and light; no unobstructed-view claim is made.
- Mounting structure, approved dimensions and access can rule out an opening or require a different protection type.
- Tracks and the housing area need regular checks for debris, insect nests, obstructions and signs of wear.
- This page makes no claim that the system keeps a lanai dry, stops flooding, prevents all storm damage, provides a security barrier, or supplies insect or shade performance.
Another product is sometimes the better fit. We compare them with you for your actual openings rather than naming a single best product.
- Accordion shutters: Permanently attached solid shutters that fold at the sides. They may better suit an opening where the screen housing, tracks or required supports cannot be accommodated. Read about accordion shutters
- Roll-down shutters: A solid curtain retracts into a housing above the opening. This may suit a homeowner who prefers a solid closure rather than screen material when protection is deployed. Read about roll-down shutters
- Storm panels: Removable protection may suit a project where permanent housings and tracks are not preferred, provided the homeowner can store and install the panels before a storm. Read about storm panels
- Screens for outdoor comfort: A non-impact insect or solar screen may suit everyday comfort needs, but it must not be represented or used as hurricane protection without its own verified approval.
Real Installation Examples
This approved field photograph shows our team installing UltraShield. We do not have a verified matching open-and-closed pair, so none is shown. The image is cropped in the page presentation to avoid distant identifying details; the original remains unchanged.
Photo 1 of 2
Product Approval & Drawings
Installation & Service
Product brand: UltraShield
Manufacturer: ESS Manufacturing, Inc.
UltraShield Hurricane Screens
Manufacturer: ESS Manufacturing, Inc.
Florida's official product-approval record lists UltraShield Hurricane Screen model FL42141.1 as an operable impact-protection system approved under FL42141-R2 for the Florida Building Code, Eighth Edition (2023), including qualifying HVHZ applications. The ESS001 drawings set out configuration-specific design-pressure tables, anchors, clips, mullions and required clearance from glass. Approval does not make every opening suitable: the opening dimensions, design pressure, mounting structure, anchors, configuration and every applicable drawing requirement must match. This is a Florida Product Approval, not a Miami-Dade NOA. The approval expressly excludes the design and operation of the roll-up mechanism.
Verified benefits
- The official record identifies this as an impact-resistant operable system approved for use inside and outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, subject to the approved documents.
- The engineering documents evaluate hurricane-impact configurations when the system is installed within the documented requirements.
Suitable uses
- Openings whose dimensions, design pressure, supporting structure, anchors, configuration and glass clearance can comply with ESS001.
- Projects requiring an approved operable impact-protection system, including qualifying HVHZ applications documented by this Florida approval.
FL42141-R2 is the Florida approval record. FL42141.1 is the product number listed on that record, while the document bodies print the base reference FL42141. The Certificate of Independence does not name UltraShield, FL42141 or report 8610, but the exact uploaded letter is the Certificate of Independence linked by Florida to FL42141-R2.
- Manufacturer
- ESS Manufacturing, Inc.
- System
- UltraShield Hurricane Screen (HVHZ) (Impact)
- Florida approval
- FL42141-R2 (model 42141.1)
- Revision
- R2 (application type: Affirmation)
- Code edition
- 2023 Florida Building Code (8th Edition)
- Application status
- Approved
- Date approved
- February 8, 2024
- Document
- Engineering drawings ESS001 (20 PDF pages)
- Document date
- May 23, 2023 (revision note “New Testing Update,” August 8, 2023)
- Document signed
- August 12, 2023
- Product number on the record
- FL42141.1
- Category
- Impact Protective Systems — Operable
- Document designation
- HVHZ / Impact
- Engineering drawing
- ESS001
- Evaluation report
- 8610
- Engineer
- Hermes F. Norero, P.E., Florida license 73778 — Building Drops, Inc.
- Materials
- 6063-T6 aluminum extrusions and Twitchell fabric
- Test standards referenced
- TAS 201-94, TAS 202-94, TAS 203-94, ASTM E1886-13, ASTM E1996-17, ASTM E330-14
- Design pressures, sizes and configurations
- Set out in the ESS001 drawing tables. They vary by configuration and mounting, so they are read from the drawings for your opening rather than quoted as a single figure.
What the document itself says about limits
- The drawings state that the installation details are generic and may not reflect the conditions at a specific site; where site conditions differ, a licensed engineer or architect must prepare site-specific documents.
- The adequacy of the existing concrete, masonry or 2x stud framing to carry and transfer the product loads is the responsibility of the engineer or architect of record for the project.
- Anchor type, substrate, edge distance and minimum embedment are set by the anchor schedules in the drawings. Minimum embedment and edge distance exclude wall finishes such as stucco, foam, brick veneer and siding.
- Suitability depends on the opening dimensions, design pressure, mounting structure, anchors, configuration and the clearance from glass required by the drawings.
- The drawings contain different configuration-specific tables, including conditions involving clips and mullions. No single opening size, pressure or fastening pattern applies to every installation.
- The design and operation of the roll-up mechanism is expressly not part of this approval; the manufacturer's own specifications govern it.
ESS001 installation details, configuration-specific tables, anchors, mullions, clips and glass-clearance requirements.
Drawing dated May 23, 2023; revision note “New Testing Update” dated August 8, 2023; digitally signed August 12, 2023.
Building Drops evaluation report 8610 and its documented limits of use.
Report dated August 9, 2023; digitally signed August 12, 2023.
