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Volume 55 | Issue 5 | May 2017

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Volume V olume o 55 | Issue 5 | M May ay 2017

Police P olice c ffigures igures sshow how ssteep tee ep rrise ise in in v van an tool tool thefts theftts The llast The ast ttwo wo y years ears h have ave s seen een a s steep teep rrise ise iin n tthe he n number umber o off ccases ases iinvolving nvolving tthe he ttheft heft o off ttools ools ffrom rom ttradespeople’s radespeople’s v vans, ans, a according ccording tto oa an n iinvestigation nvestigation ccarried arried o out ut b by yB BBC BC Radio Radio 5 L Live. ive.

Tool UK has with new Tool ttheft heft iin n tthe he U Kh as rrocketed, ocketed, w ith n ew methods off b breaking vans helping methods o reaking iinto nto v ans h elping tto o fuel Police figures obtained by BBC fu uel tthe he rrise. ise. P olice fi gures o btained b yB BC Radio Radio 5 Live Live suggest suggest this this kind kind of of theft theft has has risen risen by by nearly nearly ttwo-thirds wo-thirds in in two two years, years, and and it it is availability off a n new is tthought hought tthat hat tthe he rready eady y av vailability o ew skeleton key criminals easily skeleton k ey is is enabling enabling c riminals tto oe asily target vans. target v ans. Others Others are are using using the the ‘peel ‘peel and and steal’ whereby grab steal’ method, method, w hereby tthieves hieves g rab tthe he ttop op of of the the van’s van’s door door with with their their fingers fingers and and use use their their knees knees and and body body weight weight to to apply ap pply pressure, pressure, peeling peeling iitt back back like like a can can of of sardines. sardines.

The Live The 5 L ive Investigates Investigates programme programme asked asked all UK police about off tthe all 45 45 U Kp olice fforces orces ab a out tthe he sscale cale o he problem and 30.

These problem a nd rreceived eceived rreplies eplies ffrom rom 3 0. T hese showed showed that that while while there there were were 14,063 14,063 thefts thefts of of tools vehicles 2014/15, had tools ffrom rom v ehicles iin n2 014/15, tthat hatt h ad rrisen isen to 22,749 year 2016/17. to 2 2,749 iin n tthe he y ear 2 016/17.

Some victims are finding Some v ictims a re fi nding that that their their vans vans were were broken broken into into by by use use of of a skeleton skeleton key, key, which which can can be be bought bought online online for for less less than than £20. £20.

Although Although this this device device is is intended intended for for use use by by locksmiths, locksmiths, the the kit kit is is available available for for anyone anyone to to buy because no buy without without restriction restriction b ecause tthere here iis sn o licence on off llocksmith licence o n tthe he ssale ale o ocksmith ttools. ools.

Tradespeople are calling Tradespeople a re c alling tool tool theft theft an an epidemic epidemic that that is is destroying destroying livelihoods. livelihoods. A plumber Whiston became victim plumber iin nW histon b ecame a v ictim llast ast year when broke his van using year w hen tthieves hieves b roke iinto nto h is v an u sing the peel and £3000 the p eel and and steal steal method method a nd ttook ook £ 30 0 0 worth off e equipment.

Marsh, who worth o quipment. IIan an M arsh, w ho rruns uns IIJM JM Plumbing and Plumbing a nd Heating, Heating, caught caught the the incident incident on and on CCTV CCT V a nd posted posted it it to to Facebook, Facebook, where where it it was was shared shared 100,000 100,000 ttimes. imes. and ““We We rreviewed ev iewed the t he footage footage a nd ssaw aw tthat hat at 1.30am guys pulled up Peugeot at 1 .30am ttwo wo g uy s p ulled u p iin naP eugeot 307 and broke van,” 307 a nd b roke iinto nto tthe he v an,” ssays ay ys IIan. an. ““They They spent spent about about 10 10 minutes minutes selecting selecting what what they they wanted wanted and and then t hen made made off. off. I couldn’t couldn’t do do

