INDUSTRYNEWS
Q-Lon – What makes the world’s
best-performing window gasket?
What makes one particular PVC-U system stand out from the rest? By looking
further than the profile you will find it lies in the type of weatherseal that ultimately
delivers the essential long-term performance for the lifetime of the product,
explains Ray McGrady, Marketing Director at MASCO UK Window Group.
Weatherseal performance matters in
windows. It is the job of this vital
component to provide that all-important
weathering, thermal and acoustic
performance capability that genuinely
differentiates one PVC-U system from
another.
Q-Lon is the innovative weatherseal
incorporated across the complete mainframe
sections of our Duraflex window system. It
has been used in the Duraflex Diamond Suite
for the last 10 years and due to its proven
performance it is also backed by a lifetime
guarantee.
Proven, Q-Lon is the best-performing gasket
on the market; in tests, outperforming the
competition by wide margins. It is also the
only gasket that comes with a full guarantee
on the lifetime of the window. A bold
statement, but many of our satisfied customers
are testament to the product’s ability to deliver
the top performance required amid continuing
emphasis on weather performance, energyefficiency and savings on consumers’ energy
bills.
So what makes Q-Lon so special and
why should installers seriously
consider its features and benefits?
In February 2014, Comparative Performance
Tests were conducted under UKAS-accredited
conditions confirmed Q-Lon’s consistently
high performance throughout the life of the
window against that of flipper and bubble
seals. Each seal was tested for air and water
permeability in accordance with BS 6375-pt
1 & 2 and cycle tested to 10,000 full cycles
of operation in accordance with BS 6375-2 –
equivalent to a 15-year life cycle.
The results showed Q-Lon performs
significantly better for air permeability during
both the initial test and the second sequence,
following the cycle test. It continues to
provide an effective seal, even after 10,000 full
operations of the window. The performance
variance is just 2.33%.
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MAY 2014
Both the bubble and flipper seals performed
significantly less effectively, even during the
initial test, with the flipper seal 55% less
effective and bubble seal 28% less effective
after 10,000 operations.
On water tightness, the flipper seal
performed poorly on both tests, while the
effectiveness of the bubble seal is ‘degraded
significantly following the cycle test, indicating
that performance will reduce throughout the
life of the window’.
The report concluded that Q-lon, ‘provides
an effective barrier to water ingress throughout
the life of the window, and is suitable for
windows requiring exceptionally high weatherresistance. Additionally, Q-Lon has been
demonstrated to provide the same level of
performance throughout the window service
life.’
tested and accredited, not just the standard
mahogany, golden oak and rosewood Demonstrating further our commitment
to delivering fully tested and accredited
products, and providing customers with the
best colour range available.
The Q-Lon weatherseal is supplied on all
windows from the MASCO UK Window
Group divisions, including UKFabrication
(incorporating Griffin, Premier and
Techniglass), Seven Day’s nationwide
network of trade depots, Phoenix Doors
and Duraflex.
MASCO UK Window Group customers
benefit from a comprehensive range of
marketing materials that demonstrate the
superior performance benefits of Q-Lon,
including interactive demonstration boards
for retail showrooms.
‘Over the last ten years, a total of 246,006,302
metres or 152,861 miles of Q-Lon weatherseal
has gone into our windows – enough to wrap
round the earth more than six times!’
In acoustic tests, carried out in accordance
with BS EN ISO 10140-2, the Q-Lon
gasket once again outperformed the
alternative flipper seal by 1% and bubble
seal by 60%. With an increasing number of
consumers looking at reducing unwanted
external noise in their homes, Q-lon delivers
a valuable USP.
Beyond its world-leading weatherseal,
the Duraflex Diamond Suite’s advanced
design has been developed to meet the
needs of fabricators, installers and endusers alike. The range is complemented
with an extensive range of foiled finishes,
multi-chambered profiles and thermal
reinforcements.
The Duraflex Diamond suite is the only
system to have ALL its colour finishes BBA
Over the last ten years, a total of
246,006,302 metres or 152,861 miles
of Q-Lon weatherseal has gone into our
windows – enough to wrap round the earth
more than six times!
In conclusion, you could say that ‘Making
the Difference’ is a very apt strapline for
MASCO UK Window Group whose
ground-breaking Q-Lon weatherseal will
continue to make that crucial difference
for fabricators, installers and end-users for
many years to come.
Contact MASCO UKWG
on 01684 852673,
email [email protected]
or visit the website at www.ukwg.co.uk.
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com