Ventilation, heritage and timber windows
By Dean Bradley, sales director, Glazpart.
Replacing windows or doors in listed buildings or conservation areas can often be challenging for installers and fabricators largely due to three factors.
Firstly, choice of material and compliance with local authority regulations around conservation. Secondly is satisfying homeowners who may want a particular type or style of window and thirdly is the choice of ventilation to comply with Building Regulations.
The choice (preferred or enforced) of material for windows and doors in conservation areas/listed buildings is usually timber. The style and design are again often contentious with local authorities (building control and conservation officers) who endeavour to make the windows and doors as appropriate to the building and as environmentally friendly as possible.
When it comes to ventilation, when Building Regulations, Approved Document F (means of ventilation) changed in June 2022, it became compulsory for companies replacing existing windows and doors, to meet the properties’ ventilation requirements to the new standard.
With mechanical ventilation being expensive, inconvenient and time consuming to install, the most practical and affordable way to compliance for both installers and homeowners is to install trickle vents to the timber window and door profiles or frames.
Compounding the challenges of compliance, many local authorities even insist that the identical type of timber is used when installing replacements. Add to this, is the homeowner’s discernment and preferences for a perfect finish and it is easy to see why getting the right ventilation solution is now vital for any installation of replacement timber windows or doors.
At Glazpart, we have one of the best trickle ventilation solutions with our award-winning Link Vent range.
The Link Vent range comes in sizes 5000, 4000 and 2500 EQA and all are designed to fully comply with Building Regulations (Approved Document F).
With a clever design, simple and user-friendly for both opening and closing – the Link Vent’s innovative and flexible closing action allows the closure plate to be positioned so that it reduces draughts by directing air away from occupants. The Link Vent closure plate is split to allow for partial (50%) opening and greater ease of opening of the ventilator.
The Link Vent also has rounded ends of the vent to allow for installation on timber windows and it is available in either screw or clip in fixing types – the design eliminates the need for end caps whilst the clip fix design (Pawl’s) allows for a fast, easy vent installation.
Easy fitting and functionality are essentials but it is the huge choice of colours and decorative finishes that sets the Link Vent range apart from the competition.
For over 10 years, we have consistently invested in machinery and tooling to provide a vast spectrum of colours and finishes for the Link Vent range including Premium Woodgrain Link Vents which are ideal for timber products. When it comes to heritage properties, many fabricators and installers are using the Link Vent Premium ranges because they blend in perfectly with the look not only of the building but often the surrounding environment.
The Link Vent colours are also extremely stable and durable with the vents holding their colour through constant exposure to extreme and constant elements of weather, without noticeable fading.
For timber windows and doors especially in heritage buildings, we can match most colour finishes. As homeowners become more particular regarding the aesthetic of their windows and doors, fabricators and installers should be offering the widest possible range of colours and finishes for traditional timber windows and doors.
At Glazpart, we have the facilities and capacity to deliver a vast range of colours and finishes suitable for timber windows and doors to exceed homeowners’ expectations.
