A warning to specifiers and roofing contractors to be vigilant when buying timber roof battens following changes in British Standards has been issued by John Brash & Co Ltd.
The Gainsborough-based company says the updated BS 5534 details all aspects of slating and tiling, and gives clear specifications for the type of battens to be used.
The changes, introduced in July and due to come into full effect by January, are designed to make roof structures more robust. The biggest change is for single lap tiling on 600mm rafter centres, where 25x50mm battens must now be used instead of 25x38mm.
More emphasis is also given to the grading system and each batten has to be marked with the supplier’s name, the size, grading and species where previously only bundles had to be marked.
A specialist timber importer and manufacturer, John Brash only uses slow growth Type A timber which is 17% stronger than Type B timber. All its battens are graded for various factors including wane, fissures, splits and resin pockets. It does an initial grade for knots but recommends a final on-site grading.
The company warns that failure to use compliant materials will have serious repercussions for specifiers. Site inspectors have the power to condemn non-compliant battens and could even demand the removal and re-fixing of roof tiles.
John Brash, which welcomes the revised standard, has published a brochure explaining the requirements of BS 5534 and detailing its own timber batten range.
