Glass certification is having your glass inspected by a qualified Glazier to assess if it meets the Australian Standards, AS1288. A basic overview of these rules are detailed below;
4mm Float Glass is fitted in most residential home windows. Fixed and sliding windows can contain this type of glass. These windows can contain 4mm thick glass where the bottom of the window is higher than 500mm (half a metre) off the ground. 1.4m2 is the maximum area these windows can be glazed before requiring a thicker glass. These types of windows tend not to be a concern when it comes to certification processes.
Those windows which are the ones requiring certification are those windows that start from less than 500mm (half a metre) off the ground or floor level. This type of window is called a lowlite window, often requiring safety glass. You can read more here about toughened safety glass or laminated safety glass here. Lowlite windows can contain 5mm float glass in them, provided, it is less than 1.2m2 in size. Otherwise, they must be safety glass. Laminated glass or toughened glass can be used in lowlite windows to meet safety glass specifications. Toughened glass is designed to shatter on impact versus Laminated which will crack upon impact but hold in one piece.
Certification of Safety Glass?
- If you have toughened safety glass already installed in these windows, it will generally have a stamp in the bottom corner of the glass from the manufacturer. Without this, you cannot be 100% sure.
- Laminated safety glass is not as easy to tell and requires an assessment from a Glazier who can use a Merlin Lazer Gauge and Toughened Glass indicator that can measure the thickness and type of the glass in situ (without having to take apart the window).
- Take apart the window and look at the type of glass that is existing. This will require a Glazier who has the expert knowledge to look at the glass as well. (Laminated glass can be identified as it is 2 pieces of glass bonded together with a plastic interlayer, toughened and float glass need a trained eye to tell and/or with combination of the tools above).
What are the options if it needs to be Safety Glass and it is not?
Immediate replacement of the glass is required if it is not to the AS1288 standards. This is imperative as it is not only a compliance issue but one of huge safety concerns for the residence.
After replacing the glass, Glass Certification of the new glass installed to the required standards can be provided as evidence that the glass meets all requirements.
For further information simply call our office on 42617295 or read more here.