work on Saturday and next day went work o nS aturday a nd tthe he n ext d ay yIw ent tto o replace off tthe could replace ssome ome o he ttools ools sso oIc ould continue continue working.” work ing. g” Tradespeople have use Tradespeople h ave sstarted tarted tto ou se ssocial ocial media media tto o get get van van manufacturers manufacturers to to improve improve security. security. Vans Vans Under Under Attack Attack (@VansAttack) (@VansAttack) was on Twitter put pressure on was formed formed o nT witter tto op ut pr essure o n manufacturers make models more manufacturers tto om ake ttheir heir m odels m ore secure, has over 2000 secure, and and it it already already h as o ver 2 000 followers. followers.

On On Facebook, Facebook, Spencer Spencer Hargrave Harg rave and and Paul Paul Butterfield, who own building firm, Butterfield, w ho rrun un ttheir heir o wn b uilding fi rm, started Awareness started the the Van Van and and Tool Tool Theft Theft A wareness Group ass part Group a part of of their their campaign campaig n to to raise raise awareness about growing problem. awareness ab out tthe he g rowing pr oblem.

Andrew Miller, Chief Technical Officer att Andrew M iller, C hief T echnical O fficer a Thatcham Centre, experts Thatcham Research Research C entre, tthe he e xperts in in vehicle vehicle ssafety afet y ttechnology, echnolog y, says says there there are a re measures van measures v an owners owners can can take take to to protect protect themselves, but no themselves, b ut tthere here iis sn o ssurefire urefire way way to to prevent best you can do prevent ttheft. heft. ““The The b est tthing hing y ou c an d o is up.

The vehicles are is llock ock iitt u p. T he rreality ealit y iis s tthat hat v ehicles a re designed price and only much designed tto oap rice a nd tthere here iis so nly sso om uch that The keys are an that can can be be done. done. T he sskeleton keleton k eys a re a n invitation and organised crime invitation tto o ttheft, heft, a nd o rganised c r ime iis s targeting with pickings.” targeting iindividuals ndividuals w ith rrich ich p ickings.”

Prison P rison ttime ime ffor or u unregistered nregistered g gas as w worker orker Manchester Magistrates’ Manchester Magistrate es’ Court Court h has as h handed anded down d own a 14-month 14-month c custodial ustodial sentence sentence to to a rrouge ouge trader trader w who ho lleft eft a y young oung ffamily amily a att rrisk isk off c o carbon arbon m monoxide onoxide p poisoning oisoning a after fter installing installing an new ew b boiler oiler w without ithout b being eing G Gas as S Safe afe R Registered. egistered.

Michael M ichael Algar, Algar, a self-employed self-employed g gas as fi fitter, tter, p pled led guilty g uilty after after an an investigation investigation by by the the Health Health and a nd Safety Safety Executive.

Executive.

T The he court court heard heard that that Algar Algar had had been been employed e mployed tto o iinstall nstalll a n new ew b boiler oilerr iin nad domestic omestic property. pr operty. T The he h homeowners omeowners rran an a b bath ath ffor or ttheir heir daughter and smelled gas.

They contacted d aughter a nd sm elled g as. T hey c ontacted another a nother gas gas engineer engineer who who carried carried out out the the rrepairs epairs and and found found tthat hatt tthe he fl flue ue h had ad n not ot b been een rreplaced. ep placed. IItt h had ad a g gap ap w which hich a allowed llowed products p produ ucts of of

combustion to combustion to enter enter into into the the property, property, making mak king tthe he installation installation immediately immediattely dangerous. dangerous. The The engineer e ngineer reported reported it it to to Gas Gas Safe Safe Register.

Register.

The T he court court heard heard tthat hatt A Algar lgar w was as n not ot G Gas as S Safe afe rregistered egistered a and nd has has never never b been een rregistered. egistered. He had h ad rreceived eceived advice advice from from HSE HSE on on previous previous occasions o ccasions in in relation relation tto o ssimilar imilar matters. matters.

