FEATURES
Thatch is making an appealing comeback as an innovative and
eco-friendly construction material in Europe.
The chemical treatment of thatch has been painted in a negative
light, despite certain products being tested and approved.
Heatlie recalls a conversation he had years ago with a fellow
chemical engineer colleague regarding questionable products.
“There are some well-known products on the market which are
hygroscopic in nature, which would be detrimental to thatched
roofs as these would absorb moisture from the environment and
therefore decompose grass at an accelerated rate.”
As a result of several dubious operators advertising their
services to consumers, the products selected are often not
suitable to protect the thatched roofs as claimed, says Heatlie.
“In one instance, a product that underwent the ASTM E: 108 test
conducted by SABS, had a panel that was in fact dipped and
fully immersed in their product prior to being submitted for the
test. This begs the question on how the product can be tested in
this manner and then be advertised as a spray-on application.”
Reams of red tape
Thatch roof solutions that work
We have protected over 1 million m² in SA and over 200 000m²
internationally since its inception in 1991.
The company developed Supercote, a water-based fire retardant
comprising stable acrylic polymer resins and anti-fungal,
anti-bacterial and fire-resistant components.
The product is very effective against:
• Veld fires
• Lightning
• Fireworks
• Dust-rain
• Sand infiltration
• Monkey damage
• Bird damage
• Storm damage
TEL: +27 (0) 11 422 4593
CELL: +27 (0) 72 263 5320
Email: [email protected]
www.thatchprotection.co.za
22
SEPTEMBER 2018
CLADDING // CONCRETE // INSULATION // STEEL // THATCH // TIMBER // TRANSLUCENT // WATERPROOFING // COMPONENTS
Requirements regarding the use of fire retardants are stipulated
in the NBR, as well as the specific test requirements and
classification, however, Strydom states that there is a general
uncertainty related to this.
“There’s very little to no information about this. The function
of the NBR is not to prescribe or dictate the application
procedure as expected by consultants. The application and
maintenance procedures of the system used are subject to the
outcome of the evaluation process and using the correct
test procedure will in turn dictate the specific
application requirements.”
Some of the retardants available in the market have
undergone testing with the SABS, however the tests were
withdrawn. Strydom says that these tests were withdrawn
because the incorrect protocol was followed, and accelerated
tests were not conducted. “SABS never gave attention to aging
and rotting roofs. Their approach was to test what the client
asked for,” says Strydom.
Another issue that arose from the testing was that only the
test specimen or system had been certified and not the roof
itself. This, however, is standard procedure with all products and
system testing and that is why a test or evaluation procedure
must be conducted in full. This enables the manufacturer or
supplier to finalise the technical information regarding the
specific product requirements such as application, control over
application, precautions, maintenance requirements, durability
and certification of the applied product or system.