AAMA Changes
I ’ve heard that there have been updates to the AAMA standards. If I’ve been running the AAMA 502-02 spray test how do I need to adjust?
The AAMA 502-02 has been replaced by the AAMA 502-08 and the AAMA 511-08.
AAMA 502-02 was called “Voluntary Specification for Field Testing of Windows and Sliding Glass Doors”.
AAMA 502-08 is now called “Voluntary Specification for Field Testing of Newly Installed Fenestration Products”. The AAMA 502 can no longer be performed on any window or door that has been installed for more than 6 months. It is only to be used “during construction, prior to issuance of the building occupancy permit but no later than six months after installation of the fenestration product.” (AAMA 502-08, page 4, section 1.1). The aim here is to discover corrections that need to be made early in the construction process in order to minimize the financial impact on any responsible parties.
Also of significance is that the changed standard specifies that the 502 test “shall be performed by an AAMA accredited independent testing agency.” (page 5, section 3.4). So basically the AAMA 502 has gone the way of the dodo bird for most test engineers.
Now most will be performing the AAMA 511-08 instead. It’s a new procedure but it’s basically the same as the AAMA 502-02. It’s to be used in the case of any window or door that has been installed more than 6 months previous. And nowhere in the AAMA 511 does it state that the test can only be performed by an AAMA accredited agency.
Both the AAMA 502 and the AAMA 511 refer to the ASTM E1105 and ASTM E2128 for various things, so these standards should be known as well.
The ASTM E2128 is a good standard to know — it’s referred to by many other new standards, and it’s also used when other tests produce failures but an actual cause cannot be determined.
All these standards can seem stringent and somewhat arbitrary. The best approach is to be well versed in as many pertinent standards as possible so that you are covering all your bases and performing any test procedure correctly. Because of the complicated nature of the test standards, the performance of these procedures is one of the things looked at most often by both sides in litigation.
Tags: AAMA 502, AAMA 502-02, AAMA 502-08, AAMA 511-08, ASTM E2128
