 
BEC Attendees Take Home Best Practices for
Curtainwall Installation
April 1, 2010
 |
Attendees of the BEC Conference, which took
place earlier this week in Las Vegas, heard tips for proper
installation of curtainwall, among other topics. |
Attendees of the Glass Association of North America's (GANA) Building
Envelope Contractors (BEC) Conference clearly were no strangers
to curtainwall, but several presentations offered best practice
tips to help those contractors further excel on their next job.
During a presentation on "Preventable Causes of Curtainwall
Failures" Chris Fenwick of Kawneer Co. Inc. covered issues
"that are exclusively within the control of a glazier out on
the jobsite."
As Fenwick pointed out, the energy-efficient products so much the
topic of conversation during Glass Week (CLICK
HERE for related story) mean little in the field if they're
not installed properly. "It doesn't matter what the components
can do for you if they're not installed properly, you're not going
to get the same level of performance," he said. He broke the
most common problems down into two recurring categories: 1) critical
perimeter and system seals; and 2) assembly and installation.
Regarding the topic of perimeter and system seals, Fenwick advised
glaziers to "maintain proper caulk joint on all four sides
of the system." He acknowledged, "This may seem elementary
to someone who's an industry veteran but we go out in the field
and see this time and time again." He reminded the glaziers
to use enough material to absorb the movement of the glass and building,
to create a cushion between aluminum and other materials that might
damage the material or its finish and prevent the cold air on the
outside from affecting the materials on the inside.
He also recommended cleaning the contact points with proper solvents.
"Do an adhesion test to make sure your materials adhere the
way you want them to," Fenwick said.
He added, "Make sure you've got glaziers taking the instructions
from the manufacturer and applying them in the appropriate places."
When it comes to assembly and installation, Fenwick said that the
first thing to address "is something as simple as the shims."
He explained, "They have to be in the proper location; need
to be load-bearing, non-compression and highly durable; a good rule
of thumb is to put your shims under the setting blocks on the horizontal."
Like shims, Fenwick continued, setting blocks need to be of the
proper composition for the glass and system, and they need to be
put in the right location. Using the wrong materials can put undue
stress on either the lites or the spacer. A photo of a spacer bar
pushed into an IGU air space demonstrated the problems that can
occur with improper care to placement. He advised putting setting
blocks at quarter points and reminded his audience not to block
weep holes, inadvertently trapping water, with those blocks.
Fenwick also advised his audience to locate and torque pressure
plate screws properly to prevent water and air infiltration.
BEC attendees also were treated to some tips for installation on
retrofit projects. Dave Hewitt of EFCO Corp. presented "Tips
to Work on Window Replacement Jobs." According to Hewitt, "It's
an emerging, growing market" (CLICK
HERE for related story). "When you look at the economy
we're in right now, it's very challenging
so look for opportunities
to get into businesses you're not doing right now is very critical,"
he added.
There are several reasons why an owner might wish to replace a
building's windows. Improving energy performance or meeting LEED
requirements is a common motivator today (CLICK
HERE for related story), but Hewitt said that hurricane impact
and blast windows are also a growing category for replacement windows.
"We're seeing windows in barracks all across the country being
replaced," he said. In addition, Hewitt noted that there are
a number of sources for obtaining federal funding for replacement
windows in historic buildings.
Next Hewitt provided a checklist of items to consider before bidding
on a retrofit job. Obviously when you're dealing with retrofit you
want to go out to the jobsite first, began. The best thing to do,
Hewitt continued, "Is have the window removed to see the interior
of the wall cavity and see what you're dealing with."
He pointed out that when bidding a retrofit job it's important
to factor in whether or not the framing materials will need to be
removed. Hewitt also emphasized being aware of perimeter anchorage.
"It's very important because often the surrounding structure
isn't capable of supporting the load of the window," he said.
In addition, Hewitt reminded glaziers to consider whether installation
certification requirements might be involved, such as the lead paint
certification requirements for buildings constructed prior to 1978
(CLICK
HERE for related article).
"Understanding how you're going to access the opening or the
location," Hewitt said, is another important consideration.
Will you be able to store your materials onsite? Will you have to
work after hours because the building is occupied?
But with these suggestions in mind, Hewitt encouraged the listening
glaziers to learn more about this potential market for glass installation.
"The opportunities for historic renovation are huge right now,"
he said.
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