Speaking S peaking in in court, court, Judge Judge Mark Mark Savill Savill said: said: ““It’s It’s by by good good fortune fortune n nobody obody d died. ied. Y You ou a are re ssomeone omeone w who ho tthinks hinks tthe he rrules ules d don’t on’t a apply pply tto o them. them. Y Your our work work w was as sslapdash, lapdash, shoddy shoddy and a nd committed committed in in the the home home a child child was wa s Your criminality lliving iving iin. n. Y our sselfish elfish c r iminalit y exposed exposed people p eople tto o rrisk.” isk.”

The T he victim, victim, who who lives lives with with his his wife wife and and

young young child child att the the affected affected property, property, said said it it scares him scares h im to to think think what what could could have have happened. happened.

“You “You jjust ust d don’t on’t k know now w who ho y you ou c can an trust. trust. We We never he he was. never thought thought he he wasn’t wasn’t who who h e ssaid aid h ew as.

We d idn’t rrealise ealise h ow llucky ucky w ew ere to to be be We didn’t how we were alive alive u until ntil w we e got got an an e expert xpert iin nw who ho ttold old u us s how how badly badly the the fitting fitting was. was. You You see see people people on on the who die the news news w ho d ie because because of of carbon carbon monoxide monoxide poisoning poisoning b but ut you you never never think think it it could could happen hap ppen to to you. you. We’re We’re very very grateful grateful to to be be alive.” alive.”

Speaking Speaking after after the the hearing, hearing, HSE HSE inspector inspector Lisa Lisa Baile Baile ssaid: aid: “The “The homeowners homeowners were were very very lucky lucky iin n this this case. case. Had Had they they not not acted acted as as quickly as did consequences could quickly a s tthey hey d id tthe he c onsequences c ould have have been been devastating.” devastating g.”

5S Starrett ttar ta arrrre ar rret ett e ttt tool oo oll bags b ba ag a gs g s tto be w wo won! o on n! n See S e ee page pa ag ge ge 51

Cleaning up Cleaning up tthe he La Larder rder

Loch Leven’s Loch Leven’s L Larder arder iis sa an na award-winning ward-winning Scottish S cottish tourist tourist a attraction ttraction on on tthe he b banks anks o och L even iin n S outh P e thshire. A er ll off L Loch Leven South Perthshire.

All sewage s ewage treatment treatment p plants lants w within ithin a fi five ve mile m ile radius radius are are rrequired equired to to comply comply with with stringent s trringent p phosphate hosphate a and nd n nitrate ittrrate d discharge ischarg ge llevels evels tto o keep keep wildlife wildlife healthy, healthy, so so the the family fa mily rrun un fa farm rm a and nd rrestaurant estaurant h has as rreplaced eplaced its itts s wastewater wastewate er treatment treatment system system e with w ith a cleaner, cleanerr, more more ef efficient ff icien nt alternative altternative ffrom rro om G Graf raf UK. UK. The The system, system, installed installed by by ccontractors ontractors Stewart Stewart Plant Plant Ltd, Ltd, includes includes a phosphate-dosing p hosphate-dosing pack pack and and d two t wo 32,000 32,000 llitre itre C Carat arat X XXL XL u underground nderground n rrainwater ainwater ttanks anks made made from from robust robust p plastic lastic w which hich h ave a lorry-bearing lo orrry-bearin ng capacity capacity of of 40 40 tonnes. tonnes. have

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May 2017

NEWS N EWS SR Review eview

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Migrant workers workers Editor’s IInside nside this this issue issue Migrant Editor’s a re crucial crucial to to tthe he are Viewpoint V iewpoint Gadgets building industry b u i l d i n g in d u s t r y &T o ools Tools

by C Chris hris JJones one es

Find out about some off the latest gadgets and tools designed to makee the installer’ss life easier installer’

