Browse Forums Pools & Spas Re: Glass Pool Fencing Thread - ask your questions here 17Oct 24, 2012 8:45 am Hi tengals, I am in Perth and I know you are in Melbourne but hoping you can point me in the right direction. I have had 2 quotes for Pool fencing that vary wildly. (By 2 thousand dollars for a 6m run of glass) I am after Good quality gear as this is our 20 year house so want it to last, but I dont want to get ripped off in the process. I am after approx 6 metres of Frameless Glass and 5 metres of traditional steel Pool fencing to be installed. Both the Glass and Steel fence will require gates. Each quote I have tells me "we have the best gear" blah blah but it's very hard to compare products. I understand Spigot quality can vary wildly but how can I compare them? Some seem to be custom made so brand names don't even count. What should I look for? Any advice you could give in helping me narrow down my decision would be greatly appreciated. So looking for a bit of a guide to, Questions to ask, things to be wary of. Personally I dont care if it is local or imported glass (though one supplier who quoted will only use Local) Thanks....Rob Re: Glass Pool Fencing Thread - ask your questions here 18Oct 24, 2012 9:58 am docker_rob Hi tengals, I am in Perth and I know you are in Melbourne but hoping you can point me in the right direction. I have had 2 quotes for Pool fencing that vary wildly. (By 2 thousand dollars for a 6m run of glass) I am after Good quality gear as this is our 20 year house so want it to last, but I dont want to get ripped off in the process. I am after approx 6 metres of Frameless Glass and 5 metres of traditional steel Pool fencing to be installed. Both the Glass and Steel fence will require gates. Each quote I have tells me "we have the best gear" blah blah but it's very hard to compare products. I understand Spigot quality can vary wildly but how can I compare them? Some seem to be custom made so brand names don't even count. What should I look for? Any advice you could give in helping me narrow down my decision would be greatly appreciated. So looking for a bit of a guide to, Questions to ask, things to be wary of. Personally I dont care if it is local or imported glass (though one supplier who quoted will only use Local) Thanks....Rob hi rob, some great questions there and I can understand your position..... There are really 3 factors that need to be considered here, assuming firstly that both options are legit and compliant installs and installers. If thats the case and the job is compliant and completed by experienced installers then, 1. Quality of the job/install 2. Quality of the Glass 3. Quality of the hardware/spigots So, the first point. How good will the install be? I have seen some shockers and some great jobs. How important is it to you that it looks spot on, or is near enough good enough. Example would to be to ask the installer over the 6mt run of glass, what sort of tolerances can you expect to see by eye and by level? the second point regarding the glass. Imported or local. I can tell you this, MOST of the glass used in pre cut and toughened pool fencing and balustrade these days is all imported from asia. You wouldnt believe how many times I have heard fencers tell people we use local cut glass thats why our we are not budget cheap etc, and what do you know most of the glass if not all used in the job was imported glass...... There is nothing wrong with good quality imported glass that is toughened to australian standards and sold through a decent reputable fencing importer or similar. How to tell? Have a look by eye at the sheet/panel. does it bow?, have a look at various angles at the surface, does it shimmer/wave? how much? Have a look at the polished edges are they clean? what about the corners? Have a look overall for nicks, scratches etc......and of course make sure it is supplied with correct apass mark on the glass and current dated glazing certification. the third point. The hardware. I assume you are referring to stainless steel spigots, hinges and lathes and make the assumption you are NOT buying aluminium hardware at all. So, stainless. Yes there are very big differences. Basically all this stainless hardware is coming out of china. The quality/grade of the raw material can vary alot and often it is difficult if not impossible for an end user to tell by eye. You need to get the material tested to reassure yourself that the material is in fact a high grade/quality stainless steel. Which is not always feasible to do. The most common issue with the stainless hardware is the whole "rusting" issue. This is generally caused by the iron content in the steel or contaminated raw material or during the manufacturing process. Basically it almost always comes down to inferior grade stainless steel trying to be passed off as a higher grade. Sometimes even the distributor selling to you might be unaware of the issue as the materials report given to them from overseas is in-fact forged/fake. It is all too common. Hell, it has even happened to us before. A few things you can do yourself. Firstly, make sure a magnet wont stick to the hardware LOL. Have a good look at the hardware, how good do the welds look, the corners/edging etc? The weight should be in the 2.2-2.8kg mark per spigot. Is it a cast spigot or machined bar? ask the question. Even good quality stainless steel can "tea stain" which requires ongoing attention. If you want to reduce the chance of "tea staining" go for polished finish hardware, as it resists tea staining better than a satin finish. Cast spigots/hardware are slightly cheaper to produce than raw machined bar spigots/hardware. You will find most manufacturers selling crap material will coat a protective clear coating on the stainless steel to prolong the evidence of the inferior material, defeating the purpose of the self repairing properties of stainless steel barriers. Ask the supplier if their stainless has a coating on it? Basically push the supplier to warrant against any rust issue of the hardware. And regardless I would always recommend a stainless steel protective system for any stainless product in an exterior application. The other contributing factor to the price/hardware can also be the style of hinge used for your glass gates. A damper/hydraulic hinge will add approx 400-500 onto the price of the gate, over a standard spring/tension hinge. Sorry I know it's alot to take in at once, but it is a complex question. In a nutshell, you need to ask the supplier to justify why their product is so good. If they can satisfy you with their explanations and answers, then make sure they are willing to back that up! good luck, any other questions let me know. Re: Glass Pool Fencing Thread - ask your questions here 19Oct 27, 2012 6:47 am tengals Is it a cast spigot or machined bar? ask the question. Cast spigots/hardware are slightly cheaper to produce than raw machined bar spigots/hardware.. The other contributing factor to the price/hardware can also be the style of hinge used for your glass gates. A damper/hydraulic hinge will add approx 400-500 onto the price of the gate, over a standard spring/tension hinge. thanks for taking the time to post all that. Very good points. Couple of things I'd like to clear up though from your post Cast or Machined Spigots - So Is machined a lot better / stronger? If so what type of extra cost would it add over a cast Spigot (each spigot) Same with the Gate closer, Are Hydraulic hinges worth the extra cost in your opinion? Should / do they last longer or work better once installed? thanks again https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=44762 My Owner builder journey extending a 1930's Bungalow Re: Glass Pool Fencing Thread - ask your questions here 20Oct 27, 2012 8:14 am hi, machined bar is not necessarily stronger, but it is less likely to become contaminated during the manufacturing process of the spigot. It also requires more time machining the various profiles. the price difference is not alot maybe 10-15% more. hydraulic hinges are worth it if you can afford it. They make the gates soft close without slamming. Will they last longer? not necessarily. but they will stop slamming. There really are only 3-4 brands of hydraulic hinges available in australia on the market. I cannot mention brands here, but 2 of them have known problems. The other 2 seem to be fine, barr the normal return/faults. Stay away from the pencil style damper hinges, they are designed for internal timber door use and have been adapted to suit glass gates/doors. They are not fit for this external heavy duty application. Ardo That is so funny! I wonder how many people know who Larry Haun is these days. I have a couple of young guys we call Mo 1 & Mo 2 who run a crew of 6 boys and… 9 15682 Need to remove glass panel out of concrete without wrecking the glass to get the spa room in, any recommendations on how to do that. Thank you 0 39187 I work with owner, he/she is my man on the ground and I instruct them when to visit the site and take photos and I have other tools in the bag. 4 15617 |