Bushfire Safe for all BAL Levels

With the Australian summer comes the increased prevalence of bushfires and grassfires which can impact homes across the country.

When building in bushfire prone areas, a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment will be required. There are 6 BAL levels that range from BAL-Low to BAL-FZ (Flame Zone), which is the highest BAL level, and requires either external bushfire shutters or tested and compliant BAL-FZ windows and doors.

A BAL assessment will focus on measures such as the Fire Danger Index, the type of surrounding vegetation and proximity to the home, and slope of the land, to assess the intensity of a location’s potential exposure to bushfire. Once an assessment has been made, the correct type of BAL-rated windows and doors can be selected.

Paarhammer manufactures a range of custom-made windows and doors for all BAL ratings up to and including BAL-FZ. Our Bushfire Safe Range has been tested by a third-party NATA-accredited testing facility and is compliant with all relevant Australian Standards. 

Tests to two different Australian Standards (AS1530.8.2 and AS1530.4) are performed that both satisfy BAL-FZ requirements for products without shutters, but there are big differences. The main one being that AS1530.4 is the test for a 30 minute window (-/30/-) which is only allowed in an FZ area with limitations like distance from classified vegetation. In the AS1530.8.2 test, a very low heat flux (heat entering through a window product into a building) is one of the deciding factors, as high heat flux could ignite furnishings. It is also dangerous as naked skin can tolerate 5KW/m2 for only about 10 seconds.

With Paarhammer BAL-40 and BAL-FZ windows and doors, no external shutters are required, as the windows themselves offer high protection due to the timber used, the fire rated Pyranova® glass, and the technically advanced way of how these products are manufactured.

The timber used by Paarhammer is Manilkara Bidentata (Pacific Jarrah) which is very dense and self-extinguishing, only charring on the surface, which makes it the best choice for products in high BAL rating areas.

With Paarhammer products in our BAL-40 Range including fixed windows, tilt and turn windows, hinged glass doors, sliding windows and sliding doors, bi-fold doors, and entrance doors. BAL-FZ products include the same but without bi-fold doors and with strict size limitations of 2.88 m2 - including frame - per individual glazed item. Several of these can be adjoining to form larger glazed areas. Operable windows in BAL-FZ require ember mesh flyscreens which come with the windows.

Additional benefits of the Bushfire Range ensure not only peace of mind in case of a bushfire but also include high energy efficiency and security as well as sound reduction. A frame thickness of 78mm, special double-glazing and seals, allow these products to achieve 7 to 8 WERS (Window Energy Rating Scheme) stars.

Ready to talk Bushfire Safe windows and doors? Contact Paarhammer