I have wrote to NHBC
Has anybody got this standard BS-EN-13914-1-2005 and what does it say about galvanised steel for external rendering? Whate were the regs in 2005 when my house was built?
What are bell casts, stops and how can I tell f they are galvanised?
I don't have, I'm afraid.
A bit of reading here (albeit from a manufacturer with a not so vested interest)
http://www.renderplas.co.uk/BS-EN-13914-1-2005.php
Stop beads are for applications where a straight joint or junction is required. You may find them used at movement joints, or against metal frames. In timber framed houses you may see them under the windows to give a movement joint.
Bell cast (sometimes called 'render stop' or 'drip' ) are the bead found at the bottom of the main elevation of render, which divides the main render from the plinth. The plinth is the band at the bottom of the wall - it may be rendered or brick.
How to tell if it is galv or SS? Well it's a silly answer but not meant to be , you tell by looking at them - you can tell by the surface usually. AS mentioned above check the joins and ends where oxidation occurs as the surface is broken.
I doubt if someone using galv angles would pay for s/s stops and drips. In any case, you are not supposed to mix them due to possible electrolytic reaction.
Keep us informed, as we want the poor practice builders to be punished.
IF they skimp on beads, how else do they cut corners (no pun intended!) to save money? Hold back on the cement? Try to get it done in one coat?
It's hard to compete with a price for render which includes beads that are a fraction of the cost of the proper ones.
Edit- I would also say that regardless of the letter of the spec, anything you buy must be 'fit for purpose' . A render with rusting beads is not that.