Best, Healthy Practices

The importance of managing water in the glazing cavity is a critical factor in the performance and longevity of certified insulating glass units. Water held at or near the edge seal of an insulating glass unit will result in premature failure, cause structural damage to the glazing system, and may result in the formation of mold. The formation of mold and its effect on the occupants of a structure continues to be a prime health and safety concern for architects when designing buildings.

The IGMA Field Correlation Study included two buildings with poorly designed glazing systems and while the certified units performed better, these units failed prematurely to their counterparts held in properly weeped glazing systems. A properly weeped glazing system is another integral factor in insulating glass unit performance. Again, IGMA encourages the industry to adhere to best practices to help do its part to encourage the highest level possible certification, and as such, address the mold issue in buildings and especially, the envelope openings.

IGMA and the Insulating Glass Certification Council (IGCC) have endorsed and agreed to move forward toward certification and testing to the ASTM E 2190 standard only. It's a simpler way for manufacturers to meet testing criteria and bring the best certified product to market.

The IGMA Certification Program removes the requirement for manufacturers to certify to two jurisdictions, effectively eliminating an artificial "trade barrier" between Canada and the U.S. With an increased emphasis on a global marketplace, the harmonized standard sets the stage for certification and recognition in Europe. Together, these efforts are designed to encourage the production of an insulating glass unit that will provide greater longevity and less chance of failure and is easier to specify and market across the window industry's ever-expanding borders.

Additionally, IGMA and the IGCC have agreed to work together to "standardize" the certification process in North America, harmonizing requirements to provide cost-effective certification programs with the long-range goal to completely synchronize the two programs.

Of course, insulating glass units will not last forever and never is not in the vocabulary of the standard. Rarely is there a product in any market that can last forever or remain problem-free for life. But with this updated and rigorous test standard, insulating glass units are designed to last longer than ever, avoiding the same problem that the fictitious building owner and his contractors faced in the scenario described above.

"The significance to the architect is that ultimately, the certification results in insulating glass units with greater longevity," said Mike Burk, training manager for GED Integrated Solutions, Twinsburg, Ohio. Burk chairs the IGMA Certification and Education Committee and is a past member of the organization's Technical Services Committee.

"We know when manufacturers' product lines are third-party certified, the end-result is better performing insulating glass units," Burk said. "In many respects, the new standard has tougher criteria, such as stricter accelerated environmental testing and allowable frost points, for example," he stated.

In the past, and with multiple standards for IG units, manufacturers had to test to one or more, presenting a logistical and financial burden. Code officials were equally confused with regard to which standard to follow.

"The harmonized certification program gives the architect a system that is up to date with current testing and procedures," says Bill Lingnell P.E., owner of Lingnell Consulting Services, Rockwall, Texas, and IGMA Technical Consultant. "In essence, we are assisting manufacturers on how to make a long-term insulating glass unit and that benefits the industry, architect, specifier, contractor and end-user," he continued.

Lingnell added that updated test methods and specifications have been added to the standard, some more stringent than predecessor documents. "For architects, the specification and use of certified insulating glass allows them to serve the client with proven tested products. There have been major changes and the standard has been updated overall and IGMA and others are doing their best to disseminate that information. Now, manufacturers have one standard, one test and one certification protocol to adhere to, rather than trying to decide which of several to follow," he said.

During the process, IGMA and its members have been actively involved in the harmonization of insulating glass standards not only between Canada and the U.S. but also through the Committee for Standardization (CEN) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Lingnell is the convener of the ISO Technical Committee 160, Subcommittee 1, Glass in Buildings, Working Group 4, Insulating Glass. This group is working on the acceptance of two approaches for the ISO standard, with one incorporating ASTM E 2190 (North American) and the other EN 1279 (European) Standard under the ISO development process. "The working document has been accepted by the ISO committee. It is anticipated that the standards governing insulating glass will be in an ISO document internationally in early 2007," he added.

Certification and testing to a current and state of the industry standard is critical to the longevity of any product and especially, insulating glass units.

"Overall, the goal of the standard is to simplify the procurement, purchasing and specification of insulating glass units," said David W. Bailey, P. Eng. and Operations Manager, Engineering & Transportation, Bodycote Materials Testing Canada Inc., Mississauga, Canada. Bailey participated in reviewing Harmonized Insulating Glass Standard (HIGS) Committee work and currently holds a position on the IGMA Technical Services Committee. "With the harmonized standard, the manufacturer can test to one standard and deliver product to the U.S. and to Canada. Instead of lab testing to three standards, they can test to one," he said.

Bailey said tests were conducted side-by-side of each standard's criteria to make certain the new standard was at a minimum as rigorous as the standard it replaced. "The standard brings quality, proven products to market, bottom line. A lot of units are not certified, and some of that is a direct result of confusion about which applicable standard to certify to. This harmonized standard will also result in getting more certified IG units to market. In addition, it will be easier for one consistent standard to be recognized by building code bodies, who will also begin to realize the benefits. Architects need to be warned that they can quickly get into problems using a unit that is not certified."

Bailey said architects need to look for the label inside or on the windows and only specify sealed insulating glass units that are certified. The glass spacer is marked or other labels make this designation. "It's the architect's checkpoint for quality," he said.