June 2021 by PHAM News

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JUNE 2021 | VOLUME 59 | ISSUE 5

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Debate over the future of domestic heating hots up Recent proposals from the International Energy Agency that fossil fuel boilers should be banned from has sparked a debate in the national media about the viability of switching to greener heating technologies. Last month’s report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), calling for a global ban on fossil fuel boilers in just four years time, was picked up by a number of national newspapers and other media outlets, raising concerns from consumers about the potential cost of dramatic changes to how they heat their homes. The IEA claims that a block on the sale of fossil fuel appliances is the only way to ensure that zero carbon commitments can be met within years, but such a move has been met with widespread criticism from both consumer groups and industry stakeholders. Media personality and Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins OBE was among the first to hit out at the proposal, claiming that the target is impossible to achieve because of the lack of suitable alternative technologies, infrastructure, skills and short timescales. “These boffins are living in a dream world if they think there is an element of common sense in get me wrong, I’m all for saving the planet, but what they are proposing is simply not achievable.

and blind to climate change issues. Huge amounts of R&D resource are being poured into the development of hydrogen boilers that can deliver the government’s Net Zero targets without crude market manipulation and the denial of consumer choice.”

Inside this issue r n e w o

£1000

Need for clarity

“Telling people this needs to happen immediately makes it less likely, not more, to happen. Tell someone to do something impossible, they won’t try. What we need are achievable targets, then we might have half a chance. If the IEA want to be taken seriously, it needs to come up with some sensible solutions and timeframes.”

Soviet planning

A rapid rise in the installation of heat pumps is widely viewed as a key part of any plans to lower the country’s carbon emissions, but the government has been warned that there is a danger of ignoring consumer demand and that its proposals amount to Soviet-style production planning. It is claimed that plans currently being drawn up by BEIS could impose a legal obligation on boiler manufacturers to make alternative products, such as heat pumps, and that penalties could be introduced if manufacturers fail to hit certain targets. Mike Foster, chief executive of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, says the proposals are targeting supply rather than demand. “I’ve already

heard this proposal described as Soviet-style production planning that prioritises the supply of a product rather than the generation of demand. If this goes ahead, we are potentially going to get the heat pump equivalent of unwanted Lada cars that consumers don’t want and won’t buy. This is a crude attempt to manipulate the market for domestic heat and it won’t work. “BEIS is trying to drive consumers towards heat pumps by taking away the alternatives, but it is important that consumers are given a choice about the technologies in their homes.” The EUA points out that the UK’s boiler manufacturing sector has been a major success story in recent years, employing thousands of workers in places like Hull, Preston, Derbyshire and Worcester, and that the proposals are likely to come as a serious blow to the sector. “The UK’s boiler industry is a manufacturing success story that developed the combi boiler which has already done so much to improve domestic fuel efficiency and reduce household carbon emissions,” adds Foster. “It would be wrong to categorise the industry as deaf

As a manufacturer of both boilers and heat pumps, Vaillant has called for further clarity from the government about its plans to decarbonise heating in the UK. “Heat pumps are a good alternative when homes are off the gas grid or for many retrofit properties that have a suitable level of insulation. However, some existing UK homes need insulation upgrades before the installation of a heat pump is an effective measure,” says Mark Wilkins, technologies and training director at Vaillant. “With the cost of a heat pump installation significantly more expensive than a boiler installation, and with a lack of incentives currently available, many homeowners will opt for a less costly approach. Currently, many are unaware of the changes required to their heating systems, including how a heat pump works. “We urge the government to act quickly and provide the much needed clarity so that we can move forward in the decarbonisation journey. Whilst we are waiting for strategies to be announced, Vaillant is working with government and trade associations to ensure the decarbonisation of heating is carried out in the most effective way, ensuring that whatever is suggested is easy to implement for the installer and the homeowner.”

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Inside this issue 3 JUNE 2021 VOLUME 59 ISSUE 5

Editor’s Viewpoint by Chris Jones

Need for a clear direction Whatever your thoughts on the various reports and proposals relating to the future shape of the domestic heating sector, it has to be acknowledged that the days of traditional gas boilers are numbered. It’s not so much a question of ‘if’ as ‘when’ and the time will come when consumers will no longer be able to replace their existing appliance with something similar. A call to put an end to fossil fuel heating systems by 2025 appears to be way too early to be taken seriously, but if the motive is to provoke more forward thinking and debate, then perhaps the IEA might claim to have achieved its objectives (see this month’s cover story). As it stands, in four years time, gas boilers will no longer be allowed to be installed in new build properties and it is widely assumed that such a ban will be extended to all homes sometime in the 2030s, possibly as soon as 2033. For many boiler manufacturers the hope is that the introduction of hydrogen-ready models – boilers which can quickly be adapted to accept hydrogen fuel when it comes on stream – will be accepted as the most cost-effective and least disruptive low carbon solution. However, while tests have already proven the viability of such appliances, many people have argued that the environmental and ﬁnancial costs of supplying hydrogen fuel to our homes will ultimately prove to be prohibitive. And for heat pumps to become mainstream, the government will need to ﬁnd a way to overcome the equally daunting cost barrier for consumers, but is currently showing no appetite to do so. For manufacturers, suppliers and installers alike, it’s difficult to plan ahead without a clear picture of what the UK’s future heating market might look like, but in the meantime consumers are going to be best served by heating engineers who are able to outline all the available options and provide them with the most energy efficient system that their budget will allow. At least that’s one thing that shouldn’t be subject to change.

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PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

News Review

Domestic boiler sales bounce back from Covid Sales of domestic gas boilers bounced back from the Covid downturn, the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC). The numbers show that (&(# looks set to be a record year for gas boiler sales, with year-to-date sales up %#% from (&(&, with a #(-month average sales figure increasing by #%%. Commenting on the figures, the director of HHIC Stewart Clements says: “Sales have certainly bounced back from (&(&, and consumers are once again investing in home renovation as they see the light at the end of the dark Covid tunnel. “We expected this April to be better than last year, when sales fell off a a massive increase in sales. This is great news for the UK manufacturers who make the appliances, for the whole supply chain that gets them ready for the home, and for the #)& &&& Gas Safe registered installers $

news for the consumer as they get homes, helping to keep bills down. If (&(# continues this way, our UK-based industry will see a record breaking year.” In total, !% & ) units have been this year, compared to just %! %! in the same period in (&(&. The HHIC has also revealed that over 8&% of the boilers sold are combi boilers.

Fleet runners Bathroom distributor PJH has invested in three new regional distribution centres – in Enfield, Thirsk, and Bristol – bringing a significant expansion in its Next Day Delivery Service to retailers, to include up to "#% coverage of UK postcodes. This increased capacity will enable PJH to reduce the number of deliveries out of its Cannock central hub, relieving site congestion and improving efficiency. It also reduces the number of miles travelled further by reducing the potential impact of traffic or bad weather. In addition to the Cannock distribution centre and the new Enfield, Thirsk, and Bristol sites, PJH also operates from Bolton, Worcester and Glasgow regional locations.

Report shows decline in new recruits A new report released by Skills Training Group has revealed that the number of people entering the plumbing and heating industry has declined by %$#"% from #'! %&& to #'& && over the last #6 years. The Trade Trends Report (&(# analysed #6 years worth of data from the Office for National Statistics to assess the state of the UK workforce and shows that plumbing is one of a number of key trades declining in numbers. Data forecasts show what the future may look like for trades if the average decline continues. Based on current numbers, it is predicted that by (&%" workers in the plumbing and heating trade could fall to #)( #% – a drop of #'$!'%. Commenting on the research, Mark McShane, MD at Skills Training Group, says: “For many industries, young people entering the workforce early in their careers means they can learn the craft and make it a long

term career – with many being business owners by the time they are )&. But in order to encourage young people to make these choices, businesses need to engage with young people, sharing their success stories to encourage a new workforce. “Communication and marketing needs to be a big part of each of the $

and recruit new talent, its image needs to adapt as well. Companies and industries that make a noise, engage with social media and shout about what makes their trades great will see the tide change in the amount of people wanting a job.” To read the full Trade Trends Report (&(#, use the readerlink below. phamnews.co.uk/

Travis Perkins brokers sale of plumbing arm

Installer role vital in water conservation

The builders merchant group Travis Perkins has announced that its plumbing and heating arm (P&H) will be sold to a private equity firm, HIG Capital. The deal, valued at *)(' million, is expected to be completed within the next three months. P&H operates under its primary trading brands City Plumbing Supplies (CPS) and Plumbing Trade Solutions (PTS), alongside several specialist online outlets including The Underfloor Heating Store, Direct Heating Spares, PlumbNation, and National Shower Spares. Dave Evans, CEO of P&H, says: “The sale to HIG is great news for P&H and its stakeholders. We are well positioned to push forward with our plans for growth by developing more customer-focused propositions delivered by over )&&& dedicated team members. I look forward to building an even stronger business in the coming years.”

The key role installers can play in spreading the word about water conservation in the home was a key theme at the first Water Matters virtual conference, recently hosted by the Unified Water Label (UWL). The conference explored how the bathroom industry can work together to better inform customers about using water efficiently. UWLA CEO Yvonne Orgill says: “There was clear agreement from our contributors that the world is changing and the environmental impact of how we use water in the home is increasingly important. “Those in the supply chain that have a direct interface with the consumer, such as installers, have a unique opportunity to take up this challenge and influence and educate consumers on the options available. They are well placed to promote products that are UWL registered and advise on the performance aspects, reassuring consumers that water saving does not mean reduced performance. Installers can also help with any compatibility issues, helping consumers make the right choices for their water systems and lifestyle. “There is also a commercial gain for those that can offer quality products and advice to those consumers looking to make the right environmental choices when investing in their home.”

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PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

News Review

Brexit ruling could hurt radiator sales The Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) has condemned a ruling by the UK government that could see the majority of radiators on sale in the UK stripped of a valid test ! ! ! ! ! ! be sold legally. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government decided to invalidate current CE Mark test certificates from the end of this year. This could mean that UK homeowners

will be unable to purchase and install new or replacement radiators from January &%&&. Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs at MARC, explains: “Since changes to CE marking were announced, the radiator industry has been working with the understanding that for existing products a transfer of test certificates would be possible. We have since been informed that this is not the case, even though the European standard tests are identical to the UK standard EN &. As it stands, in order for products to start using the new UKCA mark, they will need to be completely retested using a UK test lab. “There are currently thousands of radiator products on sale in the UK with a valid CE mark, but there is only one test laboratory in the UK. Even with a heroic ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! a very small percentage of radiators currently legally on sale in the UK. “It will be impossible for all products to be tested by the &%&& deadline. The industry now faces the reality that the majority of radiators on sale in the UK ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! few months’ time, and therefore unable to be sold legally,” concludes Isaac Occhipinti.

Second-hand stolen tools going strong Six in ten tradespeople say that they have been approached by or seen someone they suspected of selling stolen second-hand tools, according to new research by Direct Line business insurance. According to the survey, & % of tradespeople became aware of a suspicious seller through word of mouth, and " % said the person selling the tools was a friend. The majority ( "%), however, refused to buy tools from the suspicious seller. Some of them

More availability of boiler spares A new network of spares stockists has been launched by Intergas to improve the availability of its boiler spares. The company says an IT-led system has been implemented to ensure that stock supplies remain resilient and responsive. There is now a dedicated web page, highlighting the location of the nearest Intergas spares stockists, which can be accessed using this link: phamnews.co.uk/

Trailer to visit merchants nationwide Embarking on a nationwide tour of the UK’s plumbing and heating merchants, Glow-worm is encouraging installers to register for its &%&& Mystery Trip which will see $$ Glow-worm Club Energy installers secure two places on the all-expenses paid trip to a top secret destination, set to be revealed next year. The Mystery Tour trailer will be visiting 88 merchants over the coming weeks, spreading the word

on how to get involved. Visitors will be able to step inside the Airstream trailer to get up close with the very latest Glow-worm boilers and controls, win a host of instant prizes, sign up to the Club Energy loyalty programme, and meet their regional business manager. To sign up for the &%&& Mystery Trip and to receive a personalised target, installers must be a Glowworm Club Energy member, with the qualification period running until #"st March!&%&& ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! a plumbing merchant in your area, visit the website below. phamnews.co.uk/

went on to inform a trade authority (& %) or the police (&#%). One in ten still bought the tools despite their suspicions, and over one quarter considered purchasing them but didn’t go through with it. The second-hand tool market, where equipment is available more cheaply and quick to source, is helping to drive tool theft across the country. #%% of UK consumers say they have bought tools secondhand, with "6% doing so on multiple occasions, showing the strength of the market. Nearly half of these buyers ( %) have acquired tools from a car boot sale, # % have got them from a friend, and almost a third have bought ! ! ! ! ! ! ! selling second-hand goods.

Geberit declares a duck hunt In the spirit of Cadbury’s hunt for a gold Crème Egg, Geberit is bringing its own search to installers as it gives away a selection of top prizes as part of a new ‘Find the Duck’ promotion. To be in with a chance of winning, installers just need to visit a participating retailer and purchase either a Geberit or Twyford ‘Grab and Go’ pack (Twyford Option and Alcona, or Geberit Selnova ranges). A number of rubber ducks have been hidden in a selection of boxes, with prizes including "%%% holiday vouchers for Canopy & Stars, Love&Shop vouchers, a #&in television as well as Geberit-branded merchandise. Purdie Proudman, channel marketing manager for Geberit, says: “We want to reward our customers’ loyalty and this promotion is the perfect way to do that. There are some fantastic prizes up for grabs – look out for the rubber ducks in your Grab and Go packs!” For more information on Geberit’s ‘Find the Duck’ promotion use the link below. phamnews.co.uk/

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PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

News Review Resideo adds value to the trade

Get help with ƩłùĢłė Öł ÖťťũāłŶĢóā ĕŋũ ƘŋŽũ ðŽŭĢłāŭŭ A new campaign has been launched by training provider JTL, aimed at guiding employers through the process of taking on an apprentice Öłù ĞĢėĞķĢėĞŶĢłė ŶĞā ðāłāƩŶ ŋĕ ũāóāĢƑĢłė Žť Ŷŋ ͎˝˙˙˙ in government grants. The ‘six simple steps to taking on an apprentice’ promotion aims to alleviate any worries employers may have about taking on an apprentice, while also reminding employers of the opportunity to claim an incentive grant of ͎˜˙˙˙ for apprentices hired between ˚ April and ˜˙ September ˛˙˛˚̇ regardless of their age, which is in addition to the existing ͎˚˙˙˙ payment for all new ˚˟ to ˚ˡ-year-old apprentices. Taking inspiration from popular online dating platforms, the campaign positions JTL as the matchmaker between an employer and the apprentice. The training provider, which currently works with ˡ˙˙˙ learners and ˜˞˙˙ employers across England and Wales, ŋƦāũŭ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ĕŋũ āĿťķŋƘāũŭ ŶĞũŋŽėĞŋŽŶ ŶĞā apprenticeship programme, from the first ŭŶÖėā ŋĕ ƩķķĢłė Ģł Öł āłŨŽĢũƘ ĕŋũĿ Öłù ŶĞāł getting matched with the perfect apprentice, to funding advice and getting support from a ùāùĢóÖŶāù ŶũÖĢłĢłė ŋƧóāũ̍ Cathie Foster, head of marketing and communications at JTL, says: “The campaign

comes at a crucial time as the easing of lockdown restrictions continues and the government funding is still available. We now more than ever want to encourage employers to take on an apprentice to ensure a pipeline of skilled tradespeople continues. ̦ ŭ ťÖũŶ ŋĕ `¦d̪ŭ ŭŽťťŋũŶ ŋƦāũĢłė̇ ƒā Öũā ŋł hand to speak to employers who are keen to invest in the training and development of an apprentice, and to help employers make the ĿŋŭŶ ŋĕ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ ƩłÖłóĢÖķ ÖŭŭĢŭŶÖłóā̇ which is at its highest level ever and is available until the end of September.” Employers will need to set up an account on The Apprenticeship Service portal in order to access the funding, which JTL can assist with. For more information on finding the right apprentice in six simple steps and for help on accessing government funding, just use the readerlink below. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˙˟

Home comfort and security solutions specialist, Resideo, is collaborating with TradeHelp – a UK trade network providing installers with purchasing, customer ƩłÖłóā Öłù ŭŋĕŶƒÖũā ŭŽťťŋũŶ ̞ ŋł Ö łāƒ ŭāŶ of heating service plans. ¦ũÖùāNāķť ŋƦāũŭ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ łĢłā ŭāũƑĢóā plans, from straightforward boiler servicing to full boiler monitoring with priority call outs. Installers set their own pricing and can view their customers’ online subscriptions and monthly payments through easy-to-use software. Each service plan comes with the option to include a Honeywell Home thermostat from Resideo – this also includes discounted prices on replacements – while the full boiler monitoring option

(Smart Home Comfort Plan) includes the Honeywell Home T6 Smart Thermostat which is powered by Resideo’s remote appliance monitoring software (RAM). “We are always looking for new ways to support heating engineers in today’s competitive market,” adds TradeHelp’s MD, Martin Jones. “Service plans are not an easy thing to deliver for a smaller company – until now that is! It’s a huge opportunity for heating engineers to take their businesses forward, with the security of a consistent income stream.” Find out more by using the link below. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˙ˠ

Heat pumps hit the road

Dũāā ıÖóĴāŶ

Expect Distribution has been named transport and logistics partner by NIBE for delivery of its heat pump products. The deal will enhance service to installers with improved product tracking and delivery timescales. Sales and marketing director Robin Adderley comments: “We are taking every step we can to support installers so they can deliver heat pumps into homes across the country, and our partnership with Expect Distribution is a huge part of our efforts to improve deliveries and product lead times.” Expect Distribution’s warehousing facility is based in Bradford adjacent to the M˟˙˟, perfectly ķŋóÖŶāù ĕŋũ ŨŽĢóĴ Öóóāŭŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ĿŋŶŋũƒÖƘ łāŶƒŋũĴ to meet the needs of NIBE installers and customers across the UK.

In a new promotion aimed at ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ̇ ťĢũŋŶāóĞ Ģŭ ŋƦāũĢłė a free insulation jacket with any purchase of its SpiroCross AX range of hydraulic balancing units. Any heating engineer will be able to claim the insulation jacket between now and ˜˙th July when they buy one of the brass units. The ˜-in-˚ SpiroCross AX combines deaeration, dirt separation and hydraulic balancing in one, to ùāķĢƑāũ óŋŭŶ ŭÖƑĢłėŭ Öłù āƧóĢāłóƘ improvements across both new build and refurbished heating, cooling and process systems. ¦ŋ Ʃłù ŋŽŶ Ŀŋũā ÖðŋŽŶ ŶĞā promotion and to claim a free insulation jacket, installers should speak to their local merchant.

dÖŶāŭŶ ėŽĢùā ŋł ıŋĢłŶĢłė ťĢťāƒŋũĴ The British Refrigeration Association (BRA) has published the sixth version the Jointing of Pipework for Refrigeration Systems guide. This latest issue is the ƩũŭŶ ŽťùÖŶā ŭĢłóā ŶĞā ˛˙˚˝ edition. Recognising the importance of brazed ıŋĢłŶŭ Ģł ĿÖĢłŶÖĢłĢłė āƧóĢāłŶ ŋťāũÖŶĢŋł of refrigeration and air conditioning systems, the BRA developed the simple ðũÖơĢłė ťũŋóāùŽũā ŭťāóĢƩóÖŶĢŋł Öłù approval for jointing copper pipework for refrigeration systems. ¦Ğā ŭťāóĢƩóÖŶĢŋł Öķŭŋ ĢłóŋũťŋũÖŶāŭ a practical means of assessing an individual’s competence to braze joints for refrigeration and air conditioning pipework in accordance with national standards used by the industry and

relevant legislation. This revision has incorporated high strength copper alloy pipe in recognition of its adoption on Rˠ˝˝ systems and is also applicable to A˛L refrigerants. Mark Woods, president of the BRA, says: “The need to maintain safe working practices throughout any brazing process is paramount both in the workplace and when carrying out training and ÖŭŭāŭŭĿāłŶ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ŭťāóĢƩóÖŶĢŋł ĞÖŭ ðāāł endorsed by the Technical Committee of the Institute of Refrigeration and the BRA hopes that it will continue to be the accepted industry standard.” The new guide can be downloaded free of charge using the readerlink below. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˙ˡ

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PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

News Review Former plumber backs charity guide dog scheme An ex-ťķŽĿðāũ Ģŭ ĞāķťĢłė Ŷŋ ĞĢėĞķĢėĞŶ ŶĞā ŭāũƑĢóāŭ ťũŋƑĢùāù ðƘ ŶĞā FŽĢùā 'ŋėŭ ĕŋũ ŶĞā ķĢłù ŭŭŋóĢÖŶĢŋł̇ ƒĞĢóĞ Ģŭ ŭāāĴĢłė Ŷŋ ũÖĢŭā ĕŽłùŭ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ĢŶŭ ̨pÖĿā Ö ŽťťƘ̪ ŭóĞāĿā̍ ¦Ğā óĞÖũĢŶƘ Ģŭ Öł ŋũėÖłĢŭÖŶĢŋł ĕŋŽłùāù in ˚ˢ˜˝ ƒĞŋŭā ĿĢŭŭĢŋł Ģŭ Ŷŋ Ğāķť ðķĢłù Öłù ťÖũŶĢÖķķƘ ŭĢėĞŶāù ťāŋťķā Öóũŋŭŭ ŶĞā b ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā ťũŋƑĢŭĢŋł ŋĕ ėŽĢùā ùŋėŭ̇ ĿŋðĢķĢŶƘ̇ Öłù ŋŶĞāũ ũāĞÖðĢķĢŶÖŶĢŋł ŭāũƑĢóāŭ̍ ķāƗ̇ Ö ĕŋũĿāũ ťķŽĿðāũ ĕũŋĿ ŋĿāũŭāŶ̇ Ģŭ ıŽŭŶ ŋłā ŋĕ ĿÖłƘ ũāóĢťĢāłŶŭ ŋĕ ùŋėŭ ðũŋŽėĞŶ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā óĞÖũĢŶƘ̪ŭ ťũŋėũÖĿĿā̍ ĕŶāũ ˛˝ ƘāÖũŭ Öŭ Ö ťķŽĿðāũ̇ ķāƗ̪ŭ ŭĢėĞŶ ðāėÖł Ŷŋ ĕÖĢķ ĞĢĿ Öłù Ğā ĞÖù Ŷŋ ķāÖƑā ŶĞā ŶũÖùā̇ ðŽŶ ŶŋùÖƘ Ğā ŋƒāŭ ĿŽóĞ ŋĕ ĞĢŭ Ģłùāťāłùāłóā Ŷŋ NŋĿāũ̇ ĞĢŭ ėŽĢùā ùŋė̍ NŋĿāũ ƒÖŭ ŭŋ-ùŽððāù ŶĞÖłĴŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ̨pÖĿā Ö ŽťťƘ̪ ŭóĞāĿā̇ ƒĞĢóĞ Öķķŋƒŭ ùŋłŋũŭ Ŷŋ ťĢóĴ ŶĞā łÖĿā ŋĕ Ö ťŽťťƘ Öłù ũāóāĢƑā ũāėŽķÖũ ŽťùÖŶāŭ ŋł ĢŶŭ ťũŋėũāŭŭ̍ ¦ĞāƘ Öķŭŋ ėāŶ ŶĞā óĞÖłóā Ŷŋ ĿāāŶ ŶĞā ùŋė ŶĞāƘ łÖĿā Öłù ĕŋķķŋƒ ŶĞāĢũ ťũŋėũāŭŭ Öŭ ŶĞāƘ ķāÖũł Ŷŋ ðāóŋĿā ķĢĕā-óĞÖłėĢłė ėŽĢùāŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā ĕŽŶŽũā̍

