We are building a KfW60 house. Everywhere we have triple glazing except for the floor-to-ceiling windows in the attic. The fixed lower part consists of safety glass with double glazing, while the upper part has triple glazing. According to our construction company, safety glass is only available with double glazing. However, our neighbors have the lower part with triple glazing. We are now a bit unsure.
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Romeo Toscani7 Jun 2010 09:14Of course, there is ...
Safety glazing also for triple-glazed windows!
The issue in your case might be that the lower sections have fall-proof glazing installed, which includes at least an 8 mm (5 inch) thick laminated safety glass. It’s possible that this, combined with triple glazing, doesn’t fit into a narrow frame profile, so double glazing was installed instead.
However, the window specialist bears responsibility here, because if you, as the customer, request "triple glazing," then this must be installed (using a thicker frame profile).
Safety glazing also for triple-glazed windows!
The issue in your case might be that the lower sections have fall-proof glazing installed, which includes at least an 8 mm (5 inch) thick laminated safety glass. It’s possible that this, combined with triple glazing, doesn’t fit into a narrow frame profile, so double glazing was installed instead.
However, the window specialist bears responsibility here, because if you, as the customer, request "triple glazing," then this must be installed (using a thicker frame profile).
R
Romeo Toscani7 Jun 2010 22:33Please provide more information when you have it available.
Frame installation depth
Specified glazing including the glass cavity
(e.g., 4 - 16 - 4 - 16 - 4 for triple glazing)
From a distance, I can only speculate that the frame profile installation depth is very shallow (do you have PVC windows?). It might be possible that there is more space in the sash, but no room in the frame to accommodate a triple-glass unit combined with laminated safety glass.
Since I don’t know the location of your construction site (and therefore cannot comment on local building regulations), I can only share how it is handled where I am:
Laminated safety glass (LSG) 6 mm thick in the floor-to-ceiling element on the upper floor would offer maximum burglary resistance but would never be considered fall-proof (unless there is a protective barrier such as a railing installed on site).
Properly, for triple glazing and fall protection, you would need
a) a profile that can accommodate the entire unit, and
b) the appropriate safety glass on both the impact side and the fall side (at least 8 mm laminated safety glass).
Personally, I would not offer or sell anything less than that, as it would already put me at serious legal risk.
As I mentioned, I do not know your local building code, but the window you are describing seems to be a very low-cost version combined with questionable advice; otherwise, I cannot explain it.
Frame installation depth
Specified glazing including the glass cavity
(e.g., 4 - 16 - 4 - 16 - 4 for triple glazing)
From a distance, I can only speculate that the frame profile installation depth is very shallow (do you have PVC windows?). It might be possible that there is more space in the sash, but no room in the frame to accommodate a triple-glass unit combined with laminated safety glass.
Since I don’t know the location of your construction site (and therefore cannot comment on local building regulations), I can only share how it is handled where I am:
Laminated safety glass (LSG) 6 mm thick in the floor-to-ceiling element on the upper floor would offer maximum burglary resistance but would never be considered fall-proof (unless there is a protective barrier such as a railing installed on site).
Properly, for triple glazing and fall protection, you would need
a) a profile that can accommodate the entire unit, and
b) the appropriate safety glass on both the impact side and the fall side (at least 8 mm laminated safety glass).
Personally, I would not offer or sell anything less than that, as it would already put me at serious legal risk.
As I mentioned, I do not know your local building code, but the window you are describing seems to be a very low-cost version combined with questionable advice; otherwise, I cannot explain it.
The region is Schleswig Holstein. There was limited consultation regarding the windows, and unfortunately, I don’t have detailed information about their construction. The four windows in the bedroom are standard, while for the two children’s rooms, we opted for them as an extra; the standard there is a masonry parapet. From the additional offer, I only know that they are laminated safety glass (VSG) 6. The surcharge per unit was 350 € (Euros), which I don’t find exactly cheap (referring to the price). Is there any regulation stating that laminated safety glass of at least VSG 8 must be used for fall protection? Is it still possible to switch to triple glazing? Is there a maximum allowable difference in U-values? The triple glazing should have a U-value of 0.7. Unfortunately, I also don’t know whether the KfW calculation was done with fully triple glazing or the mixed option.
I have now received some information from my construction company. Everything should be in order. Triple glazing is only available without certification. The glass installed in our house is supposed to be certified (it also has a CE mark), so the 6mm (0.24 inches) thickness should be sufficient.
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