» THE WHICH ? SURVEY OF nearly 3,500 buyers of doubleglazing in the past decade found that the most common faults in installed windows and doors stem from poor hardware choices or assembly . Issues to do with locking systems , hinges and friction stays account for most of the problems that develop – substantiating for the first time anecdotal evidence reported by many installers .

According to researchers , 30 % of householders reported that their windows or doors had

become difficult to open or close at some point over the past 10 years . One fifth said a window or door had dropped over time so it no longer fitted as well , and 15 % of respondents said they had experienced a problem with locks not working .

Andy Holland , Technical & Marketing Manager at Rapierstar says : “ Whilst damage in use or ‘ user error ’ could account for some of these reported faults , it does suggest one or both of two things – using poor quality hardware or not fitting hardware

correctly . In the case of the latter , we can help fabricators prevent these issues with our advice on which fasteners to use to get the right hardware result every time .

“ Often , it ’ s something as simple as using a fastener with a different head style – in many cases using a pan head rather than a countersunk screw – or a different size screw can make a big difference . But it may also be that we can advise on the best type of metal to choose , especially where an enhanced resistance to corrosion is needed ,

or the ideal products to use with a specific profile system or type of reinforcement .”

As part of the technical support for the UK and Irish door and window industry , Rapierstar produces Recommended Fixings Manuals ( RFMs ) for all the most popular PVCu systems . Available to download free at www . rapierstar . com , these easy to use guides clearly show which fasteners to use for different window or door constructions , helping to reduce the risk of quality issues with the finished unit .

Following the RFM ensures the right head styles , threads and sizes are used so every hardware element has a secure fix . This is particularly important for enhanced security windows and doors to the Secured by Design standard , where a tiny weakness resulting from the wrong fastener being used could undermine an advanced hardware solution that the end-user may well have paid a premium for .

Rapierstar also provides a Fastener Health Check service . This is a comprehensive audit of the window factory undertaken by Rapierstar ’ s technical consultants to assess where positive changes can be made to the types of fasteners being used during fabrication and assembly . It can deliver multiple benefits including better quality finished products , improved productivity , fewer errors and reduced risk of health and safety incidents .

To access any of Rapierstar ’ s technical support for window and door fabricators visit www . rapierstar . com