Guest Post by Steve Massey
As Document L of the building regulations continues to be tightened for both new and existing dwellings, Argon gas filling will become a standard process in sealed unit production.
BS EN 1279 is now mandatory for all sealed unit manufacturers and clearly defines the rules for gas filling compliance. EN1279 part 3 states : units must be within -5%/+10% of a specified single gas concentration and must have a leakage rate of less than 1% per year, over a 10-year period. It is reasonable to take 90% as the concentration level for Argon, because this is the level that all WER windows are calculated at.
As part of our EN1279 part 6 compliance responsibilities, we have to undertake daily testing of our gas production. We are required to log and record the concentration levels for a minimum of 3 random units per day from the Argon batch. We actually test many more to check that all our systems are working correctly. This ensures that our customers will not be faced with a huge product recall due to either illegal or unfit for purpose products. Ask Toyota what their current recall issue is going to cost them.
Our calibrated external Sparklike Gas test machine gives instant readings of Argon content. We can test a unit that is in-situ glazed, as easily as testing units from our production. We would recommend that any window company buying gas filled sealed units asks their sealed unit supplier for the following:
• To visit their factory and view their gas production and testing systems
• Examine their EN1279 part 3 pass report
• To bring their in house gas testing machine to site and test the gas content of random units
• Repeat these actions regularly to ensure that they maintain quality.
We welcome window companies with any doubts about their products to bring a unit to our factory for a confidential Argon concentration test. We think that the peace of mind would be worth the trip.
Regards
Steve Massey
Regency Glass Ltd
www.regencyglass.co.uk
www.sparklike.com
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