AAMA Updates Window And Door Certification Program

November 11, 2014

AAMA announced a major change to its window and door certification program, saying the maximum life of AAMA test reports will be extended from six to 10 years.

Beginning with the December 1, 2014, release of the new AAMA 103-14a procedural guide, the certification period will be extended from four to five years. Additionally, for licensees electing to institute an enhanced Quality Management System, AAMA will offer a five-year extension instead of the two-year extension currently in place.

This means your product’s test report can be valid for as long as 10 years.

The addition of the five-year initial certification term to the certification program will allow AAMA licensees to see a larger return on their testing investment. Additionally, those participating in the optional five-year extension program can see an even larger return, while also gaining the additional benefits of the enhanced quality control program.

In its announcement AAMA addressed several common licensee circumstances:

If you have initial product test reports that will expire in December or later, you will be able to apply for a five-year extension for these products under the new requirements within the AAMA 103-14a. Make sure you complete all requirements (including the affidavit) and submit all required forms to AAMA’s Validator, ALI, at aamareports@assoc-labs.com.

If you have already extended your initial test report through the methods described in the AAMA 106 document, you may apply for an extra three-year extension, as long as all the requirements for the new five-year extension have been met.

If you have products that have not yet been tested, AAMA says you should probably wait until the new 103 comes out before doing so, “as long as this does not put certifications of current products at risk and does not put you in jeopardy of labeling non-certified products.”

If you wait until the December 1 implementation date and have adhered to all requirements within the new 103, you will be eligible for the new 5 + 5 term. Here are the new requirements:

For New Product Certifications (Initial Five Years) – Nothing has changed! All products tested to the requirements in NAFS will automatically be eligible for the five-year initial term of certification.

For Extensions on Product Certifications (Five- or Three-Year Extension) – To be eligible for the new five-year extension program, licensees will have to institute an enhanced Quality Management System. Some features of this enhanced QMS are:

• Implementation of a system of internal audits of the QMS program to ensure it is being implemented properly and functioning as intended.

• Participation in an Insulated Glass certification program, and only installing certified IGs in AAMA labeled products.

• Confirmation of the strength of the corner joinery used in certified products through internal testing and inspections (such as the thermoplastic corner weld test).

• An enhanced schedule for the inspection of finished products.

• Tests on finished products to ensure the water-tightness of the sill corner joinery, and to check for the proper operation of the completed window or door.

A full excerpt of the additional requirements can be found here. Note that AAMA 103 is not yet published, but this section is being shown so that AAMA customers may begin preparations for utilization of the new program.

If there are any questions about these changes, please contact Bruce Croak, Graham Architectural Products technical marketing manager, 717-849-8100.