The engineer’s financial-independence letter associated with FL42141-R2 on Florida’s official record; it is not insurance or a product certification.
Letter dated June 21, 2023; digitally signed June 22, 2023.
Documents are displayed unaltered. The viewer provides no download or print button, but browser saving, screenshots or printing cannot be completely prevented.
Official Florida Approval Record (opens another website)My Safe Florida Home
My Safe Florida Home is a State of Florida program run by the Florida Department of Financial Services. It offers free wind-mitigation inspections and, for homeowners who qualify, grant assistance toward approved improvements. It is not our program, and we are not part of it.
- This product. An approved hurricane-screen installation may be considered only when it matches a recommended opening-protection improvement in your My Safe Florida Home inspection and the program approves the selected project scope. This does not mean every screen, opening, home or UltraShield proposal qualifies.
- Funding is never guaranteed. Your inspection report and the program decide what, if anything, is funded, and availability changes.
- Do not start work early. If you intend to use grant assistance, construction must not begin before the program has approved your grant. Starting early can disqualify the work.
How it works. You create an account with the program, answer its questionnaire, and are placed in a group. A free wind-mitigation inspection is scheduled, and the inspection report lists the improvements recommended for your home. A grant application follows if you qualify.
What decides eligibility. The program sets the rules — including home type, homestead status, income and age priority groups — and the inspection recommendations and program approval determine what, if anything, is funded.
Our part in it. We are a licensed Florida contractor (Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1270515). We do not describe ourselves as a program-approved or authorised contractor, and we make no claim of government endorsement. Check the program’s own requirements for the contractor you choose before signing anything.
This link opens the official My Safe Florida Home website (mysafeflhome.com) in a new tab and leaves our website.
Payment Options
Grant assistance and financing are two separate things. Grant assistance comes from the state program described above. Financing is an arrangement between you and a lender.
If paying over time would help, you can look at financing through Enhancify, an outside financing provider. Any amount, term or approval is decided by Enhancify, not by us, so we do not quote rates or monthly payments here.
Explore Financing OptionsThis opens Enhancify’s website in a new tab. You will be leaving our website.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call us at 407-883-1873.
Care and Maintenance
A few simple habits help keep the system ready to operate.
Inspect tracks and the housing area
Look for leaves, grit, loose material and other obstructions around the tracks and the opening where the screen enters its housing. Clear loose surface debris without dismantling the housing or track system.
Watch for insect nests
Mud daubers and other insects can build nests around tracks, housings and moving clearances. Remove a visible nest before it interferes with operation, or call us if access is unsafe or the nest is inside the assembly.
Check operation on a calm day
Operate the screen periodically using the instructions supplied for your installation. If it binds, tracks unevenly, will not reach its secured position or shows damage, stop rather than forcing it and call 407-883-1873.
Inspect visible material and hardware
From a safe position, look for tears, fraying, damaged edges, loose fasteners, track damage or unusual wear. Do not attempt to remove the screen material, open the housing or repair structural components yourself.
Follow the supplied cleaning instructions
Use only the cleaning method provided for the exact screen and finish installed at your home. Harsh chemicals, pressure washing or abrasive tools may damage material or finishes unless the manufacturer specifically permits them.
Use lubricant only where directed
Do not apply a generic oil, grease or spray to the screen fabric. Lubricate a track or moving part only when the manufacturer instructions for your exact system identify the location and product to use.
Questions People Ask Us
Does UltraShield fit every lanai or patio opening?
No. The exact dimensions, mounting structure, approved configuration, pressures at the property, access and installation details all have to work together. A different product may be the responsible recommendation for some openings.
Will it keep my outdoor space dry or stop flooding?
No such promise is made. Hurricane-screen material is not represented here as waterproofing or a flood barrier. Wind-driven rain and water can still enter an outdoor area, and no opening-protection product prevents every kind of storm damage.
How are doors, exits, and access handled?
A proposed layout must preserve the access and emergency-exit requirements that apply to the property. We identify doors and required escape routes during the assessment and will not assume that one screen can remain deployed across an occupied exit.
Confirmed at your property assessment: The permit documents and property assessment determine the acceptable arrangement for each opening and exit path.
Do I receive the approval drawings for my project?
Yes. The official FL42141-R2 installation drawings are available on this page, and the proposal and permit documents identify the system intended for your property. The building authority reviews the project-specific installation.
More questions, if you want the detail
Open any question below. You can leave several open at once.
We do not make either claim for the exact hurricane-screen configuration on this page. UltraShield-branded products may be offered with different intended uses, so the written proposal must identify the exact material and documented functions being supplied.
You can see through screen material, but it still changes the view and light. The result varies with the exact material, lighting and viewing direction. Review the supplied sample from both sides rather than relying on a universal visibility claim.
That depends on the opening, surrounding construction and approved mounting details. Some hardware may align with an overhang or recess, while other installations leave it fully visible. We show the proposed placement before ordering.
Stop operating it and call 407-883-1873. Do not force the screen, climb to open the housing, remove structural fasteners or attempt to patch impact-protection material yourself.
Many associations review visible exterior changes, including housings, tracks, supports and finishes. We can provide product information and drawings for your application, but the association makes its own decision.
Find Out Whether UltraShield Fits Your Home
We will inspect the opening, explain what would remain visible, compare the approved installation requirements with your structure, and tell you plainly when another option is a better fit.