ķāƗ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦NÖƑĢłė Ö ùŋė ĞÖŭ ėĢƑāł Ŀā Ö ťŽũťŋŭā ÖėÖĢł̵̍dĢĴā ĞÖƑĢłė Ö ıŋð̇ R ĞÖƑā ũŋŽŶĢłā Öłù Ö ũāÖŭŋł Ŷŋ ėŋ ŋŽŶ āÖóĞ ùÖƘ̵̍ NŋĿāũ Ģŭ Ö ėũāÖŶ óŋĿťÖłĢŋł Öłù R ŶũŽŭŶ ĞĢĿ āłŶĢũāķƘ̧̍ Rĕ ƘŋŽ ùŋłÖŶā Ŷŋ ŶĞā FŽĢùā 'ŋėŭ óĞÖũĢŶƘ̇ ƘŋŽ Ŷŋŋ óÖł ŶÖĴā ťÖũŶ Ģł ŶĞā pÖĿā Ö ŽťťƘ ŭóĞāĿā̍ DĢłù ŋŽŶ Ğŋƒ Ŷŋ ėĢƑā ðāķŋƒ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˙ˢ

Chance to win some big game tickets ¦Ğā óĞÖłóā Ŷŋ ƒĢł ŶĢóĴāŶŭ Ŷŋ Ö 1Žũŋŭ ˛˙˛˙ ĿÖŶóĞ Ģŭ ŶĞā ĞĢėĞķĢėĞŶ ŋĕ Ö łāƒ ŭŽĿĿāũ ťũŋĿŋŶĢŋł ĕũŋĿ Fķŋƒ-ƒŋũĿ̍ dÖŽłóĞāù ŋł ˝ŶĞ mÖƘ̇ ŶĞā ťũŋĿŋ ũŽłŭ ŽłŶĢķ ˜˙ŶĞ `Žłā Öłù ƒĢķķ ŭāā ā Ƒ ā ũ Ƙ ! ķ Ž ð 1 ł ā ũ ė Ƙ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ ƒĞŋ ťŽũóĞÖŭāŭ Ö Fķŋƒ-ƒŋũĿ 1łāũėƘ ðŋĢķāũ ĕũŋĿ Ö ðũÖłóĞ ŋĕ F ÂĢķķðŋłù̇ N ̇ ķŽĿðóĢŶƘ̇ ķ Ž Ŀ ð ŭ Ŷ ŋ ť ̇ ķŽĿðŭŶŋũā̇ b- ̇ m' ̇ ķŽĿðÖŭā̇ FÖŭ !āłŶũā ŋũ mĢóĞÖāķ ÖƑĢŭ dŶù ũāóāĢƑā Ö ŭóũÖŶóĞ óÖũù̍ łù āƑāũƘ ŭóũÖŶóĞ óÖũù Ģŭ Ö ƒĢłłāũ̍ Rł ÖùùĢŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ðāĢłė Ģł ƒĢŶĞ Ö óĞÖłóā Ŷŋ ŭóŋŋť ŶĞā 1Žũŋŭ ŶĢóĴāŶŭ̇ ŋŶĞāũ ťũĢơāŭ Žť ĕŋũ ėũÖðŭ Öũā Öķķ ėāÖũāù ŶŋƒÖũùŭ ĿÖĴĢłė ŭŽũā ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ óÖł āłıŋƘ ŶĞĢŭ ŭŽĿĿāũ̪ŭ ĕŋŋŶðÖķķ Ģł ŭŶƘķā Öłù ĢłóķŽùāŭ ten

ÖĿŭŽłė N' ˞˞in TVs, ˞˙ Ɨ ͎˞˙ `ŽŭŶ1ÖŶ ƑŋŽóĞāũŭ̇ ĞŽłùũāùŭ ŋĕ ťÖóĴŭ ŋĕ FķŋƒƒŋũĿ ðāāũ̇ Öłù !ķŽð 1łāũėƘ óũāùĢŶŭ Ŷŋ ŭťāłù ŋł ŶĞā óÖŶÖķŋėŽā̍ ťāłóāũ !ķÖũĴ̇ Fķŋƒƒ ŋ ũ Ŀ ̪ ŭ ó ŋ Ŀ Ŀ ā ũ ó Ģ Ö ķ ùĢũāóŶŋũ ĕŋũ b Öłù RũāķÖłù̇ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦ÂĢŶĞ Ŀ Ö ł Ƙ ! ķ Ž ð 1 ł ā ũ ė Ƙ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ óŋłŶĢłŽĢłė Ŷŋ ƒŋũĴ ŶĞũŋŽėĞŋŽŶ Ö óĞÖķķāłėĢłė ƘāÖũ̇ ƒā ƒÖłŶāù Ŷŋ ėĢƑā ŭŋĿāŶĞĢłė ðÖóĴ Ŷŋ ŭĞŋƒ ŋŽũ ÖťťũāóĢÖŶĢŋł ĕŋũ Öķķ ŶĞāĢũ ĞÖũù ƒŋũĴ Öłù ķŋƘÖķŶƘ̍ ̦Dŋũ ĿÖłƘ ťāŋťķā̇ ĕŋŋŶðÖķķ ĞÖŭ ðāāł Ö ƒāķóŋĿāù ùĢŭŶũÖóŶĢŋł ùŽũĢłė ķŋóĴùŋƒł Öłù ŭŋ ƒā ŶĞŋŽėĞŶ ƒĞÖŶ ðāŶŶāũ ƒÖƘ Ŷŋ ŭÖƘ ŶĞÖłĴŭ ŶĞÖł ƒĢŶĞ Ö óĞÖłóā Ŷŋ ƒĢł ŶĢóĴāŶŭ Ŷŋ ŶĞā ũāŭóĞāùŽķāù ˛˙˛˙ 1Žũŋŭ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ Ö ĞŋŭŶ ŋĕ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ ĕÖłŶÖŭŶĢó ťũĢơāŭ̧̍

VanGuardian competition winners

Pedalling for charity ¦ĞĢŭ ĿŋłŶĞ ƒĢķķ ŭāā ŭŶÖƦ ĕũŋĿ ÂĢķŋ ŽłùāũŶÖĴĢłė Ö ƑĢũŶŽÖķ óƘóķā ũĢùā ŶŋŶÖķķĢłė ˚ˠ˙˙ miles, with the aim ŋĕ ũÖĢŭĢłė ͎˚˙̇˙˙˙ ĕŋũ mÖėėĢā̪ŭ óÖłóāũ ŭŽťťŋũŶ óāłŶũāŭ̍ DũŋĿ ˠth to ˚˚ŶĞ `Žłā̇ ÂĢķŋ ŭŶÖƦ ƒĢķķ óŋƑāũ ŶĞā ùĢŭŶÖłóā ĕũŋĿ ÂĢķŋ b N Ģł ŽũŶŋł-ťŋł¦ũāłŶ̇ ŶÖƦ ŋũùŭĞĢũā̇ Ŷŋ ŶĞā łāƒ ÂĢķŋťÖũĴ ĕÖóŶŋũƘ Ģł 'ŋũŶĿŽłù̇ FāũĿÖłƘ̍ ¦ũÖƑāķ ũāŭŶũĢóŶĢŋłŭ ĿāÖł ŶĞā ÂĢķŋ ŶāÖĿ ƒĢķķ ĿÖĴā Žť ŶĞā ŶŋŶÖķ ĿĢķāÖėā ŋł ŭŶÖŶĢó āƗāũóĢŭā ðĢĴāŭ ŭāŶ Žť ÖŶ ÂĢķŋ̪ŭ N ̇ Öłù ŋŽŶ Öłù ÖðŋŽŶ ĢłùĢƑĢùŽÖķķƘ ŋł ũŋÖù ðĢĴāŭ̍

Rł ŶĞā ťũĢķ āùĢŶĢŋł ŋĕ N m pāƒŭ̇ ÁÖłFŽÖũùĢÖł ũÖł Ö óŋĿťāŶĢŶĢŋł ĕŋũ ĕĢƑā ũāÖùāũŭ Ŷŋ ƒĢł Ö 'ŽÖķ ķÖũĿ ̟ Ö ƑÖł ŭāóŽũĢŶƘ ŭƘŭŶāĿ ŶĞÖŶ ťũŋƑĢùāŭ Ö ƑĢŭĢðķā Öłù ÖŽùĢðķā ùāŶāũũāłŶ Ŷŋ ƒŋŽķù-ðā ƑÖł ŶĞĢāƑāŭ̍ ¦Ğā ĕĢƑā ķŽóĴƘ ƒĢłłāũŭ ƒāũā̆ ŋðāũŶ 'āÖł̇ NŋũÖóā ÂĞƘŶā ̛mÖƗ NāÖŶ̜̇ āŶāũ Nŋƒāķķŭ ̛ āŶāũ Nŋƒāķķŭ ͽ ŋłŭ̜̇ `ÖĿĢā ĢłóķÖĢũ ̛ ` ķŽĿð ͽ NāÖŶ̜ Öłù ŶāƑāł Nŋŋťāũ ̛!N Nŋŋťāũ ͽ ŋłŭ̜̍ !ŋłėũÖŶŽķÖŶĢŋłŭ Ŷŋ Öķķ ŶĞā ƒĢłłāũŭ̉

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Simplicity is the missing element in heating controls The home heating/cooling industry is in turmoil as technologies vie for pole position in the hearts, minds and wallets of homeowners. They are being conditioned to believe that nothing short of spending thousands to replace what they already have can save the Earth. enerally, we do not need to change what’s already installed to meet immediate climate change targets. Households could immediately save money and reduce emissions very simply by fitting user-friendly controls. The 00s saw the bimetallic strip thermostat invented for commerce, but it took as long as the 60s before it had transitioned for use in domestic central heating. The 0s saw the awakening of environmentalism as energy scarcity led to rising costs which drove the development of Building Management Systems. However, manufacturers refused to consider the needs of homeowners. Smart controls appeared around 20 0. One might think their emergence into the mainstream meant a massive reduction in energy consumption but, heartbreakingly, you’d be wrong. espite being so potentially capable and efficient, today’s controls remain to homeowners like the impenetrable forest in Sleeping Beauty. No matter what type of system homeowners install, it is only as good as the homeowners’ understanding of its controls. n usability terms, today’s controls are appalling. Instructions have barely changed since the 80s and it’s universally demanded that homeowners speak fluent controls’. hen they don’t, homeowners think it’s their’ fault. How profoundly disturbing. I estimate that poorly set up or under-utilised controls account for about a third of our excess energy consumption. Those who represent manufacturers lay the blame firmly at the front door of homeowners apparently it’s their inability or apathy that’s the problem. ontrols are still not designed around the needs of individuals, and with an aging population, this is a growing problem. Those over 65 will rise by approximately % by 2050 and those living longer are expected to rise by 30%. This means a third of homes will be occupied by people past retirement age by 20 0. Over 55’s are the largest consumers of home energy,

Let us know what you think... The editor welcomes letters from readers on all aspects of the industry. Letters can be sent by email or post but must have a return name, phone number and address (not for publication). Address your letters to: The Editor PHAM News 1b Station Square Flitwick Bedfordshire MK45 1DP or email to: editor@phamnewsedit.co.uk

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and they are also less inclined to engage with complex systems like some heating controls. Manufacturers need to address their design of controls to make them more user friendly for everybody. For a start, would suggest relabelling smart’ controls to remove the unconscious stigma and fear obstructing purchase. itch controls’ language and focus on simple nglish. For e ample, what time does the ﬁrst person get up? This could set optimum start time. Does anyone work or go to school closer than half a mile from home? This could enable geo-fencing and set the area. have asked many homeowners why they won’t consider smart’ controls. he essence of the comments was that their home doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things’. ruth is, that’s a sop, an easy, barely, socially acceptable answer. Further examination uncovers unexpressed fear of change, of increased costs, of failure (various including inability to master) as well as fear of losing control’ of their home. hey may seem illogical’ to controls’ insiders, but they are real. They must be acknowledged, respected, understood, treated as fact and then answered unequivocally, supportively and resoundingly to overcome this global reticence.

Think about the future

No case can be made for system replacement without appropriate controls. We need controls where intelligence beavers away behind the scenes delivering surface serenity i.e., financial benefits for homeowners and the reduced emissions planet Earth needs. It will be an unmitigated environmental disaster to replace systems not currently being controlled properly with different systems not being controlled properly. Replacing all existing controls with more user-friendly alternatives will ma imise e isting system efficiencies and positively impact emissions overnight. This will buy valuable time to properly assess alternative energy options, to train installers and to re-configure housing stock to become suitable for tomorrow’s energy sources. ontrols technology A be harnessed to support the fallibility of human beings. We need to reset the existing paradigm to guide us through the impenetrable forest to deliver that all important kiss to awaken the Sleeping eauty that is planet arth. ho will be the people’s controls champion in the race to save our planet? David Newton Via email

A handy guide to getting rich quick Inspired and encouraged by the current crop of building trade registers emerging and keen to get in on the act, I hereby announce the launch of my own plumbing related version tentatively entitled Plumbing The Depths. I intend to borrow that cheery ditty performed by Katrina and the Waves as the obligatory accompanying ingle but modified slightly as in ’m plumbing on sunshine and don’t it feel good . Any Tom, Dick or Harriet is to be welcomed aboard, subject to agreeing to contribute an entirely reasonable (we think) monthly fee. In exchange we provide an almost unlimited supply of leads from punters desperate to find a recommended and reliable plumber of which we all know are few and far between. As all cult leaders know, in the absence of any credible religion these days, save for football, there is no shortage of potential converts looking to belong’ and who am I to deny them this heaven sent opportunity? And, after all, they do say there is one born every minute. I now look forward to a less arduous regime for my almost knackered knees and be afforded the time, to boot, to walk my beloved abradoodles alongside the still waters of my local canal safe in the knowledge that the subscriptions are, in contrast, flooding in... an you blame me Rob Cole, via email

27/05/2021 15:43

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MCS report on renewable energy

Advice needed on wood burning regs ÂĢŶĞ łāƒ Ģũ ŽÖķĢŶƘ ũāėŽķÖŶĢŋłŭ łŋƒ Ģł ĕŋũóā̇ homeowners will need even more help from installers and heating professionals to understand how to use wood Öłù ŭŋķĢù ĕŽāķ ðŽũłĢłė ÖťťķĢÖłóāŭ Ģł Ö ŭÖĕā̇ āƧ óĢāłŶ Öłù environmentally-responsible way to comply with the new rules, says HETAS, the registration body for biomass and solid fuel heating installers. ¦Ğā Ģũ ŽÖķĢŶƘ ̛'ŋĿāŭŶĢó ŋķĢù DŽāķŭ ŶÖłùÖũùŭ̜ ̛1łėķÖłù̜ āėŽķÖŶĢŋłŭ ˛˙˛˙, which came into force at the beginning of May, bans the sale of wet wood and house coal and provides minimum standards for wood fuel and ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāù ŭŋķĢù ĕŽāķŭ̍ 'āĕũÖ̪ŭ āÖùƘ Ŷŋ Žũł ŭóĞāĿā aims to help consumers easily identify the fuels that are best for burning at home. ̦¦Ğā ĢłóŋĿĢłė ķāėĢŭķÖŶĢŋł Öłù ŶĞā āÖùƘ Ŷŋ Žũł scheme are geared towards ensuring people burn better by being able to easily identify the cleanest fuels to use in their ĞŋĿā̧̇ ŭÖƘŭ ũŽóā ķķāł̇ !1z ŋĕ N1¦ ̍ ̦¦Ğŋŭā ŋł ŶĞā frontline play a critical role in ensuring people understand ŶĞā ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ ŋĕ ŽŭĢłė Ŀŋùāũł ĞāÖŶĢłė ÖťťķĢÖłóāŭ ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā right fuel to minimise the impact that domestic burning has on the environment and our health.”

!āũŶĢƩ óÖŶĢŋł ŭóĞāĿā N1¦ Ģŭ ũŽłłĢłė ŶĞā āÖùƘ Ŷŋ Žũł óāũŶĢƩ óÖŶĢŋł ŭóĞāĿā ĕŋũ mÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāù ŋķĢù DŽāķŭ ̛m D̜̍ ¦Ğā ķāėĢŭķÖŶĢŋł ùāƩ łāŭ m D Öŭ Ö ĕŽāķ ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāù ĕũŋĿ óŋÖķ̇ ƒŋŋù̇ plant-derived materials, waxes or petroleum products with other ingredients. All fuels that fall under the ùāŭóũĢťŶĢŋł ŋĕ m D ĿŽŭŶ ðā ƑāũĢƩ āù Öŭ āĿĢŶŶĢłė ķāŭŭ ŶĞÖł ˞ ė̓Ğ ŋĕ ŭĿŋĴā āĿĢŭŭĢŋł Öŭ ŶāŭŶāù ÖėÖĢłŭŶ ˜ˡ˝˚̟˚, and be proven to have a sulphur content of no more than ˛ͮ ̛ùũƘ ÖŭĞ ĕũāā ðÖŭĢŭ̜̍ złķƘ ŶĞŋŭā m Dŭ ƒĢŶĞ ƑāũĢƩ āù āĿĢŭŭĢŋłŭ and sulphur content are legal for sale in England. ¦Ğā āÖùƘ Ŷŋ Žũł ĿÖũĴ Ģŭ Öķŭŋ ÖťťķĢāù Ŷŋ ƒŋŋù ĕŽāķ óāũŶĢƩ āù ðƘ ÂŋŋùŭŽũā̇ Ö ŭŽðŭĢùĢÖũƘ ŋĕ N1¦ ̍ ¦Ğā łāƒ Ģũ ŽÖķĢŶƘ ũāėŽķÖŶĢŋłŭ ŭŶÖŶā ŶĞÖŶ ƒŋŋù ŭŋķù Ģł ƑŋķŽĿāŭ ŋĕ Žť to ˛m3 will need a proven moisture content of ˛˙% or less. Suppliers selling quantities of wood over ˛m3 will need to provide their customers with advice on how to store and season the fuel so that is it dry to burn. ͻ ťĞÖĿłāƒŭ̍óŋ̍ŽĴ̓˟˛˚̓˚˚

Hydrogen heat debate Responding to environmentalist concerns and calls for the government to withdraw funding for hydrogen, the Energy and Utilities Alliance says that such a move would be short sighted. “Calls to cease funding of hydrogen feasibility studies are without consideration of UK consumers,” ŭÖƘŭ ŶĞā 1 ̪ŭ ĞāÖù ŋĕ āƗŶāũłÖķ ÖƦ ÖĢũŭ̇ RŭÖÖó Occhipinti. “There is no denying that we will need hydrogen to help us decarbonise heating. Study after study has demonstrated its feasibility and āƦ āóŶĢƑāłāŭŭ̍ ÂĢŶĞ ŋƑāũ ˡ˞% of homes being connected to the gas grid, the easiest and simplest way to decarbonise is to convert the existing network Öłù ĞŋĿā ťũŋùŽóŶŭ ŭŽóĞ Öŭ ðŋĢķāũŭ Ŷŋ ĞƘùũŋėāł̵̍ “Tackling climate change is the most pressing Öłù óũĢŶĢóÖķ óĞÖķķāłėā ƒā ĕÖóā̍ ÂĢŶĞŋŽŶ Ö óĞŋĢóā ŋĕ ùĢƦ āũāłŶ ĞāÖŶ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėĢāŭ ĕŋũ ŶĞā b̪ŭ ùĢƑāũŭā housing stock, decarbonisation of heat will not gain the support of consumers and will therefore fail.”

A new report from MCS highlights the progress of small-scale renewable energy ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ ŽťŶÖĴā Ģł ũĢŶÖĢł ŋƑāũ ŶĞā ķÖŭŶ ˚˝ ƘāÖũŭ̍ ̨ āłāƒĢłė ũĢŶÖĢł̆ ¦Ğā óĞÖłėĢłė landscape of home-grown energy ˛˙˙ˡ ˛˙˛˚̪ Žŭāŭ ùÖŶÖ Ğāķù ðƘ ŶĞā m! RłŭŶÖķķāũ 'ÖŶÖðÖŭā ̛mR'̜̍ Since ˛˙˙ˡ, MCS has registered ˚̍˛ ĿĢķķĢŋł ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋłŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā Ʃ Ƒā major renewable energy technologies, generating ˜˝̇˙˙˙FÂĞ-plus of energy, and saving nearly ˚˙ million tonnes of CO2e – equivalent to the electricity consumed annually by ˢ̍˟˞ million homes.

However, at current rates of progress, MCS has calculated that it would take around ˛˞˙ years to reach the point where all ˛˟̍˞ ĞŋĿāŭ Ģł ũĢŶÖĢł ĞÖù ŭŋĿā ĕŋũĿ of renewable energy installed. The analysis also shows that the path of growth has been volatile, with the number of installations spiking and dropping in line with changes in government incentives, notably the Dāāù-Ģł ¦ÖũĢƦ ̛DĢ¦̜ Öłù āłāƒÖðķā NāÖŶ RłóāłŶĢƑā ̛ NR̜̍ To read the report, simply enter the online link below on your browser. ͻ ťĞÖĿłāƒŭ̍óŋ̍ŽĴ̓˟˛˚̓˚˙

Talent Show

Plumb App Uk presents images sent in by users of the app showcasing the top work that earns them their wings.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

People on the Move

With the addition of the Zehnder pump range to its portfolio, aniﬂo has welcomed Michael Hassan to the role of technical sales engineer. Michael’s role will include identifying opportunities in the commercial sector for this wider range of products and to highlight the larger pumps in the range to customers.

Manufacturer of designer towel rails and radiators, IRSAP, has promoted Andy Phillips to the position of managing director. With a decade of experience with the company, Andy will oversee the continued growth across the three brands that sit within the IRSAP family in the UK. He was previously the company’s sales director.

he newest area sales manager for ircoﬂo is Grant Johnson. Representing the Midlands and the North of the UK, Grant comes to the role with a wealth of UFH experience, having previously worked for olypipe, ro arm and rade Underﬂoor Supplies. He also served as a regional account manager for Salus Controls.

The Manufacturers of Equipment for Heat Networks Association (MEHNA) has named Steve McConnell as its new director. Steve joins from Lochinvar, where he was engaged in many aspects of heating-related activities. Steve has spent the whole of his working life in the plumbing and heating industry, starting as an apprentice plumber in .

Shower brand Kinedo has appointed Nicola Lees as business development manager. Nicola comes to the role with extensive knowledge of the sector, having previously worked for City Plumbing Supplies as a senior account manager. In her new role, Nicola will work with regional housebuilders and merchants.

Domus Ventilation has welcomed David Frimpong (pictured) as national speciﬁcation manager and Kevin O’Donnell as regional sales manager - south. David’s primary role is to deliver existing and new Domus Ventilation solutions into the residential new build market, while Kevin will lead the contracts sales team in the south.

The sales team at Grant has been enhanced with the addition of Shaun McCarthy to the new position of sales support engineer. Shaun will provide onsite product support for the company’s renewable products. He will be working closely with installers to help them transition into the renewables sector, providing external technical support out in the ﬁeld.

ACV UK, the specialist in hot water equipment, has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Andy Devlin as the new business development manager for the North West. Andy has almost years experience in the heating industry, most recently six years working in the commercial division of Strebel.

