Training Directory

Enhanced academy

The training facility at Grant UK’s Academy in Devizes has -demand and - - -to- months phamnews.co.uk/

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phamnews.co.uk/621/110 1st TRAINING LTD

ASSESSMENT & TRAINING CENTRE

Domestic and Commercial,

ACS, NG, LPG and appliances, Un-vented hot water TEL: Huntingdon (01480) 450 872 www.1st-training.co.uk info@1st-training.co.uk 1st Training Ltd

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Established in 1997 Basildon, Essex SS13 1EU Approved Training Courses in Gas, Electric, Plumbing & Heating & Renewable Energy

Small relaxed and friendly classes

For more information visit www.gas-training-and-assessment.co.uk Telephone 01268 727797 or Email gastraining@btconnect.com

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Additional skills for heating engineers

A new CPD has been created to help heating engineers add cooling and ventilation to by a dedicated training facility at Elements Training Centre movement and the high technology from Unico, to give traditional heating heating, cooling and

Relatively new to the UK, half a million homes and States, the Unico System can be connected to a heat system, with options to provide heating, cooling and

The CPD has been created by ex-Worcester Bosch CEO Richard Soper, and specialist independent heating and

Calvin Pope, commercial that as the UK moves towards renewable heating, demand for technologies like air main reasons for choosing to of the Unico System is that it enter new sectors of the phamnews.co.uk

Get a step up the heat pump ladder

Giving students a better start

heating and RAC engineers to correctly install and maintain domestic heat

• • - • Oftec Registration • systems, maintenance and commis prominent in the heating technology refresh themselves on how to correctly phamnews.co.uk

Learning opportunity in the south

Steve Willis Training Centres in the workshops, modern classrooms and specialist trainers and assessors with a

Toby Perkins MP, shadow minister for apprenticeships and lifelong learning, phamnews.co.uk/

rig was opened to the - phamnews.co.uk/

Testing helps t r a r fit for installer

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.

The 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 .

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 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.”

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

Diagnostic tool

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/

Smart water softener is easy to use and install

The new Perla Silk from BWT is a smart water softener

The and hardness in their water. phamnews.co.uk/

Heating system fully protected

non- % mechanism that makes - º or mm. phamnews.co.uk/

Larger unit will meet demand

The Ultimate Matrix joins Monarch Water’s range of WRAS-approved High water softeners. This -litre commercial and large residential applications to help hard water.

Monarch Water has x x high- litres at ppm to - comes with a Hi- - removes 8 phamnews.co.uk/

Dosing up for an easy clean

- water conditioning device on the market as standard. - phamnews.co.uk/

Preventing scale in every part of a water system

happen– it’s exposed to a small electrical charge and it - straight after the stopcock to provide protection for the - and mm sizes. phamnews.co.uk

ecti e a t i r e air 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.

Coronavirus 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 fi lm 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 eff ective 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 effi ciently pre-warm the fresh air drawn into the building with waste stale air using a heat e changer. he fi ltered, prewarmed air is then distributed around the home, eff ectively meeting part of the heating load in energy effi cient dwellings.

Our new HRXE-HERA and HRXE-AURA MVHR units, for example, feature advanced heat e change profi ciency 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

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, fi ltered air without warming it through the heat exchanger. he key benefi ts of H systems are that they provide eff ective ventilation, are energy effi cient and also e tremely eff ective at reducing the risk of virus transmission, condensation and cold air draughts. ff ering 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 fl ow. 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 specifi cally 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 fi rst 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 fi gure 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, fi res, 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 fi ltration. 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 benefi t of a 2.5 prefi lter.

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 fi ltration 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/

Changes for the better

A

Balancing act Roy Jones

Technical director form Gilberts Blackpool

Hybrid ventilation

- - 2

Mechanical by design

• • phamnews.co.uk/

Wider range of MVHR options

No need for noise with domestic fans

The new Entro family of vertical and horizontal entry MVHR units with heat recovery for residential m , with air L/sec. The with Entro-V models installed in a House accredited Entro-H range is

Vent- near- to installing quiet fans.

Both the Lo- only weighs mounted locations. Adroit family of MVHR units for m and L/sec. Adroit to monitor and control home phamnews.co.uk/

Meanwhile the Lo- features, such as a light sensor that changes in humidity. Vent- - and comfort for residents, while low maintenance requirements. air quality. phamnews.co.uk

Bolt- air conditioning operation

-on device that can neutralise - designed to work with the City Multi air conditioning ranges. like an electrical curtain to catch viruses, mould and allergens such -on more cost- Connect has the same service life as installed with wall mounted units, ducted units, and ceiling cassette systems. Electric. “Our design engineers have a straightforward and highly phamnews.co.uk/