NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Bilco Company is pleased to announce that it now offers roof hatches that have received Miami-Dade County’s Notice of Acceptance (NOA). The NOA certifies that Bilco’s standard Type S and NB steel and aluminum roof hatches, including the Enhanced Performance roof hatch for green building applications, conform to high-velocity hurricane zone standards in Miami-Dade County in Florida.
When roof hatches were added to the Florida Building Code’s list of hurricane-resistant products in 2007, Bilco began working with Miami-Dade County Building Code Compliance Office to help develop test protocols for hatches. These tests included high-pressure uplift and downdraft cycling, large missile impact and water intrusion. The company also evaluated laboratories capable of performing such tests.
“Many design professionals are interested in using approved hurricane-resistant roof hatches, which is why we initiated this certification,” said Carlos Utrera, Product Control Examiner for Miami-Dade County Building Code Compliance Office. “We worked with Bilco to develop a checklist for general requirements based on the company’s experience with the product and its knowledge of a wide variety of installations.”
Type S and NB hatches feature heavy-gauge construction for overall strength as well as fully welded corners on both the curb and cover and full perimeter gasketing for complete weathertightness. Hatches are equipped with heavy-duty slam latches to ensure that the covers remain closed under these extreme conditions.
“When we saw the need for a hurricane-resistant roof hatch in the building industry, Bilco immediately sought certification for our products,” said Roger F. Joyce, Executive Vice President of The Bilco Company. “It took us two years to complete the testing, review and approval process, and we are very pleased to offer the industry’s only certified roof hatch, which, we hope, will make life much easier for design professionals.”
For more details about Bilco’s hurricane-resistant roof hatches and approval process, visitwww.MiamiDade.gov/buildingcode . For more information on Bilco’s products, call 203-934-6363, or visit www.bilco.com.
