Outswing vs inswing

[The Cobbler]

bottom line, if they want in bad enough, and have the time, they're getting in.

 

[wssix99]

South Florida. Hurricanes can blow in an inswing door. Outswing is safer during these types of storms as the wind can't blow the door in.
That said, I believe the MIAMI DADE Hurricane codes were adopted about 20 years ago to only allow outswing doors in new construction. Older homes may still have inswing.

This is not the case. (If they are common in your area, it must be for another reason.) There is pressure on one side of a building from wind and a nearly equal suction on the opposite side of the building:




You will see commercial doors are usually outswing for egress concerns in case of a fire, mass exodus, etc.

Residential exterior doors don't have this major concern, so they use inswing for BETTER RAIN/WATER protection. On the pressure side of a building, the stops on the inswing door provide some rain screening when the door is pressed inward. On the suction side, the door is pulled into the stops/seals.

Exterior outswing doors are pulled away from the seals on the suction side of the building and water can run down from the top of the door and into the building more easily. There are some instances where these doors are needed (some good examples above) but, when used, its best to have an awning or other structure to keep the door as dry as possible.

 

[16again]

Outswing doors are mandated in South Florida to strengthen homes against hurricanes and high winds, a regulation reinforced after Hurricane Andrew. Outward-opening doors sit against the doorframe, preventing high-pressure winds from pushing them inward and forcing them open, while also reducing the risk of failure during storm surges.




Key reasons for outswing doors in Florida include:

• Hurricane Protection: When intense winds hit an outswing door, the pressure forces it tighter against the frame rather than forcing it open.
• Reduced Water Intrusion: Outward opening doors prevent wind-driven rain from forcing the door open and flooding the home.
• Structural Integrity: This design is required by the Florida Building Code for high-velocity hurricane zones.
• Security & Safety: These doors often feature security hinges to prevent theft and are generally more difficult to breach by intruders compared to inswing doors.

 

[jack stand]

I know that negative air pressure (lee side of a building) is more likely to remove exterior cladding than a direct wind. In other words,
You're siding is more likely to be sucked off rather than blown off.

 

[jar944]

they use inswing for BETTER RAIN/WATER protection.

As long as we ignore the sweep..

In-swing casements would also like to disagree with that entire statement.

 

[Skyman]

It's probably worth adding to the discussion that flying debris is another consideration during hurricanes and tornadoes, and it can pack a wallop.

 

[Motorman55]

I just asked my local builder for an estimate to remove the garage side window and cut out and install a new entry door/frame. Have to check the local code, but I'm looking to go with an in-swing door. In addition to the dead bolt and normal handle keyed lock I would mount a quick removeable steel security type bar on the inside to help against push in when not home.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

The west side will take a lot of weather abuse. My garage entry door is on the west side. It's an inswing, and I have a cheap storm door over it to protect the entry door, and to let some air through in the hot and humid weather.

 

[wssix99]

Outswing doors are mandated in South Florida

This is not true and you can do the following two things to confirm:
- Check the actual building codes. Outswing doors are not mandated. What IS mandated are performance specifications against wind, projectiles, and wat.er intrusion. (Inswing or outswing doors can meet these specs.)
- Ask the internet "Which section of the Florida building code or Florida hurricane code requires outswing doors." You should get some good information confirming the above or more enlightened commentary on outswing vs. inswing in Florida.

One of the more interesting points I saw about outswing is that they hold up better to storm surge although the best designs I have seen in Florida lately plan for seem to plan for the storm surge to wipe out the entire first floor (no matter what) and preserve the rest of the house.

There is a LOT of bad information slathered over the internet on this topic, but the more enlightened commentary points out that doors still need to be designed for positive wind pressure and negative wind pressure, as noted above. (Outswing is strong against positive but weak against negative. Inswing is the reverse - strong against negative and weak against positive pressure.) When requirements for projectiles and other external forces are added to the wind, some manufacturers may find it easier to meet the spec with an outswing design.

Another thing in Florida is that wide swaths of housing are built by large companies. If one company has a design standard for one thing, it may seem like a "required" feature when it could actually be an architect/engineer or procurement decision.

