Peak Balconies

STOP! Are you buying the right product?

Barrie — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 12:08:16 +0000

STOP! Are you buying the right product?

With so many different styles and glass types for Juliet Balconies and Balustrades, it’s difficult to choose. Price is always important but is it more important than safety? I’m sure you would agree it is not. The Juliet Balcony or Balustrading is there for our safety, instead of using a solid or partition wall, we open up our living space with products like this to allow light to flood our homes for all the benefits of natural light.

So what is safe? In the UK we have strict building guidelines, particularly with protection from falling. The regulations are written in a document known as PART K, this is available to everyone online and downloadable, this insures a standard across new builds, renovations and extensions.

Now, we have covered the regulations but how do we know if a Juliet Balcony or Balustrade is safe before we purchase? There is a simple way to find out, and that’s to ask if the system you are purchasing has been tested to that of PART K. When purchasing, a company should be clear in what they are selling and that it’s the right product for your project, but unfortunately that is not always the case.

Here at Peak Balconies, we are clear about the products we supply, all our systems have been tested to current building regulations (PART K), we work with some of the biggest manufacturers in the country and like us, we will not compromise on safety as it is paramount.

If you are unsure or just looking for advice then please don’t hesitate to contact us, we are more than happy to help.

Toughened vs Heat Soaked Glass

Barrie — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 09:30:00 +0000

Toughened vs Heat Soaked Glass...

The two main processes available on the market, the most common being toughened, so what is heat soaked?

The majority of toughened glass contains small amounts of Nickel Sulphide, which changes state during the toughening process and cannot revert to its original form when the glass is cooled. Although steps are taken to remove the Nickel Sulphide inclusions, no glass manufacturer can guarantee that they are not present.

In most cases, this isn’t too much of a problem, but sometimes, the Nickel Sulphide eventually returns to its original form and expands in size as it does so. This can lead to cracks and breakages in glass sometimes several months or years later.

Heat soaked glass solves that issue. The toughened glass will be placed in an oven around 300 degrees and left for 4 hours. If there are any Nickel Sulphide inclusions, they will expand during this process and cause breakage. However, if the glass does not break, it indicates it’s safe to use and it’s very unlikely to break at a later date.

It’s clear what the benefits are with heat soaked glass, for a smaller outlay from the start can potentially stop any further outlays in the future.

If you require any further information then please contact us here.

Nice to Meet You

Barrie — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 17:19:57 +0000

Nice to meet you.

My name is Barrie, I have been working in the glass trade for over 18 years. I have seen many different changes in the glass trade as I’m sure many of you know it’s a very fast-moving industry. My glazing experience started with glass partitioning, huge office blocks with BIG glass sheets, over the years, being a glazier, I turned my hand from most types of glazing to the traditional style glazing, windows, and doors, and specialist glazing.

For the past 7 years, I have been concentrating on balconies and balustrades, there is a huge amount of project satisfaction which I thrive on. The balustrade systems, like others, have changed a lot but in a fairly short space of time, this has been due to the safety of the end-user, and rightly so! Learning is a daily occurrence in this field with safety measures and building standards changing for the better.

I look forward to speaking with you and helping you with your project.