Are your customers hyperventilating over Trickle Vents? Quickslide’s Ade offers some advice.
Unless you have been living in a cave you will have picked up something about a new set of Building Regulations that are due to become statutory in June this year. Whatever the reality might be, every builder should have a working knowledge of the Building Regs. But if the idea of sitting down with a cuppa and poring over an edition of the new Regs to find out what the changes are is not exactly top of your To Do list, then if you have any questions, at least about windows and doors, then give me a call…
The changes for windows, doors and related glazed products are for the most part, relatively small and, to beat the same drum again, dealing with a respected window and door manufacturer will ensure that they only supply products that are produced to the new standards as a minimum. But these is one element that you might come up against that is causing some consternation amongst window retailers and which may well come up when you are sorting frames out for your customers, so you should be prepared.
It concerns a part of the Building Regs called ‘Document F – Ventilation’. The key issue with this is the imposition of background ventilation – trickle vents – on all new and replacement windows. Essentially this means that all replacement windows will now be fitted with trickle vents, whether you or your customers like it or not. There is even talk of rebellion amongst some retail window installation companies who believe that it will lose them sales!
A report earlier in 2021 claimed that the vast majority of homeowners were against the new rules with many retail installers saying they will lose business. However, it is very difficult to back this up and it’s all getting a little overblown. The new rules are intended to counter the effect of homeowners sealing up and insulating their homes, and thus removing essential ventilation in the house. But the counter argument is that such a broad-brush ruling will simply make homes less energy efficient by letting cold air in. Most homes older than 20 years are full of holes anyway!
Other issues are potential challenges to the supply chain with the increase in demand for vents that are invariably supplied from the Far East; and, of course, an increase in the cost of frames, though this will be fairly minimal in the overall price of a frame. Generally, however, homeowners don’t like vents, as they spoil the smooth lines of their lovely new windows and doors. And that is the biggest issue.
The powers that be in the window and door industry are working to resolve the conflicts that vents are creating. But in the meantime, our advice is: Get over it! As it stands trickle vents are here to stay and unless you want to run into potential problems getting a FENSA certificate, then you should educate your customers and raise awareness of the new regulations, simply because it isn’t worth it for your customers to break the rules in the longer term.
Get into good habits and if you’re asked by customers to change the specification of their windows and doors, perhaps because they are trying to shave a bit off the cost, or because they’ve decided that they don’t like the look of trickle vents, push back with advice that explains why such things are in place. And what the ramifications are for them to break the rules.
For further information on Quickslide visit https://www.quickslide.co.uk/