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27/05/2021 14:49

PHAM JUNE21:Layout 1 27/05/2021 15:55 Page 15

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Gadgets & Tools 15 Cutting out contours is as easy as ˚̟˛̟˜

Boxed set has all you need for diamond core drilling

DĢŶŶĢłė ƪŋŋũ ŶĢķāŭ Öłù ťÖłāķŭ ÖũŋŽłù ÖƒĴƒÖũù shapes can be a challenge, but the Saker Contour FÖŽėā ũŋƩķā Ŷŋŋķ ĞÖŭ ðāāł ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ óŋťƘ āƗÖóŶ measurements with ease. The device can be perfectly moulded to irregular shapes and, by replicating a shape and holding its pattern, provides an instant template for marking precise cuts.

The tool is ideal for jobs like tiling and is easy to use. Simply press the contour gauge on to the area to be cut around, lock the gauge’s teeth into place, and ŶũÖóā ŶĞā ŭĞÖťā ŋłŶŋ ŶĞā ŋðıāóŶ Ŷŋ ðā ƩŶŶāù̍ The contour gauge is made of high quality ABS plastic that is high strength, rustproof and durable. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˚˛

Pliers now with practical carry bags The range of Cobra tool sets from Knipex is now available in a practical carry bag, with medium and large sets complementing the existing extra large version. The hard-wearing polyester fabric tool roll protects the tools, and the hook-and-loop fastener keeps them within easy reach, so you can keep your tools clean, safe and easily accessible when out on site.

¦Ğā !ŋðũÖ Öķķŋƒŭ Ʃłā adjustment directly on the workpiece and grips surfaces with ĞÖũùāłāù ŶāāŶĞ̍ RŶ ùāķĢƑāũŭ Ö ƩũĿ self-ķŋóĴĢłė āƦāóŶ Öłù Ʃłā

adjustment at the push of a button. The tools have a high wear resistance and stable gripping. The Cobra also has a laser-cut scale that allows the wrench opening to be set before gripping, and you can also work on sensitive surfaces, avoiding damage to the workpiece. The Cobra Sets each contain ƒÖŶāũ ťŽĿť ťķĢāũŭ ŋĕ ùĢƦāũāłŶ ŭĢơāŭ with slim, plastic-coated handles. The Large (˙˙ ˚ˢ ˞˞ ˢ) set comes with the Cobra in lengths of ˚˞˙̇ ˛˞˙ and ˜˙˙mm and the Medium (˙˙ ˚ˢ ˞˞ ˡ) set is equipped with the Cobra in lengths of ˚˛˞̇ ˚ˡ˙ and ˛˞˙mm. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˚˜

Clipacore has launched Xpresscut Pro, a ˛˜-piece dry diamond quick release core set comprising ˝˛̇˞˛̇˟˞̇˚˚ˠ̇ and ˚˛ˠmm core bits. Each core bit comes with the quick release core adaptors and quick release clips for easy interchangeability. The aluminium compact case kit weighing in at ˚˙kg also comes with a HEX and SDS extension bar, with drill adaptors on the end so each core bit can be plug-and-play ƒĢŶĞŋŽŶ ĕÖƧłė ƒĢŶĞ ŭťÖłłāũŭ or a hammer, from high torque ŶāłŭĢŋłŭ ðĢłùĢłė ŶĞā āŨŽĢťĿāłŶ̵̵̍

The spiral and slotted barrels help remove debris and increase ÖĢũ ƪŋƒ Ŷŋ ŶĞā óŽŶŶĢłė āùėā̇ ƒĞĢķā the diamonds and metal bond system provides trouble free cutting. The kit is designed to be used with any rotary drill with a minimum drive power of ˡ˞˙W. The machine should also be capable of speeds of up to ˜˙˙˙ rpm and have a variable speed control and slipping clutch. Xpresscut Pro is available from a number of merchants in the UK. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˚˝

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Product Spotlight

New pipe clips save on installation time nvented by an installer and now launched on the market by alon, the new oist lip offers a quick and easy way to fit pipes to new build and e isting oists. e speak to the man behind the design, Ashley umbold, about how he first thought of the idea and the product’s main features and benefits.

any good product ideas have resulted from efforts to find a solution to a specific problem, and that’s e actly how alon’s new range of oist lips first started to take shape. Ashley umbold had taken over his father’s plumbing heating business with his twin brother in 2005 and the company was generating a lot of work with large developers such as ovis, Barratt and Redrow Homes. As ever, speed of delivery and reducing time on site is crucial to any pro ect profitability and it seemed that the fi ing of pipes in some of the new build properties was proving to be more problematic than anticipated. “When the new engineering oists started to be widely used by the developers in large housing estates, my engineers were saying that the existing pipe clips were really awkward to use, because they would have to screw in from above, between the two oists, e plains Ashley. went away to try and find something on the market, a saddle clip or something that would fi into the side and allow the pipes to go over the top, but no matter where searched there was nothing to achieve that. So that gave me the inspiration to come up with my own design.

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FACT SHEET  The EZ Joist Clips are currently available for use with 15mm and 22mm pipes and sold in packs of 10 and 20 units  Made from polypropylene, the clips feature a hinge with a snap t to rovide a a e and ecure 360° pipe retention

The clips can be positioned and ed ile t e i e i in situ and can also be connected together to ensure equal pipe spacing 

 The clips are manufactured to ISO quality standards and have been tested for safe use with plumbing, gas and air conditioning pipe and will easily hold copper or plastic pipe

“There was nothing on the market at the time apart from pipe clips that needed to be attached to the same surface as the pipes passing over. o was buying the chaps really short hammers to try and whack the nail clips on those oists, but it was very awkward and still taking them a long time to complete the work. adly, the pressure of the 200 banking crisis and recession took its toll on the business and, despite scaling the company back, Ashley and his brother decided to put the company into voluntary liquidation some four years later. The good news for the wider industry, though, is that closure of the business gave him more time to make some progress with a new clip design. “With the help of a design company, came up with the idea

of having a product that features a 0 degree saddle at the back, which means the clip can sit on the edge of a oist, allowing the installer to drive a nail or screw into its side, rather than attaching it to the top, says Ashley. o the ﬁ ing goes on one surface, the vertical part of the joist and the pipe passes over the hori ontal.

Up and running t took some time, but with nothing else like it on the market, Ashley was able to obtain U and European patents. The next step was to set about approaching potential manufacturers. With 30 years experience of producing ﬁ ings and ﬁnishings, entbased manufacturer alon proved to be natural partners, but does he have any regrets about not going it alone?

think the tooling and production costs would have been prohibitive and, to be honest, probably would have been out of my depth, he concedes. t would have been difficult to get large stockists to take me seriously. Also, after the experience of running the plumbing company, didn’t really want to have other peoples’ livelihoods in my hands again. With some unforseen delays and the impact of the ovid pandemic, getting the clips manufactured and out to market has not been without its frustrations, but with a positive reaction from stockists and installers – plus future range extensions in the pipeline it seems that Ashley’s determination to bring his design ideas to fruition is not going to go unrewarded.

phamnews.co.uk

27/05/2021 14:51

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

lannin

Business Matters 17

or the uture

Why installers are key to success ontinuing his regular column, eil Hope from nergy Systems explains why installers are essential to the scale-up of heat pump installations in the UK.

ate last year, the Prime Minister laid out a 0 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, complete with a well-documented commitment to see 00,000 heat pumps installed in homes per year by 202 . Now over half a year later, we are continuing to see a steady rise in conversations around the need to shift away from the fossil fuel boilers and towards low carbon heat pumps, which are already available and ready to go. One thing that isn’t quite ready, however, is the installer base – with a limited number of installers currently trained and ready to install heat pumps.

Getting to grips with heat pump technology As head of installer development at NIBE Energy Systems, I’d encourage all heating installers working in the industry to get to grips with heat pump technology as soon as possible to ensure that they are ready to deliver the greener homes and buildings the UK needs to meet net zero. Those currently installing traditional systems already understand the fundamentals of heating, so it’s just a case of adding to the list of skills they’ve already gained through their careers so far.

eco in a ertiﬁed eat u n taller with ro Installers can now learn all there is to know about heat pump technology through our streamlined installer partnership scheme, which brings all the aspects of the heat pump certiﬁcation journey under one umbrella to ensure the journey is as straightforward as possible. Designed to guide and assist installers throughout the training process, NIBE Pro allows installers to continuously develop and progress over time, unlocking a rewarding career path well into the future – with the added bonus of the training costs being fully redeemable through the NIBE Pro voucher scheme.

n taller knowled e i key to the transition to low carbon Accredited heat pump installers have a vital role to play in the decarbonisation of heat on the road to net zero. This will not just come through the installation of low carbon heating systems into homes up and down Britain but also through the knowledge and advice they can share with customers around the beneﬁts the technology has to offer. ure, installers need to understand how to install heat pumps to roll them out into homes, but it’s equally important that they understand how the technology works in order to recommend it to the masses.

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A new study has revealed that the average plumber experiences more payment disputes than any other trade. A typical plumbing business will have a dispute with customers 2.6 times per year, vs the average for all tradespeople at twice a year, with over £ 000 per year withheld from installers by customers. Conducted by IronmongeryDirect, the study found that an average £ 0 2 is owed to tradespeople across the UK. A third (33 said they were waiting for over 000 from customers for completed jobs, while nearly one in ten ( are owed over 3000. Nearly two thirds of tradespeople have had

Advice on how to produce quotes that mean business

Neil Hope

Head of installer development at NIBE

Route to beco in a

Plumbers have more problems with payment disputes

o become a ro, you will ﬁrst need to complete the following NIBE Pro Training Course Package: • Level 3 ualiﬁcation in Heat ump Technology • MCS compliance training For those new to the world of heat pumps, gaining an understanding of the different types of heat pump technology is an essential starting point. For those looking for some initial insight into the different types of heat pumps, the key aspects of air source and ground source heat pumps are summarised below.

he ba ic air ource and round ource heat u Air source and ground source heat pumps both use naturally occurring thermal energy to provide renewable heating and hot water, but the heat source and set up requirements are fundamentally different. Much like the names suggest, ground source heat pumps H use low grade heat stored in the soil, while air source heat pumps A H absorb heat from the air. While the basis of the technology is the same, the different heat source makes for very different requirements, with H installations needing outside space suitable for digging, and more work in terms of planning and labour – making them an ideal solution for new developments where groundworks are already taking place. Understanding the key differences between the two systems is a fundamental part of the training process, but it need not be daunting. Following the completion of the NIBE Pro Training Course Package, installers are then guided through the process to MCS and TrustMark certiﬁcation, receiving hands-on support with the design and commissioning of their ﬁrst heat pump system.

tart your ourney today by i itin www.nibe.co.uk

For some installers, producing a quotation for a customer is mere formality - something to be done quickly and often along the lines of a box-ticking exercise. Aaron McLeish, author of The Quote Handbook: Essential Steps to Building the Perfect Boiler Quote, argues that taking the time to produce a comprehensive, professional quote will pay dividends in helping to form better client relationships and generating more profit for the business. ritten specifically for plumbing and heating business owners, the book is a simple and easy-to-understand guide to producing impactful quotes, with specific strategies that can be implemented straightaway. Using the example of a combi boiler upgrade, the author looks at all aspects of the quoting process, from the initial enquiry to handing over a thorough prospectus that instils confidence in the consumer.

payments withheld by customers, which occurs twice a year on average. More than one in ten ( 2 however, e perience withheld payments more than ﬁve times a year. Only % of tradespeople say that the payment issues are resolved within a week, while more than one in ﬁve 22 have had to wait more than a month to be paid for a job.

Although targeted at boiler installers, the ideas presented in the book are transferable to anyone working in a domestic trade. Even installers who think they already produce good quotes can ﬁnd something in c eish’s book that could improve them. The author, who has extensive accounting experience in the trade, clearly explains the reasons and mind-sets behind a winning strategy. He also provides a full example quotation that demonstrates all the advice in the book, which comes in at just over 50 pages. The Quote Handbook will show how if you implement a few changes you can get customers wanting to buy from you, as opposed to you trying to sell to them. Aaron McLeish says: “You’ll receive higher premium prices for your quoted installs and ultimately work less for more ﬁnancial reward. If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” The book is available from Amazon in paperback, Kindle and Audible versions. phamnews.co.uk/

Service plan added to Business Tools Now available to ADEY ProClub members is a new Service Plan tool on the company’s Business Tools app. This enables them to sign up customers to monthly service plans, access terms and conditions, and manage the end-to-end process of providing and administering payments – all on one interface and without the need to draw up their own T&Cs. om Hood, A ’s U reland sales director, says: “Part of our suite of Business Tools, designed to help installers professionalise their business to be as competitive as possible, the Service Plan tool enables installers to give their customers a quality experience without having to be an IT or legal expert or having to make a large investment.” ADEY ProClub members can sign up to the Service Plans tool available from

radeHelp through the usiness ools platform and beneﬁt from an e clusive discount to the service, as the ﬁrst three months are free. phamnews.co.uk

28/05/2021 10:47

Join the energy revolution and become a certiﬁed heat pump installer

ith the transition towards low carbon technologies now underway, renewable heating systems are inevitably part of the future. By 2025, new build properties will no longer be heated with gas boilers and the UK government has recently announced, as part of its Ten Point Plan, a target of 00,000 heat pump installations per annum by 202 . As heat pumps are clearly set to play a key role in the decarbonisation of heat in the UK, getting to grips with heat pump technology as soon as possible will ensure that you and your customers are involved in the journey to Net Zero and are aware of the benefits heat pumps have to offer. NIBE Pro is an installer partnership scheme designed to guide and assist you and your team towards making this change. By providing a streamlined, personalised route for plumbing and heating installers to become an ertified heat pump installer, Pro gives you an industry recognised mark of quality, giving your customers confidence and enabling them to apply for schemes such as the Renewable Heat Incentive. Training costs towards becoming a NIBE Pro are fully redeemable through the NIBE Pro voucher scheme.

Full support Joining NIBE Pro not only sets you apart from the competition by working with one of the largest names in renewable climate solutions but also provides vital business, technical and digital support for your business.

Start your NIBE Pro journey today! Visit www.nibe.co.uk Or call us on 0330 311 2201

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01/06/2021 14:16

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Underﬂoor Heating 19

From PEX to PE-RT: a primer to plastic piping One length of plastic plumbing pipe is the same as any other, right? Well, no, actually, says Chris ngram from ontinal Underfloor Heating, who says the pipe you choose matters, especially when fitting UFH. Here we take a look at the different pipes available for underfloor heating and the benefits they bring to an installation. U Rfle -RT pipe from Continal can be bent to a radius of less than o erin the fle ibility or more challenging applications. It also has less chance of kinking, which introduces weak spots in the pipe.

here are four basic types of pipe you’ll find on site in the U polybutylene, PEX, PE-RT, and MLCP multi-layer pipe. Polybutylene pipe, generally referred to as PB, is a great general-use plumbing pipe. t is reasonably fle ible and easy to bend, and has a plastic memory which means that it tends to straighten to flat when uncoiled after transit. is good for use in plumbing systems because it has low noise transmission, reducing the risk of water hammer sounds irritating the homeowners when the pipe is in use. Cross-linked polyethylene pipe is also a great general plumbing pipe. comes in PEX-A, PEX-B and PEX-C types, each of which use a different process to create a chemical bond between the molecules crosslinked to make the pipe stronger. Any of these processes are suitable for plumbing and heating use. pipe is stiffer than polybutylene pipe, which means it takes quite a lot of effort to bend into shape for use with UFH.

Pressure points

All these plastic pipes e pand when heated, typically by around 0mm per linear meter at 60 . t’s important to pressure test any pipe before the floor is laid to check for any leaks or issues, especially when used in screed systems. PE-RT pipe stands for ‘polyethylene at raised temperature resistance’, and is created with a special formulation so it stays fle ible even at e treme temperatures. his pipe is particularly suited for UFH installations because it’s easy to bend into shape, even down to the tight radius bends often found in low-profile systems. A typical five-layer PE-RT or

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Chris Ingram ounder o Heating

ontinal Underﬂoor

PEX pipe structure comprises an inner layer of PE-RT pipe, then a layer of adhesive, then an o ygen barrier, another layer of adhesive and, ﬁnally, an outer layer of either PEor pipe.

Poor alternative

CUT TO THE CHASE  PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is for general plumbing use and comes in PEXA, PEX-B and PEX-C types. It’s stiffer than polybutylene (PB), so it takes more effort to bend.  PE-RT (polyethylene at raised temperature resistance) stays flexible even at high temperatures and can bend to tight radius bends typical to lowprofile UFH systems.  MLCP (multi-layer composite pipe) consists of a plastic pipe with an internal aluminium layer instead of the oxygen layers found in PEX and PE-RT.  Get a guarantee with the pipe you choose – look for a 10-year guaranteed product with an in urance certi cate

ut beware we’re starting to see three-layer plastic pipes on the market that don’t have that final outer layer of pipe. These systems are easier to damage during transit and installation. ith two fewer manufacturing processes, they’ll almost certainly be cheaper, but cheaper is rarely better quality. UFH pipes may be buried in the floor for up to 50 years, and once a screed or floor is laid, any une pected remedial work could be very costly for the tradesperson to fi so using cheaper pipe could lead to serious e pense further down the road. and pipe can be quite difficult to bend into shape, especially if you’re outside on site on a very cold day. ometimes people run hot water through and pipe to warm it up before UFH installation and make it easier to bend, but PE-RT is inherently fle ible enough that you won’t have to do that. ur U fle -RT pipe, for e ample, has a bend radius of less than 00mm, making even the most challenging UFH system installations quick and easy. his

narrow bend radius also means it has less chance of kinking a common problem with some pipes that can result in delays and damage to UFH installations. nce a pipe has kinked, the structure becomes far weaker at that point, and while some people think you can ust heat the kink and reform it, that weakness will still be there. t’s far safer to ust throw that loop away and start again or simply not to risk using a pipe that has a tendency to kink in the ﬁrst place. Multi-layer composite pipe is a halfway house between plastic and copper piping, as it consists of a plastic pipe with an internal aluminium layer, instead of the o ygen layers found in PEor pipe. he aluminium is what gives the pipe its superior strength, and is itself a 00 o ygen barrier to stop o ygen from corroding the heating system components.

High standards

All these pipes are suitable for use in UFH, and if it’s made in the uropean Union then it will conform to EU standards and is almost certainly ﬁne for use for UFH. ut some of the cheaper imports do not comply to these standards, and should not be used for UFH. he best way to tell is to look at the pipe itself if it conforms to EU standards, the codes should be stamped on the

pipe itself, along with the batch codes and the normal operating pressure of the pipe, for e ample • PEX, PE-RT or polyethylene pipe 2 .2 and/or 5 5 • olybutylene pipe 5 • pipe 2 2000 or 2 003 If those numbers aren’t clearly marked on the pipe, we would always recommend you avoid that product, as it probably isn’t compliant.

Guaranteed

o matter what pipe you choose, at ontinal we would always advise that you make sure it’s from a manufacturer who offers a minimum insurance-backed 0-year guarantee and always ask to see the insurance certificate. After all, if the manufacturer doesn’t have the confidence in their own product to offer this kind of guarantee, why should you? If you are ever in doubt about what pipe best suits for your UFH installation, the quickest way to seek help is to contact a reputable manufacturer, like ontinal Underfloor Heating, that offers an in-house design and support service. ur technical advisers are ready and waiting to answer any pipe or UFH question you may have, and we can provide you with a full design specification to make your UFH work easy and straightforward at every step. phamnews.co.uk

28/05/2021 10:28

PHAM JUNE21:Layout 1 01/06/2021 11:10 Page 20

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

łùāũƪ ŋŋũ Heating W ¦Ğā ķŋƒ ƪ ŋƒ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā Ģł DN ĿÖĴāŭ ĢŶ Ö ťāũĕāóŶ ťÖũŶłāũ ĕŋũ ķŋƒ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭŋŽũóāŭ̇ ŭŽóĞ Öŭ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ

Revealing the hiddenbenefits

złā ŋĕ ŶĞā ĿŋŭŶ ÖłŶĢóĢťÖŶāù ũāťķÖóāĿāłŶ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėĢāŭ ̞ ķŋƒ óÖũðŋł ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ ̞ Ģŭ óŋĿĢłė ĕÖŭŶ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ Ģŭ āƑāł Ŀŋũā ėũāÖŶ łāƒŭ ĕŋũ DN ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ̍ ¦Ğāũā̪ŭ ĞŽėā ťŋŶāłŶĢÖķ ŋŽŶ ŶĞāũā ŋł āƑāũƘŶĞĢłė ĕũŋĿ łāƒ ðŽĢķù ŶĞũŋŽėĞ Ŷŋ ũāŶũŋƩ Ŷ Öłù ũāłŋƑÖŶĢŋł ťũŋıāóŶŭ̍

¦Ğā āƑŋķŽŶĢŋł ŋĕ ŶĞā ĞāÖŶĢłė ĿÖũĴāŶ ĢłùĢóÖŶāŭ ŶĞÖŶ Ö ðĢė ðŋŋĿ Ģł DN Ģŭ ŋł ŶĞā ƒÖƘ̍ ŋ̇ ƒĞÖŶ̪ŭ ùũĢƑĢłė ŶĞĢŭ ėũŋƒŶĞ̇ Öłù Ğŋƒ óÖł ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ŶÖĴā ÖùƑÖłŶÖėā ŋĕ ĢŶ̎ Nāũā̇ dāā NÖķŭŶāÖù ÖŶ Â! b ĿÖĴāŭ ŶĞā óÖŭā ĕŋũ ÖùùĢłė DN Ŷŋ ƘŋŽũ ŭāũƑĢóā ŋƦ āũĢłė̍

RłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ťũŋŭťāóŶŭ

łùāũƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ĞÖŭ ðāāł ŭŶāÖùĢķƘ ėÖĢłĢłė Ģł ťŋťŽķÖũĢŶƘ̇ ƒĢŶĞ ƑÖũĢŋŽŭ ũāťŋũŶŭ ĞĢėĞķĢėĞŶĢłė ƘāÖũ ŋł ƘāÖũ ėũŋƒŶĞ̍ złā ŋĕ ŶĞāĿ ̞ ŶĞā ̨łùāũƪ ŋŋũ NāÖŶĢłė mÖũĴāŶ ðƘ !ŋĿťŋłāłŶ ̟ FķŋðÖķ DŋũāóÖŭŶ ˛˙˛˜̪ ̞ ðāķĢāƑāŭ ŭÖķāŭ ƒĢķķ ĞÖƑā ėũŋƒł ˟ˠͮ ðāŶƒāāł ˛˙˚˟ Öłù ˛˙˛˜̇ ƒĞĢóĞ Ģŭ ĞĢėĞķƘ ĢĿťũāŭŭĢƑā̍ RŶ ŭŽėėāŭŶŭ ŶĞāũā̪ŭ ķŋŶŭ ŋĕ ťŋŶāłŶĢÖķ̇ āŭťāóĢÖķķƘ ƒĢŶĞ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ŋł ŶĞā ķŋŋĴŋŽŶ ĕŋũ ŭĿÖũŶ̇ āłāũėƘ āƧ óĢāłŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŶĞÖŶ ðũĢłėŭ ŋŶĞāũ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ Ŷŋŋ̍ ¦Ğā ĕÖóŶ Ģŭ̇ DN ŶĢóĴŭ Öķķ ŶĞā ðŋƗāŭ ̞ Öłù Ŀŋũā ̞ ðŽŶ ĢŶ̪ŭ ıŽŭŶ ķāŭŭ ƒāķķ ŽłùāũŭŶŋŋù ŶĞÖł Ŀŋũā óŋłƑāłŶĢŋłÖķ ĞāÖŶĢłė̍ ¦ŋ ŶÖĴā ÖùƑÖłŶÖėā ŋĕ ŶĞĢŭ ťŋŶāłŶĢÖķ̇ ťķŽĿðāũŭ łāāù Ŷŋ ùŋ Ŷƒŋ ŶĞĢłėŭ̍ DĢũŭŶ̇ ėāŶ Ŀŋũā ĕÖĿĢķĢÖũ ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ Öłù ĢŶŭ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ̍ łù̇ ŭāóŋłù̇ āƗťķÖĢł ŶĞāŭā ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ Ŷŋ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ̍ ÈŋŽ̪ķķ ťũŋðÖðķƘ Ʃ łù ƘŋŽ̪ũā ÖóŶŽÖķķƘ ťŽŭĞĢłė ŋł Öł ŋťāł ùŋŋũ̉

