Larger Cavity Widths

On the certification thing I find it amusing.

Engineers will dig their heels in and refuse to use systems that don't have an IAB certification. Fair enough, they have faith in our certifying body, misplaced as that may be.

The same Engineers will then say that they have a big issue with full fill cavity insulation. Point out that several of these systems are IAB certified and you'll get a response along the lines of "not tried and tested" or "no organisation gets it right all the time".

There is a bottom line here. IAB certification costs 6 figures. The big european suppliers of alternative systems could easily afford these costs but they aren't interested in the irish market because it's insignificant in comparison to the European mainland market. Hence alot of these systems that are available here are imported by very small companies (1 man operations in alot of cases) that can't afford the IAB certification process.

Should you ignore a great system that has german certification because it doesn't have the IAB certification?

threebedsemi said:

the springvale link looks interesting, although it falls between two stools for me...either there is a cavity or their isn't...

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Yes there is a 10mm cavity created by the 10mm protrusions on the outer face of the insulation boards. The protrusions are not continuous all the way around so if water does fall onto them then it can fall off to the side and down.

I suppose it is full fill in that the 140mm + 10mm spans the 150mm cavity but the 10mm protrusions are not continuous so for most of the cavity the insulation is partial fill (140mm).

I just wonder would the average engineer sign off on this?

sas asked:
'Should you ignore a great system that has german certification because it doesn't have the IAB certification? '

Click to expand...

unfortunately, i think there are a host of issues with doing this, will your home insurance cover you in case of defect, will the company who supplied the system still be around in six months if there is a defect, is your consultant confident enough in his prof. indemnity insurance to sigh off on it, etc....

i know i get a slight (unwanted) rush of adrenalin any time i certify something like this!

I'm with SAS on this. Insurance is not void or affected by not having IAB. Remember, IAB usually sub their product testing to the UK bodies, such as the BRE or BBA. IAB is a paper-accreditation process only.

As for "is your consultant confident enough in his prof. indemnity insurance to sigh off on it, etc...." that's an issue for the competence of the consultant etc, it has no bearing on the quality or integrity of the product/system in question.

So, if you have an issue with a product that does have IAB, do they step in and pony-up if you have an issue with one of those..........???

Look at it this way: if the only products used had to have IAB, then most modern methods of build, would never ever have got a start, due to the chicken and egg theory........

with all this talk of certification... can i direct posters to what teh actual building regulations say in regard to materials...

“proper materials” means materials which are fit for the use for which
they are intended and for the conditions in which they are to be used,
and includes materials which:

(a) bear a CE Marking in accordance with the provisions of the
Construction Products Directive; or

(b) comply with an appropriate harmonized standard, European
technical approval or national technical specification as defined
in article 4(2) of the Construction Products Directive; or

(c) comply with an appropriate Irish Standard or Irish Agrément
Board Certificate or with an alternative national technical
specification of any State which is a contracting party to the
Agreement on the European Economic Area, which provides in
use an equivalent level of safety and suitability.
“Agreement on the European Economic Area” means the Agreement
on the European Economic Area between the European Communities,
their Member States and the Republic of Austria, the Republic of
Finland, the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the
Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Swiss
Confederation, as published in the Official Journal of the European
Communities (OJ L1/9 of 3rd January, 1994).

Any insurance firm failing to accept or cover these materials or systems would fail a court challenge.

Also, an architect, engineer, or building professional who refuses to even consider these certifications is either too lazy to research and form their own opinion, or uneducated as to the reliance and application of the irish NSAI system