Evidence-based FACTA Compliance Critical to Ensuring Paving Cover Performance, Warns Drainage Expert
A lack of evidence-based testing threatens to undermine the operational impact of paving covers in external applications, according to a leading voice in the industry.
ACO Building Drainage is urging professionals working on projects involving external paving covers to request a test report from manufacturers to ensure the longevity and resilience of installations.
Key performance criteria for external paving covers should include load testing as outlined by the Fabricated Access Covers Trade Association (FACTA) classifications.
In flood-prone scenarios, external covers should also be subjected to a water test to demonstrate a watertight seal under a static head of water for 24 hours.
Failure to use products which have met the necessary testing criteria can result in a host of issues including early failure, water damage to underlying plant or services, and unsafe routes for pedestrians and vehicles, leading to unforeseen maintenance and inefficiencies later down the line.
In response to growing concerns around the impact of untested products in the marketplace, ACO has launched its own range of UK-manufactured external paving covers. Tested to *FACTA B and FACTA D load classifications, The single cover units have shown to maintain a watertight seal for 24 hours under a static head of 100mm as required by the FACTA specification.
The new covers are engineered for public and commercial applications, which meet the growing demand for products, combining sustainability with rigorous testing.
The new paving covers offer an innovative retrofit capability which allows the easy conversion of a plain-seated configuration to a locked and sealed variant. This flexibility means if an installation initially meets a project’s basic requirements but later demands enhanced sealing for odour and water resistance, the covers can be quickly adapted without replacing the entire unit.
Manufactured with a high percentage of recycled content and fully recyclable at the end of their lifecycle, the paving covers can help reduce carbon emissions and support the circular economy, promoting a more sustainable approach to infrastructure development. Manufactured in the UK, ACO’s external paving cover range also contains less embodied carbon than imported alternatives thereby contributing to lower Scope 3 emissions for the client.
Andrea Polti, Product Manager at ACO, said: “ACO ensures our covers are manufactured to the highest standards and test results are readily available on request. This level of transparency is essential for specifiers who demand verified reliable performance. Our new paving covers have been meticulously designed and rigorously tested to ensure they deliver industry-leading quality and performance.”
With a lead time of three to five days ACO’s paving covers combine high integrity with a competitive price.
Andrea continues: “I would encourage specifiers, civil engineers and all industry professionals to verify that products are supported by evidence-based test reports. In doing so, they ensure compliance with the necessary specifications required while contributing to the overall safety and long-term performance of the project.”
For more on ACO’s new range of external paving covers, see ACO.co.uk.
*FACTA B is designed for slow-moving(≤20mph) wheel loads, up to 5t for pneumatic tyred vehicles and 0.75t for solid tyres, while FACTA D accommodates 11t for pneumatic, and 3t for solid, suitable for environments with mixed vehicular traffic, including emergency vehicle access.
Table of FACTA load classes available here https://www.aco.co.uk/access-covers-facta