Lee Halstead

Technical engineer at RWC

Öłù ĢłŶŋ ŶĞā ũŋŋĿ̍ Rł óŋłŶũÖŭŶ̇ óŋłƑāłŶĢŋłÖķ ũÖùĢÖŶŋũŭ óÖũũƘ ƒÖŶāũ Öŭ ĞŋŶ Öŭ ˠ˞΅!̇ Öłù ƒŋũĴ ðƘ óŋłƑāóŶĢŋł̇ ƒĢŶĞ ĿŽóĞ ŋĕ ŶĞā ĞāÖŶ ũĢŭĢłė Ŷŋ ŶĞā óāĢķĢłė̍ ŋŶĞ óÖł óũāÖŶā óŋĿĕŋũŶÖðķā ĞŋĿāŭ̇ ðŽŶ Öŭ DN ĞāÖŶŭ ķÖũėāũ ÖũāÖŭ̇ ÖŶ ķŋƒāũ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũāŭ̇ ĢŶ̪ŭ óķāÖũ ƒĞĢóĞ Ģŭ ŶĞā Ŀŋũā āłāũėƘ āƧ óĢāłŶ̍

How it works

1Ƨ óĢāłóƘ ŨŽŋŶĢāłŶ

ťāóĢÖķķƘ ùāŭĢėłāù Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ťĢťāŭ óÖũũƘ ũāķÖŶĢƑāķƘ ķŋƒ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā ƒÖŶāũ ̛ŶƘťĢóÖķķƘ ðāŶƒāāł ˜˞̟˝˞΅!̜̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ƒÖŶāũ ŶĞāł ĞāÖŶŭ ŶĞā ƪ ŋŋũ Žť Ŷŋ ðāŶƒāāł ˛˞̟˛ˠ΅!̇ Öłù āƦ āóŶĢƑāķƘ ũÖùĢÖŶāŭ ĞāÖŶ Žť ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā ƪ ŋŋũ

łùāũŭŶÖłùÖðķƘ̇ ĢŶ̪ŭ ŶĞĢŭ āƧ óĢāłóƘ ƒĞĢóĞ ĿŋŭŶ ÖŶŶũÖóŶŭ ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ̍ mŋŭŶ DN ŭŋķŽŶĢŋłŭ Öũā óŋĿťÖŶĢðķā ƒĢŶĞ ŭĿÖũŶ ŶĞāũĿŋŭŶÖŶŭ Öłù óŋłŶũŋķŭ ŭŋ óÖł ðā Žŭāù Ŷŋ óũāÖŶā ĿŽķŶĢ̟ ơŋłā ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ̍ Dŋũ āƗÖĿťķā̇

ŶĞā `F ŽũÖ ũÖłėā̇ ťÖũŶ ŋĕ `F łùāũƪ ŋŋũ̇ ŋƦ āũŭ ŭĿÖũŶ ơŋłÖķ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŶĞÖŶ Ģŭ āÖŭĢķƘ óŋłŶũŋķķÖðķā ðƘ ŶĞā `F ŽũÖ Öťť̍ ¦Ğā łāŶ ũāŭŽķŶ ŋĕ óŋĿðĢłĢłė DN ƒĢŶĞ ŭĿÖũŶ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ Ģŭ Ö Ŀŋũā óŽŭŶŋĿĢŭāù ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł̇ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ óŋŭŶ̟ŭÖƑĢłėŭ̍ !ŽŭŶŋĿĢŭāù ĞāÖŶĢłė Ģŭ ŭŋĿāŶĞĢłė ťāŋťķā óÖł ĕāāķ̍ !ŋŭŶ̟ ŭÖƑĢłėŭ Ģŭ ŭŋĿāŶĞĢłė ŶĞāƘ ŭāā Ģł ŶĞāĢũ āłāũėƘ ðĢķķŭ̍ zƑāũ ŶĢĿā̇ ŶĞāŭā Öùù Žť Öłù Ğāķť ťÖƘ ðÖóĴ ŶĞā óŋŭŶ ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ƒĞĢóĞ óÖł ðā Ö ķĢŶŶķā ĞĢėĞāũ ŶĞÖł ĕŋũ Ŀŋũā óŋłƑāłŶĢŋłÖķ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ̍ āƘŋłù ŭÖƑĢłėŭ̇ DN ĞÖŭ ĿÖłƘ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ ðŽŶ̇ ķĢĴā ŶĞā Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ťĢťāƒŋũĴ̇ ŶĞāŭā Öũāł̪Ŷ ÖķƒÖƘŭ ĢĿĿāùĢÖŶāķƘ ƑĢŭĢðķā̍ RŶ̪ŭ ŋùù Ŷŋ ŭÖƘ ŶĞÖŶ DN ķŋŋĴŭ ėũāÖŶ̇ ðāóÖŽŭā ƘŋŽ óÖł̪Ŷ ÖóŶŽÖķķƘ ŭāā ĢŶ̇ ðŽŶ ŶĞÖŶ̪ŭ ťũāóĢŭāķƘ ŶĞā ťŋĢłŶ̍ ¦Ğāũā Öũā łŋ ƑĢŭĢðķā ťĢťāŭ̇ Öłù łŋ ðŽķĴƘ ũÖùĢÖŶŋũŭ̍ ŋŋĿŭ Öłù ƒÖķķŭ Öũā óķāÖũ̇ ėĢƑĢłė ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ ķāŭŭ óķŽŶŶāũ Öłù Ŀŋũā ŭťÖóā̇ Öłù

ŶĞÖŶ̪ŭ Ö ĞŽėā ŭāķķ̍ DN Ģŭ Öķŭŋ Ö ķŋŶ ŨŽĢāŶāũ̇ ƒĢŶĞ łŋ ėŽũėķĢłė ťĢťāŭ Öłù óũāÖĴĢłė ƪ ŋŋũŭ Öŭ ƒÖŶāũ āƗťÖłùŭ Öłù óŋłŶũÖóŶŭ̍ Rĕ ĢŶ ƒÖŭł̪Ŷ ĕŋũ ŶĞā ƒÖũĿŶĞ̇ ƘŋŽ̪ù ĞÖũùķƘ Ĵłŋƒ ĢŶ ƒÖŭ ŶĞāũā̍

DN Ģŭ Ö ùĢƦ āũāłŶ ÖťťũŋÖóĞ Ŷŋ ĞāÖŶĢłė̇ ðŽŶ Ģł ŶāũĿŭ ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ĢŶ̪ŭ łŋŶ Öŭ óŋĿťķāƗ Öŭ ĿÖłƘ ťāŋťķā ĢĿÖėĢłā̇ ŋũ ÖŶ ķāÖŭŶ ĢŶ ŭĞŋŽķùł̪Ŷ ðā̍ ¦Ğā ťũĢłóĢťķāŭ Öũā ŭĢĿťķā̇ ŶĞā ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ ĞÖŭ óŋĿā ŋł ķāÖťŭ Öłù ðŋŽłùŭ̇ Öłù ŶĞāũā Öũā ĿÖłƘ ťũŋùŽóŶŭ ŋŽŶ ŶĞāũā Ŷŋ óĞŋŋŭā ĕũŋĿ̍ ŭ ƒĢŶĞ ÖłƘŶĞĢłė̇ ĢŶ ťÖƘŭ Ŷŋ ķŋŋĴ ĕŋũ ũāķĢÖðķā ðũÖłùŭ ƒĢŶĞ āƗŶũÖ ĕāÖŶŽũāŭ Öłù ŭŽťťŋũŶ ÖũŋŽłù ŶĞā ťÖóĴÖėā̍ Dŋũ āƗÖĿťķā̇ ŶĞā `F łùāũƪ ŋŋũ ðũÖłù ĢłóķŽùāŭ ŶĞā ťŋķƘðŽŶƘķāłā `F dÖƘƪ ÖŶ ťĢťā ƒĞĢóĞ ĞÖŭ ðāāł ùāŭĢėłāù ĕŋũ ƪ āƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ̇ ŭĢĿťķĢĕƘĢłė ŶĞā ťĢťā ķÖƘĢłė ťũŋóāŭŭ̍ ¦Ğā `F ŶāÖĿ Ģŭ Öķŭŋ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ŷŋ ťũŋƑĢùā ŶāóĞłĢóÖķ Ğāķť Öłù ŭŽťťŋũŶ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ĕũāā ! ' ùũÖƒĢłėŭ Öłù ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ÖùƑĢóā̍

NāÖķŶĞƘ ÖĢũ DN Žŭāŭ ũÖùĢÖłŶ ĞāÖŶ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ ũāŭŽķŶŭ Ģł ķŋƒāũ ĿŋĢŭŶŽũā ķāƑāķŭ Öłù ķāŭŭ ÖĢũ ĿŋƑāĿāłŶ ŶĞÖł ƒĢŶĞ óŋłƑāóŶĢŋł̍ ŭ Ö óŋłŭāŨŽāłóā̇ ŶĞāũā̪ŭ ķāŭŭ ĿŋƑāĿāłŶ ŋĕ ÖĢũðŋũłā ùŽŭŶ Öķķāũėāłŭ̇ ðũĢłėĢłė ťŋŶāłŶĢÖķ ĞāÖķŶĞ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ ĕŋũ ŶĞŋŭā ƒĢŶĞ ÖķķāũėĢāŭ̍ ¦Ğā Öðŭāłóā ŋĕ ũÖùĢÖŶŋũŭ āķĢĿĢłÖŶāŭ ŶĞā ũĢŭĴ ŋĕ óĞĢķùũāł ėāŶŶĢłė ðŽũłŶ ŋũ óũÖŭĞĢłė ĢłŶŋ ŭĞÖũť āùėāŭ̍ DĢłÖķķƘ̇ ŶĞāũā̪ŭ ŶĞā ŨŽāŭŶĢŋł ŋĕ ŭŽŭŶÖĢłÖðĢķĢŶƘ Öłù ĕŽŶŽũā̟ ťũŋŋƩ łė̍ Âā Ĵłŋƒ ŶĞÖŶ ėÖŭ Ģŭ ŋł ðŋũũŋƒāù ŶĢĿā̇ ƒĢŶĞ ˛˙˛˞ ĿÖũĴĢłė ŶĞā āłù ŋĕ ėÖŭ ðŋĢķāũŭ Ģł łāƒ ðŽĢķùŭ̍ ¦Ğāũā̪ŭ Öķŭŋ ŶĞā ėŋƑāũłĿāłŶ̪ŭ ÖĿðĢŶĢŋŽŭ ŶÖũėāŶ ŋĕ łāŶ̟ơāũŋ āĿĢŭŭĢŋłŭ ðƘ ˛˙˞˙̍

ķÖłłĢłė ĕŋũ ŶĞā ĕŽŶŽũā !āũŶÖĢłķƘ̇ ŶĞāũā Öũā Ö ĕāƒ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ ŶĞĢłėŭ Ŷŋ óŋłŭĢùāũ ƒĢŶĞ DṄ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ŽŭĢłė óŋłùŽĢŶ ťĢťāŭ Ŷŋ Ğāķť ťũŋŶāóŶ ÖėÖĢłŭŶ ÖóóĢùāłŶÖķ ùÖĿÖėā̇ ƒĞĢķā ĢŶ̪ŭ Öķŭŋ āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ Ŷŋ ũāĿŋƑā ÖłƘ ÖĢũ Ģł ŶĞā ŭƘŭŶāĿ Öłù ťũāŭŭŽũā ŶāŭŶ ĢŶ ƒĢŶĞ ƒÖŶāũ̍ ŽŶ ŶĞāŭā Öũā āÖŭƘ Ŷŋ ķāÖũł Öłù Ŷŋ ùŋ̇ Öłù ðƘ ķĢÖĢŭĢłė ƒĢŶĞ ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũŭ̇ ıŋðŭ óÖł ðā ùāķĢƑāũāù ŨŽĢóĴķƘ̇ āƧ óĢāłŶķƘ Öłù óŋŭŶ āƦ āóŶĢƑāķƘ̍ FāłāũÖķķƘ ŭťāÖĴĢłė̇ DN Ģŭ ıŽŭŶ ÖłŋŶĞāũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ̍ łù ƒĢŶĞ Ö ķĢŶŶķā óÖũā Öłù ťķÖłłĢłė̇ ĢŶ̪ŭ ŋłā ŶĞÖŶ óŋŽķù Ğāķť ťķŽĿðāũŭ Öłù ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ Ĵāāť ðŽŭƘ ĕŋũ ƘāÖũŭ̍ ͻ ťĞÖĿłāƒŭ̍óŋ̍ŽĴ̓˟˛˚̓˚ˢ

PHAM JUNE21 MAINCOR:Layout 1 25/05/2021 11:22 Page 1

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Underﬂoor Heating

Floor coverings – how to get the best results hen introducing underfloor heating into any pro ect, whether it be retrofit or new build, one of the most common questions from end users is about floor coverings. Here arson emmington from Ambiente e plains more about specifying underfloor heating for different floor finishes and key considerations to achieve the perfect balance of style and performance.

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ooden loorin tra care must be taken when using wood flooring over underfloor heating, because it is a natural product and, as such, can react to changes in the environment in which it is laid. t is essential to check with the flooring manufacturer whether their products are sub ect to a temperature limit. f this is the case, a floor probe will be required to limit the heating temperature to this level. enerally speaking, engineered wood floor is the most robust and least likely to react adversely to the heat. olid wood floors contain a higher content of natural product and therefore will tend to be more sensitive to heat changes.

Carson Remmington

Business development manager at Ambiente

here are many myths and misconceptions about matching underfloor heating systems with different floor finishes mainly what is most, or least, compatible. he short answer is that most coverings can be used with underfloor heating, but the key is to ensure that the floor finish is factored in at the very beginning of the system design, together with other key parameters. his will ensure the chosen floor covering doesn’t adversely affect the output of the final underfloor heating system and the two elements complement each other to maximise the system’s efficiency. t’s especially important when the floor finish will vary from room to room, such as carpet in the living room and solid wood in the kitchen. Understanding the floor covering s thermal resistance factors will ensure the underfloor heating system design factors in the required spacing of the pipework and the rate at which the water will need to be pumped around the loops in order to meet the heat loss. hile an underfloor heating system can be designed to suit every finish, there are some key points regarding each floor covering to keep in mind.

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CUT TO THE CHASE  Thermal resistance factors will dictate pipe spacing and the rate at which water will need to be pumped around

Ceramics and natural stone are t e e t ind o ﬂoor covering or u e it underﬂoor eating 

 Some carpet underlays have been designed to enhance the er or ance o underﬂoor heating systems  Advanced temperature sensing devices can be used to get an accurate reading of surface temperatures

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hen installed without underfloor heating, tiles and stone can get very cold, especially when only traditional convection heating systems radiators are in place. n comparison, with underfloor heating the whole floor essentially becomes one big radiator, meaning the floor finish itself also becomes comfortably warm. As such, ceramics and natural stone are the best kind of floor covering for use with underfloor heating. his is mainly due to the density of the materials and subsequently low thermal resistance which allows the heat from the pipework to travel quickly through and heat the space above. All stone products can be fitted above underfloor heating, including natural products such as slate and limestone.

There is a common misconception that carpet cannot be used with underfloor heating, which is not true. However, due to its composition, it is one of the highest-resistance floor coverings, so this must be taken into account when planning the system. he arpet Foundation carried out research with the Underfloor heating anufacturers Association and proved conclusively that carpet can be used over underfloor heating without impairing the performance of the system. t is recommended that when using carpet and underlay, the thermal resistance is kept below 2.5 tog to ensure that the system operates efficiently. here are also underlays available which are specifically designed for underfloor heating, which can further enhance the system’s capabilities.

inate and inyl

ost laminate and vinyl ﬂooring can be used with underﬂoor heating as the coverings are typically thin and high-density, so have a relatively low thermal

resistance. t’s always worth checking with the flooring manufacturer first to ensure the product is suitable for underfloor heating.

Rugs n general terms, rugs are not recommended for use with underﬂoor heating, so it’s worth informing the end user at the very beginning of a pro ect. ot only do they act as an additional resistance for the heat to get through, but heat can also gather beneath the rug, causing potential temperature build-up to a level which could damage the ﬂoor covering beneath them.

loor en or he ma ority of temperature control in an underfloor heating system is achieved with a standard or programmable room thermostat. However, to provide a more personalised and proactive means of climate control, there are more advanced temperature sensing devices available. One common device used is a floor probe, which can be installed as close to the floor surface as possible so as to get the most accurate floor surface temperature reading. Floor probes are often used in wet areas, or areas with high air change rates where a normal wall mounted air sensor would struggle to get an accurate reading. hey are also used underneath sensitive floors where a ma imum floor temperature is required, such as solid wood floors.

ny fini h All in all, thanks to the fle ibility of underfloor heating, whatever the floor finish, installers can work with the system supplier to design a solution which delivers both style and performance. For further details about our underfloor heating systems, product training, system design and full technical support, please use the online readerlink below. ha new co uk

27/05/2021 14:52

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łùāũƪŋŋũ Heating 23

Complete solution łùāũƪŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė Öłù ũāłāƒÖðķā ŭŋķŽŶĢŋłŭ ĕũŋĿ zĿłĢā Öũā ĞāķťĢłė Ö ÈŋũĴŭĞĢũā óŋłŶũÖóŶŋũ óũāÖŶā Ö łāƒ ðŽĢķù ķŽƗŽũƘ ƩƑā-bedroom home near Ripon. ¦Ğā ıŋð ƒÖŭ ĕÖóĢķĢŶÖŶāù ðƘ zĿłĢā̪ŭ ŶāóĞłĢóÖķ ŶāÖĿ̇ ƒĞŋ ťũŋƑĢùāù ŭťāóĢƩóÖŶĢŋłŭ and detailed drawings, as well as training and commissioning work.

contractor developer in the high-end property market in the area around Ripon and Harrogate is using a renewables Öłù Žłùāũƪŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťÖóĴÖėā from sector specialist Omnie to provide all of the space heating and hot water, as well as to maintain indoor air quality. Hotham Construction Services Limited was set up just over a year ago by Martin Hotham, although his association with Exeter-based Omnie goes back further through his experience as a plumbing and heating contractor. Dŋũ ƒŋũĴ ŋł Ö łāƒ ðŽĢķù ƩƑābedroom house near Ripon, Hotham Construction is making use of insulated concrete formwork (ICF) for the walls of the half buried structure, as well as a highly insulated pitched roof

supported by timber joists, to keep heating loads to a minimum.

The equipment Omnie determined that for this property a ˠkW LG Therma V air source heat pump would be ŭŽƧóĢāłŶ Ŷŋ ĕāāù ŶĞā ķŶĢĿÖŶā Öłù

zėāā ŋÖũù DN óĢũóŽĢŶŭ̇ Öķŋłė with all of the domestic hot water requirements. The manufacturer also designed and supplied a full MVHR system for the house, ŽŶĢķĢŭĢłė Ö ÑāĞłùāũ ŽłĢŶ ŋƦāũĢłė ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ ķāÖùĢłė āƧóĢāłóƘ standards.

Reliable source Martin Hotham comments: “I have been installing Omnie air source heat pumps and UFH, as well as the Zehnder MVHR ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ̇ ĕŋũ ŋƑāũ ƩƑā ƘāÖũŭ Öłù had no hesitation in going to them for this house we are building on ðāĞÖķĕ ŋĕ Ö ťũĢƑÖŶā óķĢāłŶ̍ zĿłĢā̪ŭ technical team has not only ťũŋƑĢùāù Öķķ ŋĕ ŶĞā ŭťāóĢƩóÖŶĢŋłŭ and detailed layout drawings for the build, but trained our people in the installation of the LG heat pumps. “Towards the end of the job, when we have completed installing the heat pump, zĿłĢā̪ŭ āłėĢłāāũ ƒĢķķ óŋĿā Ŷŋ carry out the commissioning work. In terms of the UFH here, ŋŽũ Žťťāũ ƪŋŋũ ̛ÖŶ ėũŋŽłù ķāƑāķ̜ construction makes use of metal web joists which we cover with ˚8mm chipboard to create a safe platform, before we lay a waterproof membrane and the Omnie Ultimate boards followed by the pipes and the levelling óŋĿťŋŽłù̍ RŶ ŋƦāũŭ Ö ƑāũƘ ėŋŋù ðÖŭā ĕŋũ Ö ŶĢķāù ƪŋŋũ̧̍ Developed in conjunction with Tilemaster Adhesives, the ˚8mm thick, precision routed XPS insulation panels feature a special

̨ùĢƦŽŭāũ óĞÖłłāķ̪ óŋłóāłŶũĢó Ŷŋ ŶĞā ťĢťā ũŽłŭ̍ ¦Ğāŭā ŭĢėłĢƩóÖłŶķƘ increase contact and heat transfer ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā ťĢťāŭ ƒĞāł ŶĞā dāƑāķƪāƗ self-levelling compound is laid across the installed ˚˛mm PE ťĢťāƒŋũĴ̍ ķŶĢĿÖŶā̪ŭ ùāŭĢėł ĕŽũŶĞāũ āłĞÖłóāŭ ðŋłù āƧóĢāłóƘ and resists subsequent tile ĿŋƑāĿāłŶ̇ ƒĞĢķā ŶĞā ðŋÖũùŭ̪ ease of installation and overall low construction depth mean ŶĞā ťũŋùŽóŶ ƩŶŭ ƒĢŶĞĢł Öķķ ŶĞũāā ŋĕ zĿłĢā̪ŭ dÖƘĕÖŭŶ̇ ķŶũÖķŋƒ Öłù Tileover technology categories.

