Technical Advice | Useful Information about Architectural Glazing
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We do not make up topics just to get clicks. Our topics come from the questions people really ask us. Architects ask us when they plan a building. Builders ask us on-site. Homeowners ask us when they plan their project. If the same question keeps coming up, we write about it.
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The first draft is written by someone who works with that glazing system. This might be a technical advisor, a designer, or a product expert.
They write using three things, in this order. First, our own finished projects and what we learned from them. Second, the building rules and the glass standards that apply. Third, the maker's technical data for the system we supply. When we give a number or a limit, we say where it comes from. We name the rule or standard and link to the official source so you can check it yourself.
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Each article shows who wrote it, who checked it, and the date it was last checked. Rules, standards, and products change over time. So we go back and review our advice on a regular basis. We update it when a rule changes, a standard is replaced, or a product changes. Being right matters more than leaving an old article alone.
Water tightness testing is an important process to evaluate the ability of glazing systems to prevent water ingress from entering a space resulting in rot or structural damage. The physical assessment covers all glazing systems from windows and glass doors to water tightness testing on roof glazing systems.
Water tightness to glazing systems within the UK are tested under EN 12208 with the classifications ranging from class 0 to class 9 with the highest (9) able to withstand 600Pa of water spraying pressure for 55 minutes.
Water tightness classifications according to EN 12208
|
Class |
Test Pressure |
Spraying Time |
|
|
Pa |
Minutes |
|
1 |
0 |
15 |
|
2 |
50 |
20 |
|
3 |
100 |
25 |
|
4 |
150 |
30 |
|
5 |
200 |
35 |
|
6 |
250 |
40 |
|
7 |
300 |
45 |
|
8 |
450 |
50 |
|
9 |
600 |
55 |
The glass windows and doors are subjected to these powerful jets of water for prolonged periods of time increasing the flow rate in increments of 5 minutes of hose spraying.
The hose spraying testing procedure starts at the bottom of the area typically at the lowest point of the building envelope near the base working across the horizontal structural transom elements to evaluate their ability to prevent water ingress.
The testing process continues by directing water spray up the intersecting mullions of the to assess the weather tightness for the windows and doors.
The testing procedure continues in a systematic manner, moving from the bottom to the top of the area being tested. This ensures that the entire building envelope is thoroughly evaluated for water tightness in one continuous session.
An additional 30 minutes observation time is added. This additional period is referred to as ‘drain down time’.
The drain down time is a critical part of the testing process because it allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of the specimen's ability to prevent water intrusion. It ensures that the specimen can maintain its weather tightness over an extended period, which is important for assessing its long-term performance in real-world conditions.
By including the drain down time in the testing procedure, it provides a thorough assessment of the building envelope's ability to resist water penetration under various weather conditions. This contributes to the overall quality and durability of the structure.
If no water has ingress is found after the 30 minutes drain down time, the test specimen will have passed the weather tightness test.
If you're specifying glazing systems in locations with extreme weather conditions with high wind loads and driving rain, it is pertinent to recommend sliding glass doors over hinged or bifolding doors since the recessed tracking system on ultra slim sliding glass doors prevent water ingress inside the space through its design, whereas bifolding doors typically sit on top of the tracking surface. In addition, we would also recommend using the new rubber gasket seals in our NextGeneration sliding glass doors as they provide more resistance over outdated brush seals.
Learn more about the advanced innovative features in our new Keller NextGeneration minimal sliding glass doors.
Are you working on a project with requirements for high performance glazing?
Contact us for all your glazing requirements.
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