Starts page 17

Pipes, Fittingss &V alves a Valves An overview of the rela relative ative merits of copper and plastic pipe, plus an up update pdate on the latest products

Starts page 27

Water W ater a Heating & Cylinders How new regulations g designed to enhance energy efficiency will impact on the market

Starts page 41

Fires, Chimney Chimneys ys & Flues Why replacing Wh l i an old ld gas fire with a more modern appliance will help h customers save money

Starts page 48

T he T The Technical echnical M Magazine agazine for for the the Plumbing, Plumbing, H eating & A ir Movement Movement IIndustry ndustr y Heating Air

Incorporating: Incorporating: Plumbing & Heating News News Plumbing & Heating Equipment News N ws Ne

In the In the run-up r un-up to to the the forthforthc oming G eneral Election, Election, tthe he coming General F ederation o aster Builders Builders Federation off M Master has called all ((FMB) FMB) h as c alled on on a ll tthe he major m ajor p political olitical p parties arties to to rrecognise ecog nise the the importance importance o mig rant labour labour to to the the off migrant construction c onstr uction sector. sector.

The Federation T he F ederation argues argues that that tthe he next next G Government overnment m must ust ensure e nsure the the construction constr uction ssector ector has has enough enough sskilled killed workers orr iits w orkers post-Brexit post-Brexit o ts housing h ousin i g and and infrastructure i frastr ucture in manifesto m anifesto pledges pledges w will ill b be e redundant. red undant. ““The The demand demand ffor or sskilled killed migrant workers m ig rant w orkers ffrom rom tthe he EU and beyond cannot E U a nd b eyond c annot be be overstated,” Brian Berry, o verstatted,” ssays ay ys B rian B erry, Chief Executive C hief E xecutive of of the the FMB. FMB. ““In In London London a alone, lone, tthere here a are re more m ore tthan han 157,000 157,000 nonnonUK U K construction constr uction workers, workers, constituting almost c onstituting a lmost half half of of tthe he iindustry’s ndustr y’s workforce workforce in in tthe he ca capital.” pital.”

The FMB T he F MB also also argues arg ues that that high quality apprenticeships h igh q uality ap pprenticeships iiss the the only only w way ay tto oe ensure nsure that thatt tthe he construction constr uction ssector ector c can an me et the the demand demand ffor o or m ore meet more housing h ousing iin n tthe he y years ears a ahead. head. ““The The most most sustainable sustainable ssolution olution tto o tthe he c hronic sskills kills chronic d eficit iis s ffor or e mployers tto o deficit employers rrecruit ecruit and and train train more more homehomeg rown talent,” talent,” says says Berry.

Ber r y. grown ““Undoubtedly, Undoubtedly, tthe he b est w ay best way o achieving this this is is to to focus focus off achieving

No N o time time tto o sshut hut down down barriers ba arriers on increasing increasing the the quality, qualit y, on duration a nd thoroughness thoroughness duration and of construction constr uction a pprenticeof apprenticeships.” ships.”

Proposals from from the the UK UK Proposals Immigration Minister, Robert Immigration M inister, R obert Goodwill, tthat hat employers employers Goodwill, might be be asked asked to to pay pay a £1000 £1000 might immig ration sskills kills levy lev y for for immigration hiring E Um igrants h ave a lso hiring EU migrants have also received strong strong c r iticism received criticism from within from w ithin tthe he iindustry. ndustr y.

Charlie Mullins, Mullins, founder founder Charlie of Plumbers, of Pimlico Pimlico P lumbers, says: says: “Penalising “Penalising businesses businesses for for hiring hir ing sskilled killed people people who who can can train train the the next next generation generattion of British workers crazy. of B r itish w orkers iis sc razy.

Given Given the the crippling cr ippling skills skills shortage shortage we we are are already already suffering suffe ering from, from, this this measure measure actually actually tthreatens hreatens to to rrestrict estrict our ability our ab ilit y to to train train more more young, UK-born workers. young, U K-born wo w rkers.