Top to bottom For the lower ground, or ðÖŭāĿāłŶ̇ zĿłĢā̪ŭ zėāā ŋÖũù XPS panels were laid throughout the bedrooms, bathrooms and a generous sized gymnasium ƒĞĢóĞ ÖùıŋĢłŭ ŶĞā ĞŋĿā̪ŭ ťķÖłŶ room. They are available in thicknesses of ˜˞̇ ˞˙ and ˠ˞mm to take ˚˟̍˞mm thick PE-RT pipe laid directly into the routed channels which protect the circuits from damage until a screed is laid. This gives good heat transmission, though ŋŽŶťŽŶ ùāťāłùŭ ŋł ŶĞā ƩłÖķ ƪŋŋũ covering chosen as well as water ƪŋƒ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˛˚

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łùāũƪ ŋŋũ Heating All you need for UFH success 'āŭĢėłāù ƒĢŶĞ āÖŭā ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł Ģł ĿĢłù̇ RłŶÖ ŋƦ āũŭ Ö ƒĢùā ũÖłėā ŋĕ Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė óŋŽťķĢłėŭ̇ óŋłłāóŶĢŋłŭ Öłù ÖóóāŭŭŋũĢāŭ Ŷŋ óŋĿťķāĿāłŶ ŶĞā óŋĿťÖłƘ̪ŭ ũÖłėā ŋĕ ðũÖŭŭ̇ ťŋķƘĿāũ Öłù ĿŋùŽķÖũ Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ĿÖłĢĕŋķùŭ̍ ÖłėĢłė ĕũŋĿ ðÖķķ ƑÖķƑāŭ Öłù āŽũŋóŋłāŭ Ŷŋ ¦ Á ĞāÖùŭ Öłù ŶĞāũĿŋ-āķāóŶũĢó ÖóŶŽÖŶŋũŭ̇ ŶĞā RłŶÖ Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ũÖłėā ŋƦ āũŭ Ö óĞŋĢóā ŋĕ ťũŋùŽóŶŭ Ŷŋ ðŋŶĞ ĢĿťũŋƑā ŭƘŭŶāĿ ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā Öłù ĿĢłĢĿĢŭā ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ŶĢĿā̍ ũŋùŽóŶŭ ĢłóķŽùā ŶĞā 1óŋĿĢƗ Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťŽĿť ĿĢƗāũ ŭāŶŭ̇ ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ĿÖĢłŶÖĢł Ö

óŋłŭŶÖłŶ ƪ ŋŋũ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā ðƘ ðķāłùĢłė ƪ ŋƒ Öłù ũāŶŽũł ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā ĞāÖŶ ŭŋŽũóā Ŷŋ ŶĞā DN ŭƘŭŶāĿ̍ ŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ Ö ĞāÖŶ ķŋÖù ŋĕ Žť Ŷŋ ˚˞ĴÂ̇ ŶĞāĢũ ķĢėĞŶƒāĢėĞŶ ùāŭĢėł ĿÖĴāŭ ŶĞāĿ ĢùāÖķ ĕŋũ ƒÖķķ ĿŋŽłŶĢłė̍ ķŭŋ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģŭ ŶĞā ťķŽėÖłù-ťķÖƘ 1!z˛˙ ƒĢũāķāŭŭ ũŋŋĿ ŶĞāũĿŋŭŶÖŶ ƒĞĢóĞ ĿŋùŽķÖŶāŭ ŶĞā DN ƒÖŶāũ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā ÖóóŋũùĢłė Ŷŋ ŶĞā ŭāŶ ũŋŋĿ ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā̍ RŶ óŋłŭŶÖłŶķƘ ĿāÖŭŽũāŭ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŶāĿťāũÖŶŽũā Ŷŋ ťũāƑāłŶ ŶĞā ðŋĢķāũ Öłù ťŽĿť ĕũŋĿ Ʃ ũĢłė ƒĞāł ŶĞāũā Ģŭ łŋ óÖķķ ĕŋũ ĞāÖŶ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˛˛

Simply a walk over

Packs come with autobalancing controls ƑÖĢķÖðķā ĕũŋĿ ťŋłŋũ Ģŭ Ö łāƒ ũÖłėā ŋĕ Žłùāũƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťÖóĴŭ ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ĿÖĴā ĢŶ āÖŭƘ ĕŋũ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ Ŷŋ ŭŋŽũóā āƑāũƘŶĞĢłė ŶĞāƘ łāāù ĕŋũ Ö ťũŋıāóŶ ĕũŋĿ ŋłā ťķÖóā̍ ¦Ğā ťÖóĴŭ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ óŋĿā Ģł ŋłā̇ Ŷƒŋ̇ Öłù ŶĞũāā ơŋłā ŋťŶĢŋłŭ̇ ťũŋƑĢùā āƑāũƘŶĞĢłė ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ łāāù Ŷŋ Ʃ Ŷ DN Ģł Ö ƑÖũĢāŶƘ ŋĕ ùĢƦ āũāłŶ ťũŋıāóŶ ŶƘťāŭ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ĕŋũ ŭóũāāù̇ ŶĢĿðāũ Öłù ķŋƒ-ťũŋƩ ķā ÖťťķĢóÖŶĢŋłŭ̍ ķķ ťÖóĴŭ ĢłóķŽùā Ö ťĢťā̇ ĿÖłĢĕŋķù̇ ÖùÖťŶŋũŭ̇ óŋłŶũŋķŭ̇ āùėā ŭŶũĢťŭ̇ ðāłù ŭŽťťŋũŶ Öłù óķĢťŭ̇ Öłù Öķŭŋ ĕŽķķ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł ĢłŭŶũŽóŶĢŋłŭ ĕŋũ ŶĞā ťĢťāŭ̇ ĿÖłĢĕŋķù Öłù óŋłŶũŋķŭ̍ ¦Ğā óŋĿťÖłƘ̪ŭ ÖŽŶŋðÖķÖłóĢłė ĿÖŶũĢƗ Žķŭā óŋłŶũŋķ Ģŭ ĢłóķŽùāù Ģł ŶĞā DN ťÖóĴŭ Öłù óÖł ðā ĿÖłÖėāù ŽŭĢłė ķāƗÖ ƑŋĢóā óŋłŶũŋķ̇ Fŋŋėķā ƑŋĢóā ÖŭŭĢŭŶÖłŶ Öłù ŶĞā ĿÖŶũĢƗ Žķŭā Öťť̇ ÖķķŋƒĢłė ĞŋĿāŋƒłāũŭ Ŷŋ ĿÖłÖėā ŶĞāĢũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ũāĿŋŶāķƘ̵̍ mÖũĴ 'ŋƒùāŭƒāķķ̇ ŭāłĢŋũ óÖŶāėŋũƘ ĿÖłÖėāũ ÖŶ ťŋłŋũ̇ óŋĿĿāłŶŭ̆ ̦Âā ƒÖłŶāù Ŷŋ óũāÖŶā Ö ťũŋùŽóŶ ŶĞÖŶ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ óÖł ũāķƘ ŋł Ŷŋ ŨŽĢóĴķƘ Öłù āƧ óĢāłŶķƘ ťũŋƑĢùā āƑāũƘŶĞĢłė ŶĞāƘ łāāù Ŷŋ ÖóĞĢāƑā Ö ĞĢėĞ ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̇ ũāėÖũùķāŭŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā ťũŋıāóŶ̪ŭ ŭĢơā ŋũ óĞÖķķāłėāŭ̍ zŽũ ťÖóĴŭ ŭĢėłĢƩ óÖłŶķƘ ŭŶũāÖĿķĢłā ŶĞā ťŽũóĞÖŭĢłė ťũŋóāŭŭ̇ Öłù Öũā ťÖũŶĢóŽķÖũķƘ ėŋŋù ĕŋũ ŶĞŋŭā ķÖŭŶ-ĿĢłŽŶā ťũŋıāóŶŭ ƒĞāũā ŶĞā ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ łāāùŭ ŶĞā ťũŋùŽóŶŭ Öŭ ŭŋŋł Öŭ ťŋŭŭĢðķā̧̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˛˜

Red is the colour for ŭŋķĢù ƪ ŋŋũŭ ÂĢŶĞ ŋťŶĢŋłŭ Ŷŋ ŭŽĢŶ ÖłƘ ƪ ŋŋũ óŋłŭŶũŽóŶĢŋł̇ ŋķƘťĢťā DN ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ ĢłóķŽùā ŶĞā āù Dķŋŋũ Öłāķ ŭƘŭŶāĿ ĕŋũ ŭŋķĢù Öłù ŭóũāāùāù ƪ ŋŋũ ÖťťķĢóÖŶĢŋłŭ̍ ¦Ğā ķĢėĞŶƒāĢėĞŶ ƪ ŋŋũ ťÖłāķŭ Öũā ŨŽĢóĴ Öłù āÖŭƘ Ŷŋ óŽŶ Ŷŋ ŭĢơā Öłù ÖĢù Ģł ŭƘŭŶāĿ ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā ðƘ ÖóŶĢłė Öŭ Ö ėŽĢùā ĕŋũ ķÖƘĢłė ŶĞā ƪ āƗĢðķā ťĢťā Ģł ŶĞā ũāŨŽĢũāù ŭťÖóĢłėŭ̓ĢłŶāũƑÖķŭ̇ Öłù ðāŭŶ ťũÖóŶĢóā ŭťĢũÖķ

óŋłƩ ėŽũÖŶĢŋł̍ ¦ĞāƘ Öķŭŋ ķĢĕŶ ŶĞā ťĢťā ŭķĢėĞŶķƘ ŋƦ ŶĞā ĢłŭŽķÖŶĢŋł ťÖłāķŭ ķÖĢù ðāłāÖŶĞ̇ ÖķķŋƒĢłė ŶĞā ťĢťāŭ Ŷŋ ðā ĕŽķķƘ āłƑāķŋťāù ðƘ ŶĞā ŭóũāāù̍ ¦ĞĢŭ Ģł ŶŽũł ĕÖóĢķĢŶÖŶāŭ ðāŶŶāũ ĞāÖŶ ťāłāŶũÖŶĢŋł Öłù ũāŶāłŶĢŋł ŋĕ ŶĞā ƪ ŋŋũ ŭķÖð ŋłóā ŶĞā ŭƘŭŶāĿ Ģŭ Žť Öłù ũŽłłĢłė̍ ¦Ğā āù Dķŋŋũ Öłāķŭ Öķŭŋ ŋƦ āũ Ö ùāėũāā ŋĕ ťũŋŶāóŶĢŋł ĕŋũ ŶĞā ťĢťāŭ ÖĕŶāũ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̇ ÖķķŋƒĢłė ŋŶĞāũ ƒŋũĴāũŭ Öóóāŭŭ Ŷŋ óŋłŶĢłŽā ŋťāũÖŶĢłė ŋł ŭĢŶā ŽłŶĢķ ŶĞā ŭóũāāù Ģŭ ťŋŽũāù̇ ƒĢŶĞ Ö ũāùŽóāù ũĢŭĴ ŋĕ ĴłŋóĴĢłė ŶĞā ťĢťā ŋŽŶ ŋĕ ťŋŭĢŶĢŋł̍ ¦Ğā ťÖłāķŭ óÖł ðā Žŭāù ƒĢŶĞ ÖłƘ ŭĞÖťā ŋũ ŭĢơā ŋĕ ũŋŋĿ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˛˝

ÂŽłùÖŶĞāũĿ Ģŭ ŶĞā łÖĿā ŋĕ Ö ũÖťĢù ũāŭťŋłŭā ŋƑāũƪ ŋŋũ ŭƘŭŶāĿ ĕũŋĿ ÂŽłùÖ FũŋŽť ƒĞĢóĞ óÖł ðā ķÖĢù ƒĢŶĞŋŽŶ ŶĞā łāāù Ŷŋ ùĢė Žť ƪ ŋŋũŭ̍ ŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ ðŋŶĞ ũāŶũŋƩ Ŷ Öłù łāƒ ðŽĢķù ĞŋĿāŭ̇ ĢŶ óŋłŭĢŭŶŭ ŋĕ ˚˟ ŋũ ˛˙ĿĿ ŶĞĢóĴ ťũā-ĕŋũĿāù ÖķŽĿĢłĢŽĿ óŋÖŶāù ðŋÖũùŭ ŶĞÖŶ Öũā ðŋłùāù Ŷŋ ŶĞā ƪ ŋŋũ ƒĢŶĞ ŭťũÖƘ ÖùĞāŭĢƑā̍ złóā Ģł ťķÖóā̇ ĞĢėĞ ŋŽŶťŽŶ ˚˟ĿĿ ƪ ŋŋũ ĞāÖŶĢłė ťĢťā Ģŭ ķÖĢù ĢłŶŋ ŶĞā ťũā-ĕŋũĿāù ėũŋŋƑāŭ Ģł ŶĞā ðŋÖũùŭ̇ ķŋŋťĢłė ÖũŋŽłù Ŷŋ Ö ĞāÖŶĢłė ĿÖłĢĕŋķù̍ łƘ óĞŋĢóā ŋĕ ƪ ŋŋũ óŋƑāũĢłė óÖł ŶĞāł ðā ķÖĢù̇ ĕũŋĿ óÖũťāŶ Öłù ƑĢłƘķ Ŷŋ ƒŋŋù̇ ķÖĿĢłÖŶā̇ óāũÖĿĢó ŋũ ŭŶŋłā ŶĢķāŭ̍ ŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ ŶĞā ŋťŶĢŋł ŋĕ ˚˟ Öłù ˛˙ĿĿ ðŋÖũù ŶĞĢóĴłāŭŭāŭ̇ ÂŽłùÖŶĞāũĿ Ģŭ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģł ŶĞũāā ùāłŭĢŶĢāŭ Ŷŋ ŭŽĢŶ ŶĞā Ʃ łÖķ ƪ ŋŋũ ŭŽũĕÖóā̍ ¦Ğāũā Öũā Öķŭŋ ùĢƦ āũāłŶ ťŽĿť ŭāŶŭ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ŷŋ ėŋ ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ĿÖłĢĕŋķù̇ ťķŽŭ ÖŽŶŋ-ðÖķÖłóĢłė ÖóŶŽÖŶŋũŭ Öłù Ö ũÖłėā ŋĕ ĞÖũùƒĢũāù Öłù ƒĢũāķāŭŭ ŭĿÖũŶ óŋłŶũŋķŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˛˞

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Training & Education 25

How to ensure apprentices are following the right path ith the government looking to introduce a skills and training revolution’ for post- 6 education, what can employers do to ensure that vocational education delivers the training and skills that they need? Graeme Dryden from the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors highlights some of the key issues.

istorically, plumbing courses have largely been shaped by employers and included a focus on the more traditional skills like cold water and sanitation, and lead work. Apprenticeships for plumbing and heating technicians are designed to provide the breadth and depth of knowledge and skill to meet the demands on our fast evolving, highly technical industry, and hopefully provide a bedrock for new areas of work, such as the introduction of low carbon heating. Employers working together will result in apprenticeships that offer the best solution for the individual, the employer and the consumer. This positive collaboration has also recently highlighted a need for a more specialist occupation for more complex low carbon heating installations. As a result, the Low Carbon Heating Technician apprenticeship is being developed alongside the revision of the Domestic Heating and Technician apprenticeship, with both employer groups working independently with a similar end-goal.

Falling short However, while the vocational training landscape looks positive, scratch the surface and we see a different picture. ith apprenticeships being one route to occupational competence, we e pect to see a few qualiﬁcations leading to this same objective. Currently there are over 30 plumbing-related qualiﬁcations being funded, with less than 20% leading to occupational competence.

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Graeme Dryden

APHC deputy CEO and technical services manager

Government education policy is often designed to meet other social demands and needs, which is not always what is best for the plumbing and domestic heating industry

The reason for this is simple – plumbing training is big business for colleges and training centres, and ultimately the awarding organisations who provide them. Industry employers and their apprentices were once seen as the customer of qualifications. ow, the college or training provider is very much the consumer and the awarding organisations will make qualifications to meet their new customers’ needs, and not necessarily the learner or the employer. This can result in qualifications that are easier to deliver through less content or quality assurance, and easier to sell to unsuspecting students who are looking to start a career or retrain in a new profession. Recent examples of this include allowing adaptations to the qualification in response to the pandemic, with the aim of not disadvantaging the student. Some apprentices have therefore achieved their Level 2 plumbing and heating qualification after having only taken a small fraction of the assessments required of their qualification, with the rest being determined by the tutor.

Safety risk This is just one case where the educational system has failed the learner, the current or potential employer, and ultimately the end-user. This has not only led to a rise in customer complaints, but more importantly, puts the safety of everyone at risk. Employers must make sure apprentices understand what is required of them and know what is happening at their college or training centre. Recent employer consultation

events have seen the quality of teaching as a significant concern for employers, along with other issues, such as an oversupply of new entrants to the industry through short courses and full-time college-delivered courses and qualifications. However, we must not forget the incredible pressure we see lecturers, trainers and assessors under, with demands from senior management and leaders expecting greater income from qualification delivery, tighter demands on targets for completion, and increased recruitment numbers onto courses.

Commercial interests Government education policy is often designed to meet other social demands and needs, which is not always what is best for the plumbing and domestic heating industry. So in this commercial race to the bottom, it’s more important than ever for us to understand how and why the industry has found itself in this situation, and we need the government to listen to the employers in education skills. In response to this need, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education fA has adopted different route panels to meet the needs of speciﬁc sectors, each represented by employers with demonstrable knowledge, expertise and credibility in their sectors. These panels are expected to provide a strategic overview of their occupational route while applying their professional expertise to apprenticeship proposals, standards and assessments plans, which are then sent to the Institute for approval.

These discussions bring about a level of scrutiny that was previously lacking in plumbing qualifications. As a ma or player in the Employer Group reviewing the Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician Apprenticeship, we at the APHC have witnessed the level of commitment from employers and training providers alike. The people connected to both education and industry all want the best quality and practices for apprentices and young people undertaking technical qualifications. n fact, , an awarding organisation and apprenticeship end point assessment organisation, has played an important role in forging these relationships with employers and training providers. hey are the first and, to date, the only Awarding Organisation to ask for feedback on Teacher Assessed Grades to ensure they meet industry competence expectations. It’s these seeds of hope that we need to grow.

Clear vision There are certainly things to be excited about when it comes to the continual improvement of quality in plumbing and heating education, both in terms of safety and the robustness of qualiﬁcations. The next important step will be for the government to listen to employers and decommercialise training, balance the skills, support lecturers, trainers and assessors, and create a clear vision and guidance to help develop apprenticeships to be ﬁt for purpose and as diverse as the industry itself is. phamnews.co.uk/

28/05/2021 13:48

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Training & Education

More than one way to keep up to speed With recent restrictions to travel and gatherings, many manufacturers and training providers have had to adapt their courses so that they meet the needs of a virtual world. We talk to Sean Keleher from Navien about how the company has risen to the challenge and its plans for future product training.

he Covid pandemic has presented the industry with a number of challenges, not least of which is how to continue to communicate and interact with installers at a time when face-to-face meetings have no longer been an option. Building a close relationship with installers and widening awareness of its product range has been a key part of Navien’s strategy to grow its share of the UK heating market. As the company’s national technical manager, Sean Keleher has a big part to play in maintaining those lines of communication. Has lockdown had an impact on training and the method(s) in which it is conducted? “Lockdown has certainly had an impact on the heating industry, particularly in terms of training. The restrictions have meant no manufacturers have been able to have any face-to-face interaction with their installer customers. As a result, companies have had to develop or advance their online or ‘virtual’ training programmes to ensure heating engineers remain up to date with the latest product developments. “In terms of online training methods, we’ve found the most successful to be short, sharp video snippets covering the essential areas, such as key components, settings and servicing. As installers are likely to be undertaking the training in their own time, we don’t want to be taking up too much of it!” Has Navien’s new online training proven popular with installers – what kind of feedback have you had? “Our new e-Training initiative has proven extremely popular since we launched it at the end of last year, and we’ve had some great responses from installers, who have all reported to have enjoyed it. We’re obviously thrilled with this feedback, as for some, it’s been their ﬁrst and only opportunity to ﬁnd out more about us and our boilers, so it was important we made a good impression. “We’ve received lots of positive feedback, including comments that the training looks good and contains lots of useful

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information. There’s also been a notable amount of follow-up activity, with installers requesting contact details for our area sales managers, as well as further information on how to sign up for full, onsite training at a later date. At the moment, we’re looking to resume these onsite activities in June.”

Sean Keleher

National technical manager at Navien

e ll be o erin the same comprehensive level of training as per before lockdown restrictions were introduced, so in taller can ﬁnd out all the essential information about Navien’s range of oil and gas boilers, as well as controls, all in one day

Is online training a good substitute for face-to-face, hands-on learning, or only a temporary compromise? “I can certainly see online training being used in the long-term, as it allows manufacturers to reach a lot of people in a short period of time, who in turn ﬁnd the information useful. It also means they don’t have to spend too much time away from the tools – which is particularly useful during busy periods. “However, it is unlikely to become the main source of training, as the vast majority of heating engineers prefer a ‘hands on’ approach, where they can touch the products, take things apart and see exactly how everything works inside our oil and gas boilers.” Are there any plans to expand on the current e- rainin o erin e currently offer e-Training on our industry leading range of LCB 00 Blue Flame oil boilers. The comprehensive course covers the essential elements of these products, providing engineers with information on a variety of topics, from installation and controls, through to servicing and maintenance. “Following the overwhelming popularity and success of our e-Training to date, we are planning to add more videos covering our NCB gas boilers in the future. So, installers should keep an eye on our website (navienuk. com/training) for the latest developments!” What are Navien’s plans for installer training once lockdown restrictions are lifted? “We are planning to resume our full training programme in late June 202 . e’ll be offering the same comprehensive level of training as per before lockdown restrictions were introduced, so installers can ﬁnd out all the essential information about

Navien’s range of oil and gas boilers, as well as controls, all in one day. They’ll even get a gift pack and a free lunch, so it’s worth signing up for and attending.” Are there any plans or developments in terms of fully-working training display vehicles? “We currently have a display vehicle complete with fully working boilers onboard. But there are indeed plans to add to this as, from October 202 , we’ll have added a second one, which will be going round the country showcasing the features and benefits of the avien product portfolio to our installer customers. This newer vehicle will also benefit from a canopy and extendable side panels, which will form a reception area, allowing for bigger product training and installer networking sessions.” What are the main reasons why heatin en ineer i ht benefit ro o e roduct ecific training? roduct specific training offers heating engineers a range of advantages, particularly in terms of confidence in the products available. Regular training enables installers to keep their skillsets up to date, in addition to informing them on any recent technological and product developments. “Furthermore, each manufacturer’s individual training course will be tailored towards their specific products. o, upon attendance, installers will learn essential service and maintenance information, as well as any features unique to a particular model or range. There’s also the chance to learn how to take boilers apart and

look at the annual servicing requirements, which are usually relatively simple to carry out. “Regular training also helps installers to attract new customers in the long-term – which is always beneficial towards developing a strong reputation and increasing turnover. We also ensure training conveys to installers how best to sell our products to end users, without getting overly technical. In the case of our LCB 00 oil boilers, this includes the ecofriendly and energy efficient benefits of our renowned blue flame technology and stainless steel heat exchanger, as well as the ease controllability – and how all these factors will help them achieve lower fuel bills.” What would you say are the main di erence between trainin or oil and gas boilers? “We’re often asked that question when we’re conducting a training day. Gas and oil boilers actually have different set-up and service requirements, involving different parameters, pressures and readings; these will all vary depending on the applications and properties concerned, so having adequate training on all the possibilities is paramount. “In terms of servicing, oil boilers – unlike their gas counterparts – require a lot of actual cleaning and regular renewal of perishable parts. As a result, any training for oil boiler servicing outlines how to change the nozzle, clean the heat e changer, flush the condensate and clean the condensate trap. Gas boiler training, on the other hand, will cover aspects such as flue gas analysis and diagnostics.” phamnews.co.uk

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PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Training & Education

Getting hybrid ready With the UK committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, hybrid heating systems could play an important part in the transition to low carbon heating. ain evan from aikin U highlights the beneﬁts of a new one-day course to ensure that installers have the skills to meet anticipated demand.

ith gas boilers set to be banned from new build homes and gas prices also set to rise, it is likely that owners of older properties will also be incentivised to upgrade to a sustainable heating system. Installers therefore need to adapt and transform their businesses to ensure that they’re ﬁt for the future and those that do so ﬁrst are likely to en oy a competitive advantage. When it comes to renewables, where homeowners are stepping into the relative unknown, word-of-mouth recommendations are more important than ever so each successful ob should open up more work. It’s widely acknowledged that the transition to low carbon heating will be a gradual one but the role that hybrid heat pump technology has to play in accelerating progress is often overlooked, until now...

