New Water Management Products

There are many innovations in the areas of water management. From wall flashings to tile roof venting systems, creative approaches can improve your homes and protect them from water intrusion.

BattensPlus

In markets that use a tile roofing system that include a traditional wood batten the wood battens are usually of very poor quality. They also trap water and debris that leads to the roof underlament failing. BattensPlus is a new product, manufactured from a high quality plastic. It replaces wood battens with a system that allows ventilation and water drainage. Check out their web site. These are great people with a great idea who are solving problems with a lower cost and better performing product.

The BattensPlus design offers some outstanding benefits:

• Helps eliminate water ponding by allowing free drainage through the large fluted channels
• The fluted design also allows air to circulate under the roof tiles, which helps keep the underlayment dry
• Because the battens are made of plastic, they won't absorb moisture

1. Above is the traditional method for strapping.	2. This is the resulting failure when traditional wood batten is used.	3. Battens Plus wall batten is the best method.

To find this product, visit the BattensPlus web site.

New Window Technology

I must admit that window technology has been fairly stagnant for awhile but there are some new innovations that might make you rethink your window choices.

I was recently at the PCBC conference in San Francisco and saw some new window technology from Andersen Window Corporation. They are now offering a glazing system with some unique features. The first one, is a protective coating, applied to the interior window surface that can be removed just before occupancy. This means, there’s no longer a need to clean off the stain, paint, joint compound and who knows what else, that gets splashed on the windows.

Andersen has also fixed a problem that most buyers and I hate: cleaning the outside of the windows. With today’s more complicated designs, windows are often nearly impossible to reach and clean. They offer a new exterior coating that is sun-activated, and can reduce water spots from rain by 99%! They call this new glass Low-E4 and you need to consider this product before you select the windows for your next project. It will really excite your buyers. I love innovation. They also just announced a new insect screen also that you can’t see. It is such a fine mesh that it literally disappears when it’s installed!

To find this product, visit the Andersen Windows web site and go to New Products.