“For workers “For years years foreign fo oreign w orkers have propped up our have pr opped u p o ur economy.

They have been economy. T hey h ave b een a force good and force ffor or g o od a nd tthey hey are part off tthe answer are sstill t ill p ar t o he a nswer to getting to g etting more more UK UK workers workers trained trained up.” up.”

Theresa M Theresa May’s ay’s u unexpected nexpected d decision ecision tto oc call al l a G General eneral E lection iin n June June has has been been greeted g reeted with with widespread widespread Election w ear iness a nd g eneral indifference. indifference. For For many many people people weariness and general tthe he thought thought of of TV T V schedules schedules a and nd n newspaper ewspaper columns columns being b eing fi filled lled w with ith m more ore p public ublic d debates ebates a and nd p pontificating ontificating politicians p oliticians iis sn not ot ssomething omething tthat hat ssets ets tthe he p pulses ulses rracing, acing, especially e specially y when when many many of of the the well-aired well-aired arguments arguments about about where w here the the country countr y should should be be headed headed have have not not really really y moved m oved o on n ssince ince last last year’s year’s referendum refer e endum and and the the previous previous election e lection jjust ust ttwo wo y years ears ago. ago. Whatever Whatever your your views, views, it it overcoming voter apathy going be sseems eems tthat hat o vercoming v oter a pathy iis sg oing tto ob e tthe he biggest challenge off tthe campaign. b iggest c hallenge o he c ampaig n.

As much A sm uch as as some some might might wish wish it it otherwise, other wise, there’s there’s no getting away off B Brexit.

Positively orr n og etting a way ffrom rom tthe he iissue ssue o rexit. P ositively o negatively, and n egatively y, leaving leaving tthe he European European Union Union a nd tthe he deals deals tthat hatt are our be ex-European partners a re reached reached with with o ur ssoon oon tto ob ee x-European p artners are a re bound bound to to have have a big big impact impact on on the the economy economy and and come.

But tthe he shape shape of of the the country countr y for for generations generations tto oc ome. B ut whichever way our with Europe w hichever w ay o ur ffuture uture rrelationship elationship w ith E urope evolves, e volves, iitt is is hoped hoped that that even even the the most most ardent ardent Brexiters Brexiters UK can’t afford batten down rrecognise ecog nise tthat hat tthe he U Kc an’t a fford tto ob atten d own tthe he hatches and h atches a nd ignore ig nore the the rest rest of of the the world. world.

The not T he UK UK construction constr uction iindustry ndustr y iis sn ot tthe he only only ssector ector concerns about how growth prospects could tto o rraise aise c oncerns ab out h ow g rowth pr ospects c ould be damaged b ed amaged by by a lack lack of of access access to to skilled skilled workers workers from from abroad. ab road. Recent Recent Government Government statements statements about ab bout the the need need tto o revitalise revitalise apprenticeships apprenticeships and and make make the the most most of of homegrown h omegrown ttalent alent have have received received plenty plenty of of support, support, but but also iitt a lso needs needs to to be be recognised recog nised that that it it will will take take many many years y ears before before tthe he country country benefits benefits from from a return return on on such such we need make most iinvestment. nvestment. In In the the meantime, meantime, w en eed tto om ake tthe he m ost off tthe o he knowledge knowledge and and skills skills currently cur rently available available – ffrom rom any a ny corner corner of of the the globe. globe.