First steps

We’ve recently launched a free nationwide training programme to help installers take their ﬁrst step into the renewable heating market with hybrid heat pumps. Installers who complete the day-long course at one of of our Daikin Sustainable Home Centres across the country can expand

Iain Bevan

Commercial manager of heating and renewables at Daikin UK

ree boiler o er

We’ve launched a free nationwide training programme to help installers take their ﬁr t te into the renewable heating market with hybrid heat pumps

Supporting young installers Martyn Bridges discusses the rise in young talent joining the UK’s heating and ventilating workforce due to the rejuvenation of the industry. In recent years we have made an avid attempt to encourage a younger generation of professionals to oin the heating industry. As government sets its sights on net-zero homes, we have seen a refreshing increase in new talent eager for the task of equipping the next generation of homes with more technologicallybased, low or zero carbon heating appliances. The road to net-zero is an exciting one for young installers, and we hope to continue educating and enticing the next generation in a more interactive way, as we look to restrictions easing across the country.

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their portfolio and gain the skills to upgrade customers to an eco-friendly hybrid solution. We’ll have a mobile training vehicle on site to bring the training to life, covering installation, electrical connections, hydraulics and system start-up. Hybrid heat pumps combine the power of a heat pump with the familiarity of a high efficiency boiler, making them the ideal solution for installers who are starting out in renewable technology. The two appliances work together to provide heating and hot water, providing the ideal replacement for a combi boiler as a ﬁrst step towards introducing renewable heating technology into the home.

Martyn Bridges

Director of technical and product management at Worcester Bosch

Demographics

The demographic of our industry is that the ma ority of installers are over 35 years old, partly the result of more young people attending university and developing IT and digital skills through their chosen degree sub ects. However, we are now seeing a return to more

While hybrid heat pump systems can be installed with a household’s existing boiler, to help installers seal the deal with their customers, we’re running a special offer at the moment whereby every homeowner who buys a Daikin Altherma hybrid system will get a brand new, high efficiency boiler for free. Whether the end user is speciﬁcally looking for a sustainable heating system, or simply wants to replace their existing boiler, with this promotion hybrid heat pumps are an attractive option.

practical trades including heating engineers and the attraction of earning a healthy living in the industry. I think the renewable agenda has re uvenated an interest in younger people and given them a glimpse of the bigger picture they can play in developing society. And it’s not ust younger people either, we are starting to see people make a change in their career and oin the industry. Throughout my years working for a leading boiler manufacturer, we have hosted training courses and visited colleges on an almost daily basis. We had been doing this for many years pre-Covid and we intend to return to this once things get back to normal. Worcester Bosch has connections with over 0 training providers, some of whom are colleges and others private training providers, where we are invited to demonstrate to apprentices how the products work and what the forthcoming legislation changes are likely to be.

p The Natural Energy Company in Scotland is one of a number of venues around the UK to host the new hybrid training scheme

Hybrid heat pump systems can reduce emissions by as much as 55% compared to a traditional gas boiler and have been proven to deliver up to a 50% reduction in energy bills in homes in the UK. e know that comple ity and disruption are barriers to purchase when consumers are looking at heating system replacements. Fortunately, neither is an issue here. As well as being quick to install, the hybrid system is designed to look and operate like a conventional boiler system, and delivers like-for-like performance and comfort levels. And to give homeowners peace of mind, the heat pump can act as a back-up for the boiler, and vice-versa meaning they’ll never be caught short.

Growth opportunity

Hybrid technology is best suited to smaller homes in urban areas that are likely to have a combi boiler,

Through our involvement with colleges and training providers we are actively connected to apprentices, both young students and older individuals, who have come into the industry in search of a career change. e ﬁnd that individuals see a potential to grow within the industry and seek out heating to look and learn further.

New technology

It is likely as we move forward that many homes will have more than a single technology heating their home. Historically, we have had boilers and not much else heating our homes, but there could now be the introduction of heat pumps or even a hybrid system. We are seeing more solar PV energy contributing towards the property, as well as providing the power for electric car chargers. While these are outside the scope of heating and ventilating, we are starting to enter a period where electrical heating will start to increase in popularity. We know that from 2025, most individual new-build properties

and where the shell of the building is not energy-efficient enough to rely on electricity alone. As the efficiency of the building is improved over time, the hybrid system’s operation mode can be shifted to more electric heat pump share. e estimate that there are . million homes across the country that would be well-served by a hybrid system. That, combined with the benefits of hybrids for both installers and consumers, is why we firmly believe in hybrid heat pumps’ potential to support a faster, easier and more affordable transition to low carbon heating in this country and training and education is a critical first step. nstallers looking to ma imise the return on the time they invest in training and education must effectively market the services they can offer as a result. e’re encouraging everyone who takes our hybrid heat pump course to oin our Sustainable Home Network if they haven’t already, so we can help by sending leads their way. phamnews.co.uk

will have electric heating systems in the shape of heat pumps, as well as technology like heat recovery systems such as mechanical ventilation or wastewater. As a result, we may see a subtle change in the skillset for the next generation, with heating engineers having electrical training skills as well. These installers will need to have a grasp on heat loss calculations and radiator pipework sizing as the industry moves to insulating properties more. This will require a knowledge of ventilation, as the more we ventilate a property the more we close down the natural ventilation and have to provide a substitute. I suspect the role of the heating engineer will evolve into more of a hybrid role, combining the responsibilities of a building and property engineer. These are extremely interesting times for the industry’s workforce and many will look to oin our growing and re uvenated industry as a result of the government’s decarbonisation targets. phamnews.co.uk/

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PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Training & Education 29 Enhanced academy

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PHAM JUNE21:Layout 1 01/06/2021 11:12 Page 30

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Training & Education

Additional skills for heating engineers A new CPD has been created to help heating engineers add cooling and ventilation to ŶĞāĢũ ŋƦāũĢłė̍ RŶ Ģŭ ŭŽťťŋũŶāù by a dedicated training facility at Elements Training Centre Ģł ŶŋŽũðũĢùėā Öłù āłùŋũŭāù ðƘ ŶĞā !R N1̍ ÂĢŶĞ Ö ĕŋóŽŭ ŋł ÖĢũ movement and the high ƑāķŋóĢŶƘ ŭĿÖķķ ùŽóŶ ŭƘŭŶāĿ technology from Unico, ŶĞā ! ' óŋŽũŭā Ģŭ ùāŭĢėłāù to give traditional heating Öłù ťķŽĿðĢłė āłėĢłāāũŭ Öł ĢłùĢóÖŶĢŋł ŋĕ ıŽŭŶ Ğŋƒ āÖŭĢķƘ ŶĞāƘ óŋŽķù Öùù ũāłāƒÖðķā heating, cooling and ƑāłŶĢķÖŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ŶĞāĢũ ŭĴĢķķŭ ŭāŶ̍ Relatively new to the UK, ðŽŶ ĢłŭŶÖķķāù Ģł Ŀŋũā ŶĞÖł half a million homes and ðŽŭĢłāŭŭāŭ Öóũŋŭŭ ŶĞā łĢŶāù States, the Unico System can be connected to a heat ťŽĿť ŋũ ŶũÖùĢŶĢŋłÖķ ðŋĢķāũ system, with options to provide heating, cooling and ƑāłŶĢķÖŶĢŋł ƒĢŶĞŋŽŶ ŶĞā łāāù ĕŋũ ũÖùĢÖŶŋũŭ̍ The CPD has been created by ex-Worcester Bosch CEO Richard Soper, and specialist independent heating and

Get a step up the heat pump ladder ¦Ğā ŽĢķùĢłė 1łėĢłāāũĢłė āũƑĢóāŭ ŭŭŋóĢÖŶĢŋł ̛ 1 ̜̇ ÂŋũóāŭŶāũ ŋŭóĞ Öłù ŶĞā NŋĿā ŽĢķùāũŭ DāùāũÖŶĢŋł ̛N D̜ ĞÖƑā óũāÖŶāù Öł ŋłķĢłā óŋŽũŭā ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ŽťŭĴĢķķ ŨŽÖķĢĕĢāù ťķŽĿðĢłė̇ heating and RAC engineers to correctly install and maintain domestic heat ťŽĿťŭ̍ ¦Ğā NāÖŶ ŽĿť RłŭŶÖķķāũ ŶũÖĢłĢłė óŋŽũŭā ƒĢķķ ėĢƑā āłėĢłāāũŭ ŶĞā Ĵłŋƒķāùėā Ŷŋ óÖťĢŶÖķĢŭā łŋŶ ıŽŭŶ ŋł ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋłŭ Ģł łāƒ ðŽĢķù ĞŋĿāŭ ðŽŶ Öķŭŋ ŶĞā ùŋĿāŭŶĢó ũāŶũŋĕĢŶ ĿÖũĴāŶ Ŷŋŋ̍ ¦ŋ ŨŽÖķĢĕƘ ĕŋũ ŶĞā óŋŽũŭā̇ ťÖũŶĢóĢťÖłŶŭ ƒĢķķ łāāù ŋłā ŋĕ ŶĞā ĕŋķķŋƒĢłė̆

ťķŽĿðĢłė ĿāũóĞÖłŶŭ̇ āķķ ķŽĿðĢłė ŽťťķĢāŭ̍ Calvin Pope, commercial ùĢũāóŶŋũ ÖŶ āķķ ķŽĿðĢłė ŽťťķĢāŭ̇ óŋĿĿāłŶŭ̆ ̦RŶ Ģŭ óķāÖũ Ŷŋ Žŭ Öłù ŋŽũ ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ that as the UK moves towards renewable heating, demand for technologies like air ŭŋŽũóā ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ Ģŭ ŋłķƘ

ėŋĢłė Ŷŋ ėũŋƒ̍ złā ŋĕ ŶĞā main reasons for choosing to ðāóŋĿā ŶĞā ŭŋķā b ùĢŭŶũĢðŽŶŋũ of the Unico System is that it ŋƦāũŭ ŶũÖùĢŶĢŋłÖķ ũāŭĢùāłŶĢÖķ ĞāÖŶĢłė āłėĢłāāũŭ Ö ėāłŽĢłā ŋťťŋũŶŽłĢŶƘ Ŷŋ ŽťŭĴĢķķ Öłù enter new sectors of the ĿÖũĴāŶ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˜˙

• ķŽā̓Fŋķù ! R ̓ bRddóÖũù ũāĕũĢėāũÖŶĢŋł̓ ! āłėĢłāāũ • D-ėÖŭ ŨŽÖķĢĕĢóÖŶĢŋł • Oftec Registration • FÖŭ Öĕā ũāėĢŭŶũÖŶĢŋł ¦Ğā óŋŽũŭā Ģŭ ĿÖùā Žť ŋĕ Ö ŶŋŶÖķ ŋĕ ŭĢƗ ĿŋùŽķāŭ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ùĢĕĕāũāłŶ ŶƘťāŭ ŋĕ systems, maintenance and commisŭĢŋłĢłė̍ 1ƒÖł ŽŶĞāũķÖłù̇ łÖŶĢŋłÖķ ŶũÖĢłĢłė ĿÖłÖėāũ ÖŶ ÂŋũóāŭŶāũ ŋŭóĞ̇ ŭÖƘŭ̆ ̦ ŭ ƒā ĿŋƑā ŶŋƒÖũùŭ Ö ơāũŋ óÖũðŋł ĕŽŶŽũā̇ ĞāÖŶ ťŽĿťŭ ƒĢķķ ðāóŋĿā Ŀŋũā prominent in the heating technology ĿĢƗ̍ ÂĢŶĞ ŶĞÖŶ Ģł ĿĢłù ĢŶ Ģŭ āŭŭāłŶĢÖķ ĕŋũ óŽũũāłŶ āłėĢłāāũŭ Ŷŋ āĢŶĞāũ ŶũÖĢł ŋũ refresh themselves on how to correctly ĢłŭŶÖķķ Öłù ĿÖĢłŶÖĢł ŶĞĢŭ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ̍ ̦ Ƙ ŶÖĴĢłė ÖùƑÖłŶÖėā ŋĕ ŶĞā óŋŽũŭā̇ āłėĢłāāũŭ óÖł āłŭŽũā ŶĞÖŶ ŶĞāƘ Öũā ĕŽķķƘ āŨŽĢťťāù ĕŋũ Ö ĿĢƗ ŋĕ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ Ģł ŶĞā ĕŽŶŽũā̧̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˜˚

Learning opportunity in the south Steve Willis Training Centres ŋƦāũŭ óŋŽũŭāŭ ĕũŋĿ ĢŶŭ ĕÖóĢķĢŶĢāŭ Ģł Žũėāŭŭ NĢķķ̇ ÂāŭŶ ŽŭŭāƗ̇ Öłù ŋũŶóĞāŭŶāũ̇ NÖĿťŭĞĢũā̍ ŋŶĞ óāłŶũāŭ ŋƦāũ ĞĢėĞ ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ ŶũÖĢłĢłė ƒĢŶĞ Ö ĕŽķķ ũÖłėā ŋĕ ŶĞā ķÖŶāŭŶ āŨŽĢťĿāłŶ in the workshops, modern classrooms and specialist trainers and assessors with a ðũāÖùŶĞ ŋĕ ĢłùŽŭŶũƘ āƗťāũĢāłóā̍ ¦Ğā NÖĿťŭĞĢũā óāłŶũā ĕŋóŽŭāŭ ŋł ėÖŭ Öłù āķāóŶũĢóÖķ ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭĞĢťŭ Öłù ŭĞŋũŶ óŋŽũŭāŭ̇ ƒĞĢķā ŶĞā Žũėāŭŭ NĢķķ !āłŶũā ŋƦāũŭ ŭĞŋũŶ óŋŽũŭāŭ Öłù ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭĞĢťŭ Ģł ėÖŭ̇ ťķŽĿðĢłė̇ Öłù āķāóŶũĢóÖķ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ óŋŽũŭāŭ Ģł d Ḟ ŋĢķ̇ Öłù Ŀŋũā̍ Toby Perkins MP, shadow minister for apprenticeships and lifelong learning, ũāóāłŶķƘ ƑĢŭĢŶāù ŶĞā ŶāƑā ÂĢķķĢŭ ¦ũÖĢłĢłė !āłŶũāŭ Ģł Žũėāŭŭ NĢķķ̍ ¦ŋðƘ ùũŋťťāù Ģł ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭĞĢť óķÖŭŭāŭ Öłù ŭťŋĴā Ŷŋ ŶĞā ÖťťũāłŶĢóāŭ̍ Nā ƒÖŭ ĢłŶāũāŭŶāù Ŷŋ ĞāÖũ ĕũŋĿ ŶĞāĿ ÖðŋŽŶ ŶĞāĢũ āƗťāũĢāłóāŭ ƒĢŶĞ ƩłùĢłė āĿťķŋƘĿāłŶ Öłù ƒĞÖŶ ŶĞāƘ Ğŋťāù Ŷŋ ÖóĞĢāƑā ĕũŋĿ ŶĞāĢũ ŶũÖĢłĢłė̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˜˛

Giving students a better start FRÁ1 ̛FũŋĞā RłŭŶÖķķāũ ÁŋóÖŶĢŋłÖķ ¦ũÖĢłĢłė Öłù 1ùŽóÖŶĢŋł̜ Ģŭ ŶĞā łÖĿā ŋĕ Ö łÖŶĢŋłƒĢùā ĢłĢŶĢÖŶĢƑā ĕũŋĿ FũŋĞā̇ ŶĞā ðÖŶĞũŋŋĿ Öłù ĴĢŶóĞāł ƩŶŶĢłėŭ ĿÖłŽĕÖóŶŽũāũ̇ ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ Ğāķť ĢĿťũŋƑā ŶĞā ĕÖóĢķĢŶĢāŭ ƒĞāũā ŭŶŽùāłŶŭ ũāóāĢƑā ŶĞāĢũ ŶũÖĢłĢłė̍ !ŋķķāėāŭ ŶĞÖŶ ŭĢėł Žť Ŷŋ ŶĞā ŭóĞāĿā ƒĢķķ ðāłāƩŶ ĕũŋĿ Ö ĕŽķķƘ ĕŽłóŶĢŋłĢłė ŶũÖĢłĢłė āłƑĢũŋłĿāłŶ ƒĞāũā ŭŶŽùāłŶŭ óÖł ðāłāƩŶ ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā ðũÖłù̪ŭ āƗťāũŶĢŭā̍ ŶŽùāłŶŭ ƒĢķķ óŋĿťķāŶā Ö ŭťāóĢƩó ťũŋùŽóŶ ŶũÖĢłĢłė ùāŭĢėłāù ðƘ ŶĞā óŋĿťÖłƘ̇ ĕŋũ ƒĞĢóĞ ŶĞāƘ ƒĢķķ ũāóāĢƑā Öł ĢłŶāũłÖŶĢŋłÖķķƘ ũāóŋėłĢŭāù óāũŶĢƩóÖŶā̍ ¦Ğā FRÁ1 ťũŋėũÖĿĿā ŭŶÖũŶāù Ģł ŶĞā b ÖŶ ŶĞā !ŋķóĞāŭŶāũ RłŭŶĢŶŽŶā̇ Öłù ĢŶŭ ŶũÖĢłĢłė rig was opened to the ˞˙˙-ŭŶũŋłė óŋĞŋũŶ ŋĕ ťķŽĿðĢłė ŭŶŽùāłŶŭ Ģł pŋƑāĿðāũ ˛˙˚ˢ̍ ¦Ğā FũŋĞā b ŶāÖĿ Ģŭ óŽũũāłŶķƘ ťķÖłłĢłė Ğŋƒ ĢŶ ƒĢķķ āƗťÖłù ŋł ŶĞā ŭŽóóāŭŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā FRÁ1 ťũŋėũÖĿĿā ĢłŶŋ Ŀŋũā b ŶũÖĢłĢłė óŋķķāėāŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˜˜

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Water & System Treatment 31

Testing helps t r a r ﬁt for installer

always email or print the results for the customer and advise them that having this paper trail will be really useful should they need to make a warranty claim, as it proves to the manufacturer that the system is clean and has been properly maintained. This is a really compelling message for customers.”

Diagnostic tool

Recognising the signs of poor water quality in a heating system is something that experienced installers will be able to do, but how do you get your customers to understand what it means to them? ADEY says its test kit can help shed the necessary light.

he revised British Standard BS 5 3 20 , introduced in May 20 , aims to address the issue of poor water quality in heating systems. It includes, amongst other measures, annual water testing to check the level of inhibitor and cleanliness of the system every year, and a full system water test or re-dosing of inhibitor every ﬁve years. Although the main driver behind introducing the new requirements was to raise standards, installers can leverage these new rules to have more productive conversations with their customers and upsell water treatment services. Being able to offer a diverse range of services gives businesses a competitive advantage, with opportunities to maximise the returns on each job.

Installer example One installer who has already realised the full potential of specialising in water treatment is Sean Payne of S Payne Plumbing and Heating. Having previously worked as a British Gas service engineer, Sean was already clued up on the signs and symptoms of a contaminated system and a strong advocate for water treatment, but found that it wasn’t always easy to persuade customers . “If I go to a customer’s house and the boiler is kettling or the radiators aren’t heating up properly, those are pretty sure signs that the water quality is poor, but it’s not an exact science. Because the issue is hidden in the pipework and radiators, customers don’t always understand what you’re talking about.” After owning a successful heating business for many years, water treatment became Sean’s bread and butter after he realised that he could make a comfortable living out of it, and it would be less physically demanding than boiler installations. With this in mind, he turned the ADEY ProCheck .

27 (Adey).indd 1

NUMBERS BY ADEY

21.5m number of boilers in the UK

80% of all boiler breakdowns in the ﬁr t ﬁ e year are due to sludge

15% of boilers breakdown in the ﬁr t year

£700m per year cost of unexpected bills due to boiler breakdowns

Sean Payne of S Payne Plumbing & Heating How it works This water test kit and supporting app allows installers to access key data connected to a system’s water quality, including measuring for inhibitor corrosion and pH levels. Users simply take a water sample, use the supplied test strips, scan these against a unique test card via the app, and receive instant results. The app analyses the image to produce results and displays recommended actions on the user’s phone within seconds, without adding time to service routines. Installers can review the ﬁndings on site and discuss any issues and potential treatments with the homeowner while still at the property, eliminating the need for a repeat visit. As well as showing the results instantly, they can be emailed directly to the homeowner. ean was one of the ﬁrst installers to get hold of a ProCheck kit and he hasn’t looked back since. “There’s no other product on the market like it at the moment,” he says. “You can see exactly what’s going on with the system in an instant and you can also show the results to the customer.”

Thanks to ProCheck, Sean’s business has become more proﬁtable because he’s able to upsell the remedial actions required – whether a simple inhibitor top-up or a full ADEY MagnaCleanse. “When I book a customer in for their annual service,” says Sean, “I explain that standards have changed and I’m now required to take a sample of water for testing to check everything’s OK with the system. Whilst I’m doing the other elements of the service, I’ll give them an A consumer leaﬂet to read, which explains the basics of water treatment. “I do the water test last and take time to fully explain what the results mean and what the recommended treatment is. If the recommendation is to add inhibitor I do this immediately and take another test to prove that it has worked. “The ProCheck app automatically records everything, so when you next visit the property you know exactly what’s been done before. After a job, I

As well as helping to engage customers on the issue of system maintenance, Sean has also found ProCheck to be a useful diagnostic tool when attending repair visits “I had a job recently where one of the radiators in a three-storey house wasn’t heating up properly, which I suspected was because of an issue with the TRV, but I couldn’t be 00% sure without taking the radiator off the wall. As sludge in the system can also cause similar symptoms, I thought for the sake of two minutes, why not take a quick water sample just to check? The results came back negative and conﬁrmed my diagnosis so I could crack on with the replacement. Better for the customer and better for me as it means I can get the job done quicker.” Sean says he intends to continue using ProCheck as a key part of his service offering “I’m using ProCheck on nearly every job now. It’s great. And the support from ADEY is the icing on the cake. If I ever have any questions or need advice, I just speak to my rep who will ring the technical department for me, allowing me to get on with the ob as quickly and effectively as possible.” phamnews.co.uk/

t The ADEY ProCheck test kit works with the accompanying app to allow quick and easy onsite testing, with instant results.

