From: Mark Gajda,
Certification and Quality Manager, Rehau

The issues surrounding substandard windows and doors has grown exponentially over the last few years and we at Rehau are deeply concerned. Fabricators and installers who continue purchasing reinforcements from non-system approved suppliers risk the safety of their customers, the standards of their business and the window industry as a whole.

While it is not necessary illegal to purchase and use steel or aluminium reinforcements from a third-party supplier, it can still lead to negative financial and legal consequences as non-approved steel reinforcements for PVC-U installations result in lower quality products being installed. The approved design will not perform as expected, risking quality and more importantly, safety. Fabricators and installers can therefore incur large fines every time they do this.

The main issues surrounding third-party reinforcements are largely two-fold. The first is that the product may not perform as it should - certain structural or wind loading calculations will become invalid if alternative components are used, as well as WER rating and U-value calculations. Further, any BIM modelling data supplied by the system manufacturer will also be incorrect. Additionally, thermal performance could be adversely affected too.

The second issue is that the use of non-approved reinforcements invalidates any industry standards that were accredited to the system. Standards – such as PAS24 and BS 6375 – are awarded on the basis that the same components and hardware are used by the fabricators and installers of the product, and they are therefore of equal standard to the windows or doors that were assessed under test conditions. Any installer or fabricator that doesn’t meet PAS24 standards must find another way to meet the Approved Document Q of the Building Regulations for England.

Third party certifications, such as BSI Kitemark, CE Marking DoP are also invalidated by the use of non-approved components. Retesting needs to occur with the altered products to prove that the product being used still complies with the standards. This is the only way to retain these certifications, and the fabricator must do the retests at their own expense. The cost of certification testing can run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Fabricators and installers using alternative steel or aluminium reinforcements could also forfeit the manufacturer’s warranty for the products, should the third-party components cause issues further down the line. This means that any repairs or replacement required will also need to be done at the expense of their own business.

Maintaining the synergy between tested products and installed products is the only way that we can assure customers that the products being fitted do what they say they will in terms of performance and standards. Any changes or third-party components introduce unnecessary risks and can damage the reputation of the supplier, the fabricator and the installer so we would urge people to think ‘real deal’ when it comes to steel.

Customers need to be assured that the products being fitted perform as expected. When it comes to steel, it’s best to purchase the real deal. If not, unnecessary risks and charges can occur. We ask, is buying “cheap” reinforcements really worth it?

www.rehau.uk