Follow F ollow u uss on

@PHAMNews @ PHAMNews

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Published by: by: Pinede Publishing | 16/18 Hawkesyard Hawkkesyard Hall, Armitag Armitagee PPark, ark, Nr Rug eley, Staf Staffordshire fordshire WS15 1 1PU Rugeley, T eel: 01889 577222 | Fax: Fax: 01889 9 579177 Tel: info@phamnews.co.uk Email: inf o@phamnews.co.uk www.phamnews.co.uk www w.phamne . ws.co.uk Managing Manag ing Editor Editor Chris Chr is Jones Jones Assistant EEditor ditor Carol Car ol Hitchcock Hitchcock Publisherss Publisher Chris Evans Chr is Ev ans Russ JJackson ackson

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©C Copyright opyright 2017 2017 | Plumbing, Plumbing , Heating Heating & Air Air Movement Movement News N ew s All rrights ights rreserved. eserved. No par partt of this publication ma mayy be rreproduced eproduced or stor stored ed in a rretrieval etrieval system without wr written i itten consent from fr om the publisher publisher.. A Attributed ttr t ibuted ar articles ticles rrepresent epresent the vie views ws of the A Author(s) uthor(s) and ar aree not the necessar necessarily ily those of the EEditor. ditor.

The T he publisher publisherss accept no rresponsibility esponsibility ffor or claim claims ms made bbyy man manufacturers ufacturers or adv advertisers. ertisers. TThis his mag magazine azine includ includes des a nnumber umber of colour editor editorial ial photo photographs graphs paid ffor or bbyy supp suppliers. pliers.

An exhibition An exhibition featuring featuring men’s men’s urinals urinals transformed transformed iinto nto a art rt creations c reations recently recently o opened pened iin nH Humberside umberside a as sp part ar t o off H Hull’s ull’s year y ear a as s tthe he U UK’s K’s C City ity o off C Culture ulture a and nd a also lso m marking arking tthe he 2 200th 0 0t h anniversary a nniversar y o off Armitage Armitage Shanks.

Shanks. T The he rrenowned enowned b brand rand is is now n ow owned owned by

by Hull Hull based based bathroom bathroom manufacturer manufacturer Ideal Ideal Standard S tandard a and nd tthe he c company ompany c collaborated ollab borated w with ith tthe he H Hull ull S School chool off A o Art rt a and nd D Design esign tto op put ut o on n tthe he e exhibition xhibition w which hich fe features atures 4 45 5 urinal ur inal inspired inspired pieces pieces o off ar art, t, in including cluding ssculpture, culpture, p painting, ainting, performance p erformance a and nd fi film. lm. A All ll o off tthe he a artworks rtworks w will ill b be ea auctioned uctioned ffor or c charity harity a as sp part ar t o off tthe he ‘‘Armitage Armitage T Thanks’ hanks’ c campaign, ampaign, a an n on-going o n-going c charitable haritable pr project oject w which hich a aims ims tto o raise raise £200,000 £200,000 during d uring tthe he bicentennial bicentennial c celebrations. elebrations. T The he pr proceeds oceeds ffrom rom tthe he a auction uction w will ill b be e ssplit plit e equally qually b between etween B Bowel owel C Cancer ancer U UK K and a nd tthe he H Hull ul l S Samaritans. amaritans.

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Conference to focus New Warwick head office for Geberit on smart homes

Smart home technology is the theme of the next annual conference of the IDHEE in June. Under the banner of ‘The Smart Future’, speakers will address how this technology will affect the domestic central heating market, and how heating engineers can ensure they are equipped to provide their customers with the best service.

The conference aims to provide a forum for debate and learning and will cover the latest developments that heating engineers should be familiar with. Speakers from

the industry, including BEIS and Every Home Counts, will join senior representatives from the controls, metering, storage, certification and skills sectors to share their views and highlight how the industry can benefit from, and work with, the next generation of technology.

The conference will be held at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham on 20th June and is £36 for IDHEE members and £60 for non-members. Book a place online via Eventbrite: thesmart-future-idhee-conference2017-tickets.eventbrite.co.uk

Geberit UK recently cut the ribbon on its new head office, which is the base for over 150 Geberit staff. It is located less than a mile from the centre of historic Warwick on Tournament Fields.