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PHAM JUNE21:Layout 1 27/05/2021 15:55 Page 32

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Water ͽ ƘŭŶāĿ ¦ũāÖŶĿāłŶ Heating system fully protected

Smart water softener is easy to use and install The new Perla Silk from BWT is a smart water softener ŶĞÖŶ ťũŋùŽóāŭ Žť Ŷŋ ˞˙ ķĢŶũāŭ ŋĕ ƒÖŶāũ Ö ĿĢłŽŶā̍ 'āŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ĿÖŶóĞ ÖóŶŽÖķ ŽŭÖėā̇ ķĢĕāŭŶƘķā ťÖŶŶāũłŭ Öłù ĕŽŶŽũā ùāĿÖłùŭ̇ ŶĞā ŽłĢŶ ŋłķƘ ũāėāłāũÖŶāŭ ƒĞāł łāóāŭŭÖũƘ̇ Öŭ ĢŶ ŋťŶĢĿĢŭāŭ ŶĞā Žŭā ŋĕ ƒÖŶāũ Öłù ŭÖķŶ ĕŋũ ĿÖƗĢĿŽĿ āƧ óĢāłóƘ̍ The ˚˙ and ˚˞ ķĢŶũā Ŀŋùāķŭ Öũā ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ ĴĢŶóĞāł ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋłŭ Ģł Ö óŽťðŋÖũù̍ Dŋũ āÖŭā ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̇ ŶĞāƘ ĕāÖŶŽũā Ö ŽłĢóŋłłāóŶ óŋłłāóŶĢŋł ðķŋóĴ ƒĞĢóĞ ũāťķÖóāŭ ŶĞā ŽŭŽÖķ ĢłùĢƑĢùŽÖķ ƑÖķƑāŭ̇ ķāÖƑĢłė ŶĞā ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ ƒĢŶĞ ıŽŭŶ Ŷƒŋ óŋłłāóŶĢŋłŭ Ŷŋ ĿÖĴā ðāĕŋũā óŋłłāóŶĢłė ŶĞā ˛˛ĿĿ ĞĢėĞ ƪ ŋƒ Ğŋŭāŭ̍ ¦Ğā łāƒ óŋłłāóŶŋũ ŋƦ āũŭ Ö óŋłƑāłĢāłŶ ĿāÖłŭ ŋĕ ðƘťÖŭŭĢłė ŶĞā ŭŋĕŶāłāũ̇ Öłù ĢŶŭ ÖķķĿāŶÖķ óŋłŭŶũŽóŶĢŋł ĿÖĢłŶÖĢłŭ āÖũŶĞ ðŋłùĢłė̍ ðÖóĴķĢŶ ĿŽķŶĢĕŽłóŶĢŋł ùĢŭťķÖƘ Öķķŋƒŭ ŶĞā ĢłŭŶÖķķāũ ŋũ óŽŭŶŋĿāũ Ŷŋ óĞāóĴ ŋł ĢŶŭ ťāũĕŋũĿÖłóā ÖŶ Ö ėķÖłóā̇ ƒĞĢķā ŶĞā āÖŭƘ ķĢĕŶ ķĢù ĿÖĴāŭ ĢŶ āÖŭƘ Ŷŋ Öùù ŭÖķŶ̇ ƒĞāŶĞāũ ŶĞā Žŭāũ óĞŋŋŭāŭ ŶÖðķāŶŭ ŋũ ðķŋóĴ ŭÖķŶ̍ ¦Ğāũā̪ŭ āƑāł Ö ðķāłùĢłė ƑÖķƑā ĕŋũ óŽŭŶŋĿāũŭ ƒĞŋ ťũāĕāũ Ö ķĢŶŶķā hardness in their water. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˜˞

Larger unit will meet demand The Ultimate Matrix joins Monarch Water’s range of WRAS-approved High 1Ƨ óĢāłóƘ ̛N1̜ ŭŽŭŶÖĢłÖðķā water softeners. This ˜˙-litre ƑāũŭĢŋł Ģŭ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ ŭĿÖķķ commercial and large residential applications to help ŶÖóĴķā ŶĞā ťũŋðķāĿŭ óÖŽŭāù ðƘ hard water. Monarch Water has ùāƑāķŋťāù ŶĞĢŭ ķÖũėāũ ŽłĢŶ ̛˚˙˜ˡ x ˛ˠ˙ x ˝ˡ˞̜̇ ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ŭÖĿā ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ Öŭ Öķķ ŶĞā ŋŶĞāũ Ŀŋùāķŭ Ģł ŶĞā ũÖłėā̍ RŶŭ high-āƧ óĢāłóƘ óÖťÖóĢŶƘ ŋĕ ˞˞˙˙ litres at ˜˙˙ppm ðāŶƒāāł ũāėāłāũÖŶĢŋłŭ ĿāÖłŭ ŶĞÖŶ ĢŶ Ģŭ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ ķÖũėā ĕÖĿĢķĢāŭ ŋĕ ðāŶƒāāł ˠ to ˚˗ ťāŋťķā̇ Ģł ÖùùĢŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ŭĿÖķķ ðŽŭĢłāŭŭāŭ̍ dĢĴā Öķķ ŋŶĞāũ Ŀŋùāķŭ Ģł ŶĞā N1 ũÖłėā̇ ŶĞā ķŶĢĿÖŶā mÖŶũĢƗ ĕāÖŶŽũāŭ zťŶĢ- ũĢłĢłė ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ̇ ŭŋ ŶĞā ŽłĢŶ ŋłķƘ ũāėāłāũÖŶāŭ ƒĞāł łāāùāù̍ mŋłÖũóĞ ŭÖƘŭ ĢŶ Žŭāŭ ķāŭŭ ŭÖķŶ Öłù āłāũėƘ ŶĞÖł āŨŽĢƑÖķāłŶ Ŀŋùāķŭ̇ ĿÖĴĢłė ĢŶ ŶĞā ĿŋŭŶ ŭŽŭŶÖĢłÖðķā ŭŋĕŶāłāũ Ģł ĢŶŭ óķÖŭŭ̍ ¦Ğā ŽłĢŶ Öķŭŋ comes with a Hi-ƪ ŋƒ ÖťĢù-DĢŶ ƘťÖŭŭ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ removes 8˙ͮ ŋĕ āŨŽĢťĿāłŶ łāāùāù ĕŋũ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˜ˡ

ƑÖĢķÖðķā ĕũŋĿ ťāÖũ Öłù `ÖóĴŭŋł Ģŭ ŶĞā ŋĢķāũmÖė ĿÖėłāŶĢó Ʃ ķŶāũ ŶĞÖŶ ũāĿŋƑāŭ ðŋŶĞ ĿÖėłāŶĢó Öłù non-ĿÖėłāŶĢó ùāðũĢŭ Ŷŋ ťũŋŶāóŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ̍ ÁĢũŶŽÖķķƘ ˚˙˙% ŋĕ ĕāũũŋŽŭ ŋƗĢùā Öłù ŭóÖķā Ģŭ ũāĿŋƑāù ŋł Ʃ ũŭŶ ťÖŭŭ̍ ¦Ğā Ʃ ķŶāũ óÖł ðā ĢłŭŶÖķķāù ƒĢŶĞĢł ĿĢłŽŶāŭ Öłù ĕāÖŶŽũāŭ Öł āÖŭƘ óķāÖł mechanism that makes ĿÖĢłŶāłÖłóā ŭĢĿťķā Öłù āƧ óĢāłŶ̍ ¦Ğā ùŽÖķ-ƪ ŋƒ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ Ʃ ķŶāũŭ ŶƒĢóā ŋł āÖóĞ ťÖŭŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā ŭƘŭŶāĿ̍ NĢėĞ ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ ƑÖķƑāŭ Öłù ŭāÖķŭ āłÖðķā ŶĞā ŋĢķāũmÖė Ʃ ķŶāũ Ŷŋ Ʃ Ŷ āÖŭĢķƘ Ģł ķĢłā Öłù ĞÖŭ Ö ˜˟˙º ÖùıŽŭŶĿāłŶ̍ RŶŭ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģł ˛˛ or ˛ˡmm. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˜˟

Dosing up for an easy clean 'āŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ťũŋŶāóŶ óŋĿĿāũóĢÖķ Öłù ĢłùŽŭŶũĢÖķ ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ ĕũŋĿ ŶĞā ùÖĿÖėĢłė āƦ āóŶŭ ŋĕ óŋũũŋŭĢŋł̇ ķĢĿāŭóÖķā Öłù ĕŋŽķĢłė̇ ŶĞā 'ŋŭÖDĢķ-'Žŋ Ģŭ Ö óŋłùĢŶĢŋłĢłė ùāƑĢóā ŶĞÖŶ óŋĿðĢłāŭ ŭŋķĢù ŋũ ķĢŨŽĢù óĞāĿĢóÖķ ŶũāÖŶĿāłŶ ùŋŭĢłė ƒĢŶĞ óŋłŭŶÖłŶ ŭĢùā ŭŶũāÖĿ Ʃ ķŶũÖŶĢŋł Öłù óŋłŶĢłŽŋŽŭ ÖĢũ ũāĿŋƑÖķ̍ ¦ĞĢŭ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ ŋƦ āũŭ Öł āóŋłŋĿĢóÖķ Öłù óŋłƑāłĢāłŶ ÖķŶāũłÖŶĢƑā Ŷŋ ťŋƒāũƪ ŽŭĞĢłė ðƘ óķāÖłĢłė Öłù ťũŋŶāóŶĢłė ŶĞā ŭƘŭŶāĿ

ŋłķĢłā̍ ƘŭŶāĿŭ ŶĞÖŶ Öũā ĕŋŽķāù ƒĢŶĞ ŭŽŭťāłùāù ŭŋķĢùŭ Öłù ùāťŋŭĢŶŭ óÖł ðā óķāÖłāù ŋłķĢłā̇ āķĢĿĢłÖŶĢłė ŶĞā łāāù ĕŋũ óŋŭŶķƘ ŋƨ Ģłā óķāÖłĢłė Öłù ũāĿāùĢÖŶĢŋł̍ 'ŋŭÖDĢķ-'Žŋ Ģŭ óķÖĢĿāù Ŷŋ ðā ŶĞā ŋłķƘ water conditioning device on the market ƒĢŶĞ ŭĿÖũŶ ĿŋłĢŶŋũĢłė ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ ŋŽŶ ŋĕ ŶĞā ðŋƗ ŶĞÖŶ ÖŽŶŋĿÖŶĢóÖķķƘ łŋŶĢƩ āŭ Žŭāũŭ ƒĞāł Ʃ ķŶāũ ðÖėŭ ũāŨŽĢũā óĞÖłėĢłė̇ ƒĢŶĞ óŋĿĿŽłĢóÖŶĢŋł ŋťŶĢŋłŭ ĕŋũ m ðŽĢķŶ Ģł as standard. ÂĢŶĞ Ö ŨŽĢóĴ-Öóóāŭŭ ũāķāÖŭā ķĢù̇ 'ŋŭÖDĢķ'Žŋ ĿÖĴāŭ ĢŶ āÖŭƘ Ŷŋ Öùù ƒÖŶāũ ŶũāÖŶĿāłŶ óĞāĿĢóÖķŭ ŋũ óĞÖłėā Ʃ ķŶāũ ðÖėŭ̍ ĕŽķķƘ ĢłŭŽķÖŶāù ıÖóĴāŶ ťũāƑāłŶŭ ĞāÖŶ ķŋŭŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˜ˠ

Preventing scale in every part of a water system zƦ āũāù Öŭ Ö óŋŭŶ āƦ āóŶĢƑā ÖķŶāũłÖŶĢƑā Ŷŋ ƒÖŶāũ ŭŋĕŶāłāũŭ̇ ŶĞā óŶĢƑDķŋ ũÖłėā ðƘ RłŶÖ ƒŋũĴŭ ðƘ óŋłùĢŶĢŋłĢłė ŶĞā ƒÖŶāũ óŋĿĢłė ĢłŶŋ Ö ĞŋŽŭā̍ RŶ ŭŶŋťŭ ŭóÖķā ĕŋũĿÖŶĢŋł Ģł āƑāũƘ ťÖũŶ ŋĕ ŶĞā ƒÖŶāũ ŭƘŭŶāĿ Öłù āƑāł Ğāķťŭ Ŷŋ ũāĿŋƑā āƗĢŭŶĢłė ŭóÖķā̍ ŭ ĞÖũù ƒÖŶāũ ťÖŭŭāŭ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā óŶĢƑDķŋ̇ Ŷƒŋ ŶĞĢłėŭ happen– it’s exposed to a small electrical charge and it āƗťāũĢāłóāŭ Ö ùũŋť Ģł ťũāŭŭŽũā̵̍¦Ğāŭā ÖóŶĢŋłŭ óÖŽŭā ŶĞā óÖķóĢŽĿ Öłù ðĢ-óÖũðŋłÖŶā Ŷŋ ĕŋũĿ ŶĢłƘ̇ ĢłŭŋķŽðķā óũƘŭŶÖķŭ ŶĞÖŶ ùŋł̪Ŷ ĞÖƑā ŶĞā ŭÖĿā ðŋłùĢłė ťũŋťāũŶĢāŭ Öŭ óÖķóĢŽĿ óÖũðŋłÖŶā̇ ŭŋ ŶĞāƘ ũāĿÖĢł ŭŽŭťāłùāù Ģł ŶĞā ƒÖŶāũ Öłù ŽķŶĢĿÖŶāķƘ ƪ ŋƒ ŋŽŶ ŶĞũŋŽėĞ ŶĞā ùũÖĢł̇ ƒĢŶĞŋŽŶ ŭŶĢóĴĢłė Ŷŋ ŶĞā

ŭĞĢłƘ ŶĞĢłėŭ Ģł ŶĞā ĴĢŶóĞāł ŋũ ðÖŶĞũŋŋĿ̍ óŶĢƑDķŋ Ģŭ Ʃ ŶŶāù straight after the stopcock to provide protection for the āłŶĢũā ťũŋťāũŶƘ Öłù Ģŭ Öł āÖŭƘ ÖùùĢŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ÖłƘ łāƒ ĴĢŶóĞāł ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł Öŭ Ö ťũÖóŶĢóÖķ ƑÖķŽāù-Öùùāù ŋƦ āũ ĕŋũ óŽŭŶŋĿāũŭ̍ RŶ̪ŭ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģł ˚˞̇ ˛˛ and ˛ˡmm sizes. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˜ˢ

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Ventilation & Heat Recovery

ecti e a r e air

t a it

Ventilation has always been a key concern in our buildings, helping to prevent condensation and over-heating, but it has become even more important in recent times in light of the need to reduce the risk of virus transmission and address the issue of harmful indoor air pollution. Here, Paul Williams from Domus Ventilation highlights some potential solutions.

oronavirus is primarily spread in indoor environments by people breathing in infected droplets and smaller ‘aerosol’ particles in the air that have been exhaled from the nose and mouth of an infected person. While masks help to limit the spread of these droplets, good ventilation is essential to disperse them. A short ﬁlm released by the Department of Health and Social Care in November last year shows how ventilation can reduce the risk of infection from coronavirus by over 0%, as fresh air dilutes the particles. The video focuses on natural ventilation through opening windows, but also acknowledges

Paul Williams

Product manager at Domus Ventilation

the role mechanical ventilation systems have to play when used correctly and regularly. While extract fans in bathrooms and kitchens provide a basic level of ventilation and are low in cost, they are only one step above opening a window. For a more effective solution that ensures fresh air reaches all rooms in a home, and pollutants are directly extracted without losing costly heat from the property, whole house mechanical ventilation solutions can’t be beaten – especially if you opt for a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system.

One system MVHR units combine supply and extract ventilation in one system. They work on the principle of extracting and re-using waste heat from ‘wet rooms’ (kitchens, bathrooms, utility spaces). They efficiently pre-warm the fresh air drawn into the building with waste stale air using a heat e changer. he ﬁltered, prewarmed air is then distributed around the home, effectively meeting part of the heating load in energy efficient dwellings. Our new HRXE-HERA and HRXE-AURA MVHR units, for example, feature advanced heat e change proﬁciency enabling

CUT TO THE CHASE  Good ventilation has a key part to play in preventing the spread of the coronavirus  MVHR systems are designed to ensure the spread of fresh air without the loss of heat  It is estimated that 30% of preventable deaths can be attributed to air pollution  MVHR and MEV systems are best suited to installation in new build properties  Ventilation combined with ltration can revent u to of NO2 pollution from entering a property

33.indd 1

p The CMX-MULTI MEV from Domus comes with an integral humidistat and has a depth of just mm for ease of installation.

up to 5% of waste heat to be recovered. They come with a 00% thermal (summer) bypass, which automatically activates when the air temperature reaches a pre-set level, allowing in cooler, fresh, filtered air without warming it through the heat exchanger. he key benefits of H systems are that they provide effective ventilation, are energy efficient and also e tremely effective at reducing the risk of virus transmission, condensation and cold air draughts. ffering a lower cost, easierto-install alternative to MVHR, mechanical extract ventilation (MEV) systems are also available. These actively extract air from wet rooms via ducting to a central ventilation unit which exhausts to the atmosphere. The systems are typically two speed, providing low speed continuous trickle ventilation and high-speed boost flow. Replacement fresh air is drawn into the property via background ventilators located in the habitable rooms and through air leakage. Because of the nature of these products, which require extensive ducting, both MVHR and MEV systems are mostly best suited to installation in new build properties.

Air pollution Ventilation in our homes has never been more important, but it would be a mistake to focus solely on coronavirus as the only threat to our health. We have been in the midst of a health crisis for some time caused by pollution in the air we breathe. According to NHS England, 30% of preventable deaths in England are due to non-communicable diseases speciﬁcally attributed to air pollution. This has been sadly brought to the fore by the recent recognition of air

pollution as a cause of a person’s death for the very first time in the UK, and possibly the world. Air pollution, notably PM2.5 and NOx, are the key concerns here, with the key emissions source being domestic fossil fuel burning and transport, respectively. PM2.5 and NOx particles easily enter our homes around closed doors, which is where our exposure to air pollution mostly happens, as we typically spend 0% of our time indoors (with coronavirus lockdown periods, this figure has increased, along with the risk to our health). Indoor air pollution sources are also problematic and widespread, and vary dramatically from house to house. Sources include cooking, cleaning, fires, candles and even building and decorating materials. In more polluted areas, such as cities, bringing air into the home also brings in dangerous pollutants, especially if the property is located near a busy road. In these instances, ventilation has to be combined with filtration. he omus Ventilation NOX-FILT, for example, works on the supply leg of the ducting system of a mechanical ventilation system and prevents up to .5% of NO2 pollution from entering a home. There are two units in the range, with the second one having the added benefit of a 2.5 prefilter. When it comes to air pollution, we still have a long way to go, but most experts agree that both source removal and ventilation are key to reducing indoor air pollutants. Reducing PM2.5 and NOx to within safe limits are the long term goal but, in the meantime, we have to rely on ventilation and filtration to make our indoor environment safe and comfortable. Mechanical ventilation is now being recognised as a valuable and relatively low cost means of achieving this. phamnews.co.uk/

27/05/2021 16:16

 

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Ventilation & Heat Recovery

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Mechanical by design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phamnews.co.uk/

PHAM JUNE21:Layout 1 01/06/2021 11:14 Page 35

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Ventilation & Heat Recovery 35 Wider range of MVHR options The new Entro family of vertical and horizontal entry MVHR units ĕũŋĿ Ģũƪŋƒ ťũŋƑĢùā ƑāłŶĢķÖŶĢŋł with heat recovery for residential ùƒāķķĢłėŭ Žť Ŷŋ ˛ˠˠm˛, with air ƪŋƒ ũÖŶāŭ Žť Ŷŋ ˚˛ˡ L/sec. The ũÖłėā ŋƦāũŭ ƪāƗĢðķā ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł̇ with Entro-V models installed in a ƑāũŶĢóÖķ ĿŋŽłŶĢłė ťŋŭĢŶĢŋł ŋł ŶĞā ƒÖķķ ŋũ ƪŋŋũ̇ ƒĢŶĞ ĢłŶāũóĞÖłėāÖðķā ŭťĢėŋŶ ťŋŭĢŶĢŋłŭ̍ ¦Ğā ÖŭŭĢƑā House accredited Entro-H range is āƗŶũāĿāķƘ ķĢėĞŶƒāĢėĞŶ ̛ŶĞā 'Á˛˞˙

Bolt-ŋł ÖĢũ ťŽũĢƩāũ āłĞÖłóāŭ air conditioning operation

only weighs ˛˙Ĵė̜̇ ĿÖĴĢłė ŶĞāĿ ÖùÖťŶÖðķā ĕŋũ ƒÖķķ̇ óāĢķĢłė ŋũ ƪŋŋũ mounted locations. ķŭŋ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģŭ ŶĞā āŭŶÖðķĢŭĞāù Adroit family of MVHR units for Žŭā Ģł ùƒāķķĢłėŭ Žť Ŷŋ ˝˙˙m˛ and óÖł āƗŶũÖóŶ Žť Ŷŋ ˛˞ˡ L/sec. Adroit Öķŭŋ ĞÖŭ ťũŋƑĢŭĢŋł ĕŋũ ùĢƦāũāłŶ

ĿŋŽłŶĢłė ťŋŭĢŶĢŋłŭ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ŶĞā ƒÖķķ̇ óāĢķĢłė Öłù ƪŋŋũ Öłù Ģŭ ƩŶŶāù ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā ķÖŶāŭŶ Ģł ŭĿÖũŶ ŶāóĞłŋķŋėƘ̇ āłÖðķĢłė ŶĞā Žŭāũ to monitor and control home ƑāłŶĢķÖŶĢŋł ƑĢÖ ŭĿÖũŶťĞŋłā̇ ŶÖðķāŶ ŋũ óŋĿťŽŶāũ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˝˛

ũāĕŽũðĢŭĞĿāłŶ ťũŋıāóŶŭ Öłù Ģŭ ŭÖĢù Ŷŋ ðā ŶĞā ŨŽĢāŶāŭŶ ĢłŶāũĿĢŶŶāłŶ ĕÖł ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā̇ ŋťāũÖŶĢłė ÖŶ ıŽŭŶ ˚˝ù ̛ ̜̍ Meanwhile the Lo-!Öũðŋł ƑÖũÖ ̛ťĢóŶŽũāù̜ āłŭŽũāŭ ŨŽĢāŶ ũŽłłĢłė Öłù ŋƦāũŭ Ö ũÖłėā ŋĕ ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ

features, such as a light sensor that ũāóŋėłĢŭāŭ ũŋŋĿ ŋóóŽťÖłóƘ̇ Öłù Ö ĞŽĿĢùĢŭŶÖŶ ŶĞÖŶ ũāÖóŶŭ Ŷŋ ŭĞÖũť changes in humidity. zŶĞāũ ķŋƒ łŋĢŭā ŋťŶĢŋłŭ ĢłóķŽùā Vent- ƗĢÖ̪ŭ dŋ-!Öũðŋł āƑĢƑā̇ ƒĞĢóĞ ĞÖŭ ðāāł ùāŭĢėłāù Ŷŋ ĿāāŶ ŶĞā ŭťāóĢƩó łāāùŭ ŋĕ ŶĞā ŭŋóĢÖķ ĞŋŽŭĢłė ŭāóŶŋũ̇ ťũŋƑĢùĢłė Ģłùŋŋũ ÖĢũ ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ and comfort for residents, while ðāĢłė ŨŽĢóĴ Öłù āÖŭƘ Ŷŋ ĢłŭŶÖķķ ƒĢŶĞ low maintenance requirements. Dŋũ ŶĞā łāƒ ðŽĢķù ŭāóŶŋũ̇ ŶĞā āłŶĢłāķ bĢłāŶĢó ùƑÖłóā mÁN Ŀŋùāķ ŋƦāũŭ āƧóĢāłóƘ̇ łāÖũ ŭĢķāłŶ ŋťāũÖŶĢŋł̇ ĞĢėĞ ťũāŭŭŽũā ùāƑāķŋťĿāłŶ̇ Öłù ĢĿťũŋƑāù Ģłùŋŋũ air quality. ͻ phamnews.co.uk̓˟˛˚̓˝˜

No need for noise with domestic fans Vent- ƗĢÖ ŋƦāũŭ Ö łŽĿðāũ ŋĕ ƑāłŶĢķÖŶĢŋł ťũŋùŽóŶŭ ŶĞÖŶ ĞÖƑā near-ŭĢķāłŶ ŋťāũÖŶĢŋł̇ ėĢƑĢłė ĢłŭŶÖķķāũŭ ƪāƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ ƒĞāł ĢŶ óŋĿāŭ to installing quiet fans. Both the Lo-!Öũðŋł ƑÖũÖ Öłù ĢķāłŶ DÖł ĞÖƑā ðāāł ÖƒÖũùāù Ö ŽĢāŶ mÖũĴ̇ ŶĞā óāũŶĢƩóÖŶĢŋł ťũŋėũÖĿĿā ÖŭŭŋóĢÖŶāù ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā b pŋĢŭā ðÖŶāĿāłŶ ŋóĢāŶƘ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ ĢùāłŶĢƩāŭ ŶĞā ŨŽĢāŶāŭŶ ťũŋùŽóŶŭ̍ ¦Ğā ĢķāłŶ DÖł Ģŭ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ

