When looking for a good, reliable rooflight for your home, chances are you’ll be conducting your search by looking through the offers of many companies in order to find the best offer. It’s true that there are a lot of options available out there, so picking out a reliable supplier becomes incredibly important. While you can tell a lot of things about an employer at a glance, you can’t be absolutely sure until you ask them some questions. Here are some questions you can ask your window supplier that should tell you a lot about the quality of their products.
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Are you responsible for designing and manufacturing your products?
While suppliers don’t always have to be responsible for creating the products they tell, finding out if they had a hand in making the windows on offer is a good way to gauge their knowledge on the subject. By narrowing down your candidates to just manufacturers, you can get a firsthand view of their windows and ask more specific questions.
What is the U-value of your rooflights?
While this question might not be the first one that comes to mind, that’s precisely why it’s a great question to act. U-value is a term that doesn’t have an obvious meaning, so just the fact that the supplier can answer it shows you that they have the necessary experience and expertise to help you with the thermal performance of your windows. Be mindful whenever you hear them back down and mention “centre pane” U-value, as these terms are often used to obfuscate the true performance of the product.
What type of glass do you use?
Not all suppliers offer the same type of glass for their windows, so make sure you pick one that meets your requirements. Try to go for a company that offers at the very least 6mm of thickness for an insulated double-glazed window. Ask if the glass is heat soak-tested and whether or not it has low emissivity (or low e). One other aspect to look out for is the warm edge seal, as it’s the key to ensuring that the performance of your double glazed window is the best it can be.
How much weight can the glass withstand?
This is particularly important for walk-on roof windows, as you’ll need particularly sturdy, durable glass to serve that purpose. A good supplier will be able to give you specific on what the glass can withstand. Walk-on specification glass currently has to withstand a load of 2.0 kN/sq. m for uniform distributed load (UDL) and 1.5 kN for concentrated load – all this for walk-on glass for domestic purposes.
Other products in category: Sunlux Centre Pivot
£112.50 tax excl.
Other products in category: Flat Roof Windows
£1266.67 tax excl.
What method do you use to fix the glass to the frame?
There are several ways to go about this issue. Usually, you’ll want windows that have the frame and glass bound by a structural sealant, as this provides the most complete fit, turning the window into a single structural unit.
What finish do you use?
Once again, there are plenty of finishes to choose from, so you have to make sure that your supplier gives you access to windows with the finish of your personal preference. Polyester Powdercoat is a very solid choice for a window finish, for example. One thing to look out for is a Qualicoat Licence, as it’s an additional guarantee of solid finish and only the best suppliers on the market receive it.
What safety measures are implemented in the rooflight opening mechanisms?
Some suppliers will provide you with a whole range of sliding rooflights with hinges that allow for better ventilation, so ensuring that every possible safety measure is taken is an important task. Find out if the supplier handles implementing the appropriate safety measures.