Having been based in Warwick for over eight years, the move to this larger premises is part of a period of growth for Geberit and Twyford. The spacious and modern office covers more than 2000m2 and includes a 400m2 showroom featuring the new Geberit Bathroom Collection, which encompasses bathroom sanitaryware and furniture,

(l-r) Chris White MP; Christine Cross, Mayor of Warwick; Karl Spachmann, Geberit; and Mark Larden MD Geberit UK

Twyford bathrooms, Geberit AquaClean shower toilets, plus the company’s sanitary and piping systems.

A new purpose-built

Still time to enter @InstallersFirst UK Plumber of the Year 2017 has announced WaterSafe as the official judging partner, with Chairman Chris Sneath MBE sitting on the judging panel to choose the winner. WaterSafe, the national register for approved plumbing businesses in the UK, will review all the entries an help to select a shortlist of 15 plumbers based on their expertise. Chris Sneath will then join the panel to judge the five finalists later in the year. Entries are now open via www.ukplumberoftheyear.com and the deadline for all entries is midnight on 16th June. This year’s prize fund consists of £10,000 worth of prizes, including JT, Bristan and Plumb Center products.

Membership comes with opportunities Installers signed up to Grohe’s Smart scheme can now compete to win a power tool kit worth £800 in a new campaign. The five Smart members who accumulate the most points in 2017 will each win one of the prize bundles.

The tool kits include a combi and impact drill as well as a circular saw. Grohe will double the Smarts points with every product scanned this year.

Membership to the Smart scheme is free and offers benefits, rewards and information specially tailored to the individual installer. Benefits include product rewards from categories such as work, multimedia, living, garden, leisure and accessories. Designed to be quick and easy to use, simply download the Smart Reader app on a mobile device, or register online at www.grohesmart.com, to get started.

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Training Academy offers customers free training modules covering the full breadth of Geberit’s product ranges. This facility

enables installers to benefit from hands-on training, complete with a twostorey installation Tower, encouraging installers to get to grips with the latest piping systems and sanitary solutions, showcasing good and bad plumbing practice.

“We have grown dramatically since we moved to the area almost ten years ago,” says Mark Larden, MD Geberit UK & Ireland, “with the new building marking the beginning of the next chapter of this growth. It is a very exciting time and we are looking forward to what the future holds.”

With the aim of giving Gas Safe engineers a voice on industry matters, the HHIC has launched Installers First, an initiative created to provide a platform for installers to have their say and offer a single point of information on the latest industry developments such as government consultations for proposed legislation, regulation, and schemes like ECO and Green Deal.

The organisation, which has a presence on Twitter @InstallersFirst, is driven by its installer members and is also working with Installers Unite, another Twitter-based initiative created by a group of gas engineers including @AlphaTec_, @pbplumber and @GasmanGod, among others.

Commenting on the launch of Installers First, Stewart Clements, Director of the HHIC, says: “Thousands of Gas Safe engineers have joined together to voice their

opinion on circumstances within the industry which were, until now, seemingly outside of their control. Some are referring to Installers First as a ‘movement’. Whether it is or not, what cannot be denied is the camaraderie and sense of power felt by those involved.

“Gas Safe engineers need a voice – up, down and across the industry. We need to communicate with each other, with Government, with manufacturers and anyone else who has an influence on our livelihood.”

Installers First will be officially launched at the Installer 2017 trade show in Coventry on stand P320. Installers Unite engineers Peter Booth (@pb plumber) and Craig Brierley (@ AlphaTec_) will be on hand to talk to visitors about why and how they can get involved.

Alternatively, visit www. installersfirst.co.uk to register your email address.

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NEWS N EWS R Review evi v ew

8

Search S earch is is on on for for zzombie ombie ga gas sfi fires res Installers a Installers and nd ttheir heir c cusu scould ttomers omers c ould win w in prizes p i ze s pr when w hen they t hey report repor t ‘zombie ‘zombie gas g as fires’ fires’ – defined defined as as a gas g as fire fi re that t hat is is over over 20 20 years y ea r s old– o ld– to to Valor.