¦Ğā łāƒ ķÖŭĿÖ ŽÖù !ŋłłāóŶ ÖĢũ ťŽũĢƩāũ ĕũŋĿ mĢŶŭŽðĢŭĞĢ 1ķāóŶũĢó Ģŭ Ö ðŋķŶ-on device that can neutralise ŭĢƗ ĴāƘ Ģłùŋŋũ ťŋķķŽŶÖłŶŭ̇ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ ĢłĞĢðĢŶ ˢˢ̍ˡͮ ŋĕ ̟!ŋÁ-˛̵̍RŶ Ģŭ designed to work with the óŋĿťÖłƘ̪ŭ m āũĢāŭ̇ mũ ķĢĿ Öłù City Multi air conditioning ranges. ¦Ğā ķÖŭĿÖ ŽÖù !ŋłłāóŶ ƒŋũĴŭ like an electrical curtain to catch Öłù łāŽŶũÖķĢŭā ðÖóŶāũĢÖ̇ ùŽŭŶ̇ viruses, mould and allergens such Öŭ ťŋķķāł̇ Ģł ÖùùĢŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ĿĢóũŋŭóŋťĢó ťÖũŶĢóķāŭ ùŋƒł Ŷŋ m˛̍˞̍ ¦Ğā ùāƑĢóā̪ŭ ðŋķŶ-on óÖťÖðĢķĢŶƘ ťũŋƑĢùāŭ ƪāƗĢðĢķĢŶƘ ŋĕ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł Öłù Ģŭ ŭÖĢù Ŷŋ ŋƦāũ Ö more cost-āƦāóŶĢƑā ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł óŋĿťÖũāù Ŷŋ óŋŭŶķƘ ũāƩŶŭ̍ ÂĢŶĞ

ũāėŽķÖũ ĿÖĢłŶāłÖłóā̇ ķÖŭĿÖ ŽÖù Connect has the same service life as Öł Ģłùŋŋũ ŽłĢŶ Öłù ĢŶ óÖł ðā installed with wall mounted units, ducted units, and ceiling cassette systems. ̦ ķÖŭĿÖ ŽÖù !ŋłłāóŶ Ģŭ ÖŽŶŋĿÖŶĢóÖķķƘ ťŋƒāũāù ƒĞāł ŶĞā ÖĢũ óŋłùĢŶĢŋłĢłė Ģŭ Ģł ŋťāũÖŶĢŋł̧̇ āƗťķÖĢłŭ mÖũĴ FũÖƘŭŶŋł̇ ťũŋùŽóŶ ĿÖũĴāŶĢłė ĿÖłÖėāũ ĕŋũ mĢŶŭŽðĢŭĞĢ Electric. “Our design engineers ĞÖƑā łŋŶ ŋłķƘ ùāƑāķŋťāù ŭŋĿāŶĞĢłė ŶĞÖŶ Ģŭ ŭĢĿťķā Ŷŋ ĢłŭŶÖķķ̇ ĢŶ Ģŭ Öķŭŋ āÖŭƘ Ŷŋ Žŭā ŭŋ ðŽĢķùĢłė ŋƒłāũŭ łŋƒ have a straightforward and highly āƦāóŶĢƑā ŭŋķŽŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ĢĿťũŋƑĢłė Ģłùŋŋũ ÖĢũ ŨŽÖķĢŶƘ̧̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˝˝

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Product News

Detecting water leaks before they start to cause damage With water damage proving to be one of the most frequently reported insurance claims, Rehau has unveiled a smart water control system using ultrasound technology. The smart control water system monitors the water ﬂow rate, assessing it in real time with integrated software. It is made up of four main components: a smart water controller, water sensors, a hub gateway, and app. The system is suited to anyone concerned about potential water damage in a property – either through their own daily use, or as the landlord of another property or holiday home. It is also said to be beneﬁcial to eco-conscious consumers wanting to monitor water usage. The RE.GUARD smart water controller helps to detect burst pipes and drip leaks by shutting off the water supply to mitigate damage. It is installed after the water meter which allows it to also measure water consumption, and has the ability to be manually turned on and off.

Minimal style is big on performance The ultra-compact Minimal range from Mira is a distinctive and contemporary option said to offer a high performance showering experience. The shower’s clean, modern design comes with 50mm pipe centres, suiting it as a retrofit solution for the Mira Agile, as well as being good for complete bathroom renovations. The compact footprint also solves the spatial challenges of many modern bathrooms. Its intuitive controls and technology deliver a high quality showering experience, while the sleek design is said to offer a premium finish at an affordable price. For the installer, it is simple to install and comes with a first fi kit which includes fi ings and templates to make installation easier, faster, and more secure. The adjustable, movable deluge head also increases installation fle ibility. oth the single and dual outlet variants use the same first fi kit, ensuring that upgrades can be catered for seamlessly. The Mira Minimal range is available with a single powerful spray mode and wide 0mm ira eat spray head. ira inimal ual offers all these benefits, with an additional 200mm deluge shower head for greater coverage. phamnews.co.uk/

The controller is supported by water sensors which quickly detect leaking water in critical areas by being positioned throughout the house. The sensors connect to the RE.GUARD smart water controller via the Z-Wave radio standard, although there is also an extension cable for hard-to-reach places. All devices are connected to the internet via the .HU gateway which can easily be connected to a home’s router. Essential information is then available to the homeowner at a glance, which also helps to identify sustainable ways to save on water. phamnews.co.uk/

Key features of the Climate 3000i include: ‘Wind Avoid Me’ mode that ad usts the air ﬂow direction, avoiding a direct breeze to the user; ‘Follow Me’ mode that activates sensor from the remote, regulating the room temperature based on where the homeowner is sitting; ‘ECO mode’, which saves on energy by reducing power consumption to 20% for eight hours and an ‘i-Clean’ feature that, when activated, kills % of bacteria on the evaporator and prevents any spread around the home. The Climate 3000i is the ﬁrst air conditioning unit from the company that has in-built WiFi connectivity, meaning users can switch on their heating or cooling on their way home thanks to the connective abilities to the osch app. orcester’s artyn ridges says he limate 3000i has been developed to increase our offering to our installers, giving them more sophisticated and high-tech options for their own customers.” phamnews.co.uk/

AC for complete climate control

With the launch of the Climate 3000i, orcester osch now offers an air conditioning unit that delivers both cooling and heating for homeowners. The product is said to offer a wide range of features and modes, mainly accessed through the unit’s control system and remote controller, to help ensure that users remain comfortable no matter the weather.

Smarter hygiene

Ionisation probes replace UV sensors iello has upgraded its kerosene burners with flame-detection ionisation probes. The probes are available on the company’s low NOx (low nitrogen oxides) blue flame kerosene burner range in the UK and Ireland, replacing the ultra-violet (UV) flame sensors currently used, to provide a simpler, longerlasting safety solution. The company explains that ionisation probes are a simpler means of flame supervision, compared to other methods, with a defined life e pectancy of approximately 20,000 hours – double the expected life of a U flame sensor. ocated within the flame itself, ionisation probes detect the charged

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ions that result from the combustion of a hydrocarbon, allowing a small electrical current to be conducted across the ﬂame when applied. f no such current is detected, the burner is forced into a safety shutdown. A proven means of ﬂame detection, ionisation probes are already commonly installed in combustion equipment and will soon be available for the low kerosene burner range. This product development is in line with Riello’s focus on simplicity and familiarisation of components for engineers, many of whom have worked with ionisation probes on other equipment for years. phamnews.co.uk/

ONLINE For further information about any of the products featured on this page, simply visit phamnews. co.uk/621/ followed by the relevant enquiry number.

Intellimix is the name of Ideal Standard’s smart, cost effective hygiene solution for commercial bathrooms. The device dispenses both soap and water, completely touch-free. uitable for offices, leisure facilities and other high-traffic environments, the fitting is said to lower running costs while being sustainable and reducing waste. Despite delivering an optimum volume of soap with every wash, Intellimix can reduce the overall amount of soap and water typically used in washrooms with traditional fittings, minimising waste and generating cost savings of up to 80% on soap and 85% on water. luetooth enabled, ntellimi also offers parameter settings which can be easily controlled by facilities managers via a smartphone. They can change settings on all taps in a building, including how much soap is dispensed, how long water should flow and how often anti-stagnation flushing should occur. ntellimi also sends notifications when soap is running low. phamnews.co.uk/

27/05/2021 16:34

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Product News

WI󰈰 a £1000

Signature approach to bespoke In addition to the wide range of popular sized overbath screens, enclosures and wetroom panels available from Kudos, the shower specialist now also offers a range of bespoke products. The new Signature service is for tailored products that meet a growing demand for personalisation in the bathroom space. Whether it’s a one-off special sized shower door, enclosure or bath screen, or a shaped panel to accommodate a sloping ceiling for the consumer, housing development or hotel, the bespoke Signature service is geared up to provide a solution. he company’s manufacturing base in Holme in umbria has a dedicated cell area within the production department to fulﬁl these bespoke products for showrooms across the U within the agreed time schedule. o complement the ignature service, udos also offers a measuring service by a ﬁeld based retail support team. phamnews.co.uk/

The Tuscan range of domestic oil boilers from Hounsﬁeld has been enhanced with the addition of a new Elco burner. t will be ﬁtted to the entire uscan range, including condensing and non-

condensing kitchen boilers, e ternal floor standing oil boilers, and wall hung internal and e ternal boilers. The new burner is designed to be easy for engineers to service. he combustion head performs to minimise the environmental impact and reduces nitrogen o ide levels to below 20mg per k h, which complies with the nergyrelated Products (ErP) directive. The burner boasts a powerful but controlled ventilation system that ensures reliable operation in windy conditions or tall conventional open chimney systems. ombustion air ad ustment is made easy with a graduation of for kW up to 6 for 30kW, and ceramic electrodes. anaging director Andrew Hounsfield comments: “The new burner has been manufactured to our very e acting specifications and has undergone e tensive testing to ensure the optimum burner set-up.” phamnews.co.uk/

Plastic valve moves i e a tter The all-plastic utterfly alve 5 5 from Georg Fischer is a lightweight alternative to metal for a range of applications. The strong material consists of high-performance plastic components and is suitable for up to 6bar, and tough temperature ranges from 0 to 0 . esigned to be quick and easy to install, utterfly alve 5 5 comes in the same installation length as metal valves (ISO 5 52 Row 20 , therefore avoiding costly modifications on the e isting piping systems, offering an advantage over its metal opponent. The GF valve is 60% lighter than a comparable metal valve, so a single technician can safely and easily handle it during installation. This also facilitates planning, since the lower weight significantly reduces the need for costly transportation and personnel. ecause the utterfly alve 5 5 is made from high-performance thermoplastics, it

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To celebrate the launch of its new ‘Find the Duck’ promotion (see page 6 for details) GEBERIT is giving away a £1000 Canopy & Stars holiday voucher to one lucky PHAM News reader

Whi󰇹󰈋 h󰈡󰈗󰈏󰇶ay 󰉒󰈡󰉊󰈘d 󰉘o󰉉 󰇸h󰈢o󰈻󰈩? Canopy and Stars is a specialist in inspiring places to stay in the great outdoors, with choices all over Britain and Europe of accommodation ranging from luxurious yurts to quirky cabins all the way to treehouses in the sky. You can use the £1000 voucher towards your preferred experience. The holiday needs to be booked by 31st October, 2021, but your stay can be set for any point in the future.

HOW TO ENTER:

is protected from abrasion and corrosion, securing a longer service life in water flow applications. etal butterfly valves are subject to wear – whether due to corrosion, contamination, or e tended use and may need to be replaced. With the initial cost being comparable to metal solutions, F says the utterfly alve 5 5 outperforms its metal counterparts throughout its service life, reducing maintenance costs. phamnews.co.uk/

n󰉃

󰈻! 󰇷u󰇸k 󰇵 󰉄h

Co󰉉

Latest burner ups the performance

COMPETITION

For your chance to win the £1000 voucher, all you have to do is look for the blue and yellow ducks that appear in this issue of PHAM and then email your answer to the editor with how many there are. Don’t include the ducks on this page! Email your answer to editor@phamnewsedit.co.uk with ‘Geberit competition’ in the subject line. Please make sure you include the following:

* Your name * Your company’s name * Contact telephone number * Please type ‘YES’ or 'NO' after your answer to indicate if you are happy to receive email offers from GEBERIT Only one entry will be allowed per person and the winner will be chosen from all the correct entries received before the closing date of 4th July 2021

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27/05/2021 16:47

PHAM JUNE21:Layout 1 01/06/2021 11:48 Page 38

PHAM NEWS | JUNE 2021

Product News

Recovering heat from the shower Two variations of the Shower Heat Recovery Unit (SHRU) ĞÖƑā ðāāł ŽłƑāĢķāù ðƘ ÖƗĢ̇ as the company expands its Assure range to provide ÖùùĢŶĢŋłÖķ āłāũėƘ āƧ óĢāłŶ heating and hot water accessory choices for new build housing professionals. Developed as part of a wider portfolio of Baxi Assure products and services intended to support ùāƑāķŋťāũŭ̇ ŶĞā ÖƗĢ ŭŭŽũā N ũÖłėā óÖł ŋƦ āũ Žť Ŷŋ 66.6% heat recovery and up Ŷŋ ˗ͮ ðāłāƩ Ŷŭ̍ ¦Ğāŭā Ʃ Ŷ-and-forget units are designed to recover heat from waste bath or shower water via the in-built heat āƗóĞÖłėāũ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ Ģŭ ŶĞāł transferred to the mains cold

Using Contrast to make a bold statement water feed to the boiler. This places less energy load on the boiler to raise the temperature to the desired level of comfort. Providing the maximum āƧ óĢāłóĢāŭ̇ ŶĞā ƑāũŶĢóÖķ unit is available with a twin ĢłķāŶ̇ āłÖðķĢłė ĢŶ Ŷŋ ũāóƘóķā heat from two waste water pipes within the same property. pĢóĴ ÂĢķŭŋł̇ óŋĿĿāũóĢÖķ Öłù ĿÖũĴāŶĢłė ùĢũāóŶŋũ̇ says: “Our range of āłāũėƘ āƧ óĢāłŶ ĞāÖŶĢłė and hot water products and accessories is key to our complete home ŭāũƑĢóā ťũŋťŋŭĢŶĢŋł̇ Öłù ƒā Öũā ťũŋŽù Ŷŋ ŋƦ āũ the SHRU as part of this.

With an impressive energy ŽťķĢĕŶ̇ łāƒ ðŽĢķù ùāƑāķŋťāũŭ can trust the SHRU to deliver on SAP performance and also take advantage of Baxi Assure’s end to āłù ťũŋıāóŶ ŭŋķŽŶĢŋłŭ̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ÖùƑĢóā ĕũŋĿ ŨŽÖķĢƩ āù ÖƗĢ ŭŭŽũā SAP assessors to help boost āƧ óĢāłóƘ̇ Öłù Ö ÖƗĢ 'āŭĢėł service for accurate sizing and ŭťāóĢƩ óÖŶĢŋł̍ ̦ ũŋıāóŶŭ ðāłāƩ Ŷ ĕŽũŶĞāũ ĕũŋĿ support at every stage from a ùāùĢóÖŶāù ŶāÖĿ ŋĕ ŭťāóĢƩ óÖŶĢŋł ĿÖłÖėāũŭ̇ ðāŭťŋĴā ťũŋùŽóŶ ŶũÖĢłĢłė̇ Öłù Ö ũŋıāóŶ NŽð to manage project product ũāėĢŭŶũÖŶĢŋłŭ̇ Ģł ÖùùĢŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ŶāóĞłĢóÖķ ŭŽťťŋũŶ Öłù ÖùƑĢóā̇ ĕũŋĿ ĢłŭŶÖķķÖŶĢŋł Ŷŋ ķāėĢŭķÖŶĢŋł̧̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˞˝

Contrast is the name of Vogue’s new towel warmer that features rounded cross bars with square mitred joints. The design brings a deluxe industrialstyle silhouette to the modern bathroom. Available in Matt Black (pictured) Öłù ÂĞĢŶā ťÖũĴķā ŶāƗŶŽũāù Ʃ łĢŭĞ̇ ŶĞā unit is crafted from high quality mild steel. It comes with a ˚˞ year guarantee and is available in three heights and ŶĞũāā ðÖũ óŋłƩ ėŽũÖŶĢŋłŭ̍ RŶ Ģŭ ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ĕŋũ óāłŶũÖķ ĞāÖŶĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿŭ̇ ùŽÖķ ĕŽāķ and electric options. “If you’re looking for hybrid heating in the home then you’ll be pleased to know that Contrast is designed where ŶĞā āķāóŶũĢóÖķ āķāĿāłŶ óÖł ðā Ʃ ŶŶāù within the vertical square tubing. This means a T piece for dual fuel models is not required and so the overall ÖāŭŶĞāŶĢóŭ Öũā ùĢŭóũāāŶ Öłù ŭāÖĿķāŭŭ̧̇ óŋĿĿāłŶŭ ŶāƑā ĢũóĞ̇ ŭÖķāŭ ùĢũāóŶŋũ at Vogue UK. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˞˞

Choice of designer radiators The Radiator Company has unveiled a number of new products in its latest ðũŋóĞŽũā̇ ĢłóķŽùĢłė ŶĞā !āũÖĿĢóÖ óŋķķāóŶĢŋł̇ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģł ðŋŶĞ ĞŋũĢơŋłŶÖķ Öłù ƑāũŶĢóÖķ ĕŋũĿÖŶŭ̇ Ģł ŶĞũāā ùāŭĢėł ťũŋƩ ķāŭ̆ āłŭŋ̇ ÖƑĢÖ Öłù ÁÖũāłłÖ̍ 1ÖóĞ ĞÖŭ Ö ùĢŭŶĢłóŶĢƑā ŶÖóŶĢķā ŭŽũĕÖóā̇ Öķķ ÖƑÖĢķÖðķā Ģł hydronic and electric options. Another new option is the Sebino (pictured). Manufactured with aluminium to provide an energy-āƧ óĢāłŶ Öłù āóŋfriendly radiator with low water content Öłù ŶĞā ÖðĢķĢŶƘ Ŷŋ ĞāÖŶ ŨŽĢóĴķƘ̇ ŶĞĢŭ designer radiator comes with a ˚˙-year guarantee. Tapping into the traditional interior Ŷũāłù̇ ŶĞā łāƒ ŋũłÖŶā ŋĞāĿĢÖ ũÖłėā ŋĕ two-column cast iron radiators comes in three heights and up to ˝˙ sections and óÖł ðā Ʃ łĢŭĞāù Ģł ˜˙ ùĢƦ āũāłŶ d óŋķŋŽũŭ ŋũ ŭťāóĢÖķ Ʃ łĢŭĞāŭ̍ ķŋłė ƒĢŶĞ ŶĞā łāƒ ťũŋùŽóŶŭ̇ ŶĞā óÖŭŶ iron Aston collection has been extended to ĢłóķŽùā łāƒ ĞāĢėĞŶ Öłù óŋķŽĿł ťũŋƩ ķāŭ̇ ƒĢŶĞ DÖũũŋƒ ͽ Öķķ Ʃ łĢŭĞāŭ Ģł Öķķ ŭĢơāŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˞˟

Macerator for domestic pumping

Commercial additions ŶũāłėŶĞāłĢłė ĢŶŭ ŋƦ āũĢłė Ģł ŶĞā óŋĿĿāũóĢÖķ ŭāóŶŋũ̇ Twyford has enhanced its Alcona portfolio with the addition of Rimless design technology into a selection of new products within the range. This includes a óŋĿťÖóŶ̇ ƒÖķķ-hung WC. The rimless technology eliminates tricky corners and hard-to-reach areas ÖũŋŽłù ŶĞā ťÖł̇ Öłù ƒĢķķ łŋƒ ðā ĢłóŋũťŋũÖŶāù Öóũŋŭŭ three new close coupled and wall-ĞŽłė ŶŋĢķāŶŭ̵̍ Twyford has also added to its Doc M packs with the ÖùùĢŶĢŋł ŋĕ łāƒ ðÖŭĢłŭ Öłù ðũÖŭŭƒÖũā̇ Öŭ ƒāķķ Öŭ łāƒ ÖĿðŽķÖłŶ óķŋŭā óŋŽťķāù ŭÖłĢŶÖũƘƒÖũā̇ āƗťŋŭāù ŭĞŋƒāũ 'ŋó m ťÖóĴŭ̇ Öłù łāƒ ŭŶÖĢłķāŭŭ ŭŶāāķ ũÖĢķ ƑÖũĢÖłŶŭ̍ ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˞ˠ

New to the Mark Vitow range of waste pumping solutions is ŶĞā Dķŋƒ ũŋ̇ ƒĞĢóĞ includes options that can process water up to ˚˙˙°C and pump up to ˚˙˙m horizontally and up to ˚˙m vertically. The FP˝˙˙B model is for use in domestic situations and can be used in conjunction with a Â!̇ ðÖŭĢł̇ ŭĞŋƒāũ Öłù ðĢùāŶ̍ RŶ ĞÖŭ Ö Ŷŋť āķðŋƒ ŋŽŶķāŶ̇ ĿÖĴĢłė ĢŶ Ö ŭŽĢŶÖðķā ũāťķÖóāĿāłŶ ĢłŭŶÖķķ for other top outlet models on the market. The FlowPro FP˝˙˙B has two side inlets and an optional third top inlet which can be adapted from the lid. The pump for toilets comprises an electric pump that is automatically controlled by Ö ƪ ŋÖŶ ŭƒĢŶóĞ̍ ¦Ğā ùĢŭóĞÖũėā ÖóŶĢŋł Ģŭ ŶũĢėėāũāù ƒĞāł ŶĞā ƪ ŽŭĞĢłė ŭƘŭŶāĿ Ģŭ ÖóŶŽÖŶāù̇ Öŭ ƒĢŶĞ Ö conventional toilet. ͻ phamnews.co.uk/˟˛˚̓˞ˡ

Information Centre Snickers Workwear For Summer

Everyone wants to be cool, and comfortable at work this summer-and to do their bit for saving the planet. The new AllroundWork lightweight Polo and T-shirts are made from highly functional wa e-structured 37.5® fabric for optimal ventilation, cooling and moisture transport to keep you feeling fresh for longer. And, with the aim of being at the forefront of sustainability in Workwear they are made of 100% recycled polyester with a bio-based, anti-odour finish with a smooth texture and e cient moisture transport for great working comfort. Check out www.snickersworkwear.co.uk and download a digital catalogue or enter the code shown below.

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phamnews.co.uk/621/151

TYDE Launches New Website TYDE, the home of over 6,000 trusted plumbing parts that installers and end-users love and trust, are proud to announce the launch of their new website! The website has been built with the customer in mind. Each product category features detailed product information and also provides downloadable technical specifications and installation instructions. You can search the site by product code, brand or product name and there’s a full list of all stockists you can purchase their products from. Visit www.thomasdudley.co.uk/tyde or enter the code shown below.

phamnews.co.uk/621/152

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