DEAR GERALD
to current specification. To be fair to them, they are currently researching and testing all of the new welding technologies in conjunction with glass bonding, as part of a diligent process as a premium systems company. We also know that they are in communication with the machinery companies and to their knowledge, no product testing has been carried out on unglazed Residence 9 windows, therefore, any product warranties will fall purely to the fabricator or installer. Would any installer want to install a product without the backing of the systems house? Sarah Hitchings, sales and marketing director at The Residence Collection adds: “We recommend fabricators follow the Residence technical manual and glass bond all units whether welded or mechanically jointed. Glass bonding is an integral part of the design. We are in the process of further evaluating the impact of some of the latest welding methods as well as weather and security performance.” We understand just how tough it is for installers at the moment, facing fierce competition at both local and national level, as well as external forces already making it harder for consumers to commit. The promise of one of the industry’s hottest products at a cheaper price is of course incredibly attractive. However, it’s a false economy – an inferior R9 window creates more problems than it solves and you can’t be sure your supplier will support you when things do go wrong. Dekko have achieved PAS24 accreditation across the entire Residence Collection range -including R7, R9 and the aluminium lookalike R² – meaning if you’re installing on new-build, self-build or renovation site you can be assured of a safe and secure product. Whilst some fabricators are cutting corners to drive down prices, we have always been committed to doing things right. We employ a dedicated Residence Collection team and have a separate manufacturing facility to ensure absolute quality. We simply won’t cut corners and provide our customers with products we know to be below-par. It’s a crying shame that more fabricators don’t share our ethos. In short, you need a fabricator you can trust to deliver Residence 9 to the highest standard. At Dekko we
have an incredible history with R9, starting out as one of the launch partners in 2013 and growing to become the UK’s largest Residence Collection fabricator manufacturing 700 quality frames each month. We will continue to make our R9 windows ‘The way they’re meant to be.’ Yours sincerely, Kurt Greatrex, Sales Director, Dekko Window Systems Dear Gerald Thank you for an interesting letter which I support, but perhaps not as he intended. Like Kurt I too remember the early days of uPVC (as it then was), sadly for me mine date back to the mid 1960’s when household names like Crittall Hope, first took tentative steps towards plastic. At that time, Trocal and Miplam sections had un-galvanised steel reinforcement, because it was thought no rain would ever touch the steel; however the steel reinforcement created its own moisture by sweating inside the sealed chambers….result, rusty steel. So he is right to be cautious, the industry has fought hard to shed its poor image from the 1980’s however there are several issues here, glass bonding, steel reinforcement and construction methods. Like Kurt, I have ensured Masterframe lead by example. A rated, SBD and fully steel reinforced sashes as standard shows that it is possible to achieve security and great thermal properties, it just means we must incur significant other costs like Krypton to balance the heat lost through steel reinforcement.
WINDOW NEWS MARCH 2018 27