Valor. The The company company calculates c alculates tthat hat upgrading upg rading ffrom rom a d decorative ecorative g gas as fi fire re tto o gas fire a modern modern g as fi re could could save sav ve homeowners more £150 h omeowners m ore tthan han £ 150 p er y ear in in running r unning costs, c o s t s, per year whilst delivering greater w h i l st d eliver ing g reater comfort, co mfor t, improved improved control co ont rol and a nd a safer safer appliance. appliance.

Valor IInstallers nstallers who who let V alor know k now about about their t heir work work on on Valor orr R Robinson Willey V alor o obinson W illey gas g as fires fires more more tthan han two t wo decades d ecades old old will w ill be be entered entered iinto nto a draw draw w to to win win a zombie zombie apocalypse experience a pocaly pse e xper ience ffor or tthem hem and and four four ffriends, r ie ends, while w hile ttheir heir customer customer will w ill be presented b e pr esented with w it h a new new gas Valor g as fire fire from from tthe he V alor collection, worth c ollection, w orth up up to to £500. £500.

Valor estimates V alor e st imates tthat hat there t here could gas fires c ould be be 4million 4million g as fi res more 20 years old m ore tthan ha n 2 0y ears o ld sstill t ill operation UK homes. iin no perat ion iin nU Kh omes.

To enter T oe nter the the competition, compet e ition, iinstallers nstallers should should email email their their name number n ame and and telephone telephone n umber with photograph and w it h a p hotog raph a nd details off the d etails o the gas gas fire fire found found model number ((including including m odel n u m b er and a nd date date of of installation). installat ion).

The T he email email subject sub bject line line should should contain zombie!’ c ontain ‘I ‘I found found a z ombie!’

These details be T hese det ails sshould hould b e ssent ent tto o zombies@valor.co.uk. zombies@ valor.co.uk.

Entries E ntries close close on on 16th 16th June June and entrant will a nd one one e ntrant w ill be be chosen att rrandom. c hosen a andom.

For F or more more iinformation nfor o mation about about benefits tthe he b enefits ooff iinstalling nstalling a modern gas fire, please m odern g as fi re, p lease see page 49. p age 4 9.

Bonus B onus p points oints o on n tthe he 2 25th 5th a anniversary nniversary Heat IIn n 1992 1992 Worcester Worcester He at Systems Bosch S ystems joined joined tthe he B o sc h Group G roup tto o strengthen st reng t hen its its presence pr esence in in the t he market market domestic heating ffor or do mest ic he at ing equipment, making e quipment, m ak ing tthis h is y ear tthe he 2 5t h a n n iv er s a r y year 25th anniversary o he manufacturer manufact urer group g roup off tthe operating o perat ing in the t he UK. UK. T oc elebratte the the milestone, milestone, To celebrate Worcester W orcester iiss to to launch launch a 2017. sspecial pecial promotion promot ion ffor or 2 017.

IInstallers nstallers will w ill be be able able to to benefit different b enefit ffrom rom a d ifferent Greenstar G reenstar Rewards Rewards incentive incentive on o n the t he 25th 25t h of of each each month mont h May until ffrom rom M ay u nt il October O c t o b er – tthe he first first of of which which will w ill be be a

sselection elect ion o osch power p o w er off B Bosch ttools ools for for jjust ust 25 25 points points Greenstar tthrough hrough tthe he G reenstar Rewards R ewards programme. prog ramme.

Commenting on Comment ing o n tthe he anniversary, Worcester’s anniversar y, W orcester’s Martyn Bridges, Ma r t y n B r idges, Director Director of of Technical Technical Communication Communicat ion

and a nd Product Product Management, Management, becoming ssays: ays: ““Worcester Worcester b ecoming part p ar t of of the t he Bosch Bosch Group Group has h as been been an an enormous enor mous benefitting ssuccess uccess sstory, tor y, b enefitt ing not company, but n ot only only tthe he c ompany, b ut also