What is the lifespan of a fastener?
- Read time: 4 minutes
- Date: 08 Apr 2022
- Flat Roofing
- Rainscreen & Façades
- Sheeting & Cladding
According to British Standard 7543:2015, building envelope fasteners should not be considered replaceable or maintainable. This means that fasteners for the building envelope must be designed to last for the same lifespan as the building they are used in.
The life expectancy of fasteners is affected by:
The climate where the building is located
Environmental conditions
Whether they have been damaged during installation
The standards of maintenance of the cladding and waterproofing system during the actual lifetime of the building.
This makes it difficult to give a definitive lifespan for individual fasteners, but as an example, Fixfast coated carbon steel fasteners would generally be expected to remain in a serviceable condition for more than 30 years. Fixfast stainless steel fasteners and washers would generally be expected to remain in a serviceable condition for 60 years or more when installed in standard or test circumstances.
In both cases, this lifespan relates only to fasteners that have been installed in conditions suited to the material being used. For example, fasteners manufactured from carbon steel should not be installed in environments with a high risk of corrosion because this will significantly reduce their lifespan.
Do fasteners have warranties?
Yes, many manufacturers do offer warranties on their fasteners. The length of warranty provided will depend on the individual manufacturer as well as on factors such as the correct specification of fasteners for the system, build-up and substrate, the climate and the environment.
The length of warranty chosen should be the same as the full life expectancy of the building.
What is included in the warranty cover?
This will depend on the individual manufacturer. At Fixfast, our warranties apply to the ‘primary function’ of fasteners, which is to make a structural connection between the cladding material and the substrate. If the washer is essential for this purpose (i.e. to achieve the pull-over value) then this will also be covered by the warranty.
Warranties cover the performance of the fastener for the lifetime of that warranty.
They are designed to safeguard customers in the unlikely event that there is a product or manufacturing defect that causes the fastener to fail and leads to the failure of the building envelope.
The key point to note here is that the warranty covers product or manufacturing defects. It does not cover damage that has been caused by poor workmanship, accidents, or misuse. This means if a fastener fails because it has been installed incorrectly or because the wrong fastener was used for the application or the environment, it will not be covered by the warranty.
It also doesn’t cover damage resulting from any attachment, extension, modification, alteration, repair, or maintenance work to the installation.
If the product is installed correctly and fails to perform its primary function, then Fixfast will fully replace the affected components and remediate any consequential damage to the building envelope caused by the failure.
Always check with your chosen manufacturer for details of their warranty.