 

[16again]

I stand by the MIAMI DADE BUILDING CODE that we follow here. Feel free to reach out to them and let them know their code is wrong. I didn't write the building code.

 

[wssix99]

I stand by the MIAMI DADE BUILDING CODE that we follow here. Feel free to reach out to them and let them know their code is wrong. I didn't write the building code.

If you stand by it, then please point us to the section that requires an outswing door.

 

[16again]

If you stand by it, then please point us to the section that requires an outswing door.

I stand corrected. My apologies. You are in fact correct.
After reading the code, as long as it meets the specific code requirements they can swing either way. It does say OUTSWING IS THE PREFERENCE however, not mandated by the code.

 

[Reit38]

Security is a concern but I have 3 overhead doors and 3 windows. If someone wants in theyre going to get in. My bigger concern is rain/ wind beating on the door. But now that im thinking about it the inswing seals will probably hold up better stopping a driving rain

 

[Fav Onefour]

Interesting debate.

If you want to go nuts, start looking at European doors. Those triple point locks would be a bear to knock through. I'm starting to see some of those available over here now. Hopefully prices start to drop.

We have the setup on a front door My main reasoning wasn't security based, but more about getting a nice tight seal. The upper and lower cams hold the door quite well against the seals.

Going into the debate about inswing vs. outswing.
Years ago we were visiting a friend in Austria. Their area is notorious for bad thunderstorm activity. Homes are built to go through hail, heavy rains, and flooding. I was curious about their exterior basement door. The door opened into an exterior stairwell with a large drain right outside the door. Basement and stairwell were all poured concrete. From inside the door looked like a simple outswing steel unit.

The exterior side had a gasketed flange that overlapped the jamb and threshold. It looked like the gasket setup actually sealed tighter if there was outside pressure against the door.
I asked about the exterior seal and flange. She didn't know why it was done that way but she said it was a problem when the yard flooded. Shredded leaves slowed the stairwell drain or plugged it entirely during big storms. When the water rose high enough in the stairwell, it started coming in through the door lock. (Ironically, the lock looked similar to our old fashioned skeleton key locks.) She said one big problem was really deep water in the stairwell. The water would get enough pressure to come through the lock and shoot across the room. The stream shot past the interior floor drain so she had to mop up the whole room. I honest to God don't think she had a clue how unreal that scenario would seem to someone on this side of the pond.

The door system certainly seals well against outside intrusion. I think it makes sense for someone with a well built home in areas that receives storm surges.

 

[wssix99]

Security is a concern but I have 3 overhead doors and 3 windows. If someone wants in theyre going to get in.

This is right-on. If security is a concern, you should invest in a security system. With regard to the door, the weakest part of the door is the jamb. (Inswing vs. outswing doesn't matter a bit.) It's easy to pop a deadbolt through a wood jamb or to pry an outswing door out of a wood jamb. Steel jambs are more difficult.

My bigger concern is rain/ wind beating on the door. But now that im thinking about it the inswing seals will probably hold up better stopping a driving rain

This is why most doors are inswing. The rain sheds off the stops and down to the threshold. Depending on which way the wind is blowing and if you have positive or negative pressure on the house/door, it may press into the seals or pull away from them. With an inswing door, the rain will still shed off the stops.

If water intrusion is of particular concern, you may think about a steel door with refrigerator seals. (Magnets in the seals.) No matter which way the door is moving, those seals should stay stuck to the door and keep air/water infiltration down.

 

[KenC]

I changed my out swing to in swing years ago. Roof overhang is such that the runoff hits exactly where I'd have to stand to unlock it. In-swing gained a few inches so I could stand just out of the drip. Cost some usable space inside though.

 

[Superbowl]

As for security, it's a big joke that people worry about getting good locks or dead bolts when they have a sliding glass door to their patio. One brick and you are in.

 

[wssix99]

As for security, it's a big joke that people worry about getting good locks or dead bolts when they have a sliding glass door to their patio. One brick and you are in.

They don't even sheath houses in wood any more. Many places use foam or drywall. Forget the doors - we can just cut through the exterior wall with a razor blade.