ISO CHEMIE's ISO-TOP
WINFRAMER thermal insulating and load bearing bracket system for the rapid
installation of windows has been fire rated to E30.
The award confirms
ISO-TOP WINFRAMER can protect the entire window area from fire for a minimum of
30 minutes, guaranteeing the retention of
structural integrity, as well as supporting at least 200kg/m and providing an
air-tight cavity support.
Thirty minutes is considered enough time for people to
safely escape a property in the event of a fire and help to delay the spread to
adjoining rooms and buildings, keeping any damage to a minimum.
WINFRAMER, which
already has Passivhaus certified status, is a structurally solid,
pre-fabricated installation frame, manufactured to accommodate cavities up to
250mm. This allows windows to be supported independently from the face of the
wall regardless of any external cladding being in place.
Product can be
quickly cut to length on site and secured in position using a single component
adhesive and, if necessary, fixing screws. This allows installers to fit
windows into the insulation area between the inner and outer walls easily,
avoiding the need to use metal brackets that cause non-repeating thermal
bridging and give extensive problems when the windows need replacing.
Andy Swift, national
sales manager for ISO-CHEMIE, said: "E30 fire rating, together with
Passivhaus certification, enables Winframer to be specified for applications
where both energy rating and safety are crucial factors - an ideal future
design solution.
"Widely used in
Europe, we are seeing growing interest among UK specifiers in Winframer to
provide a solution to the current flawed method of installing windows to walls
using metal brackets, creating a thermal bridge and probable route for fire to escape."
The composite
brackets can bear heavy windows loads, including Bi-fold doors, to provide a
reliable, strong and high-performance support frame. Installation is quick with
windows attached directly and secured mechanically using either standard fixing
screws or fixing lugs in the usual manner.
A hinged insulation
core combines with the composite wood structural bracket to become an integral
part of the overall wall structure, providing compliance with window energy
saving regulations (EnEV) and the RAL quality assurance association.
ISO-TOP WINFRAMER
can be used with a range of ISO-CHEMIE foam tape sealant systems to provide
effective and high-performance window sealing. These include ISO-BLOCO One,
ISO-BLOCO One Control, ISO-BLOCO 300 and 600, the ISO-CONNECT Vario range of
self-adhesive foils and fleeces, and ISO-TOP Flex Adhesive WF for bonding and
sealing to masonry and joint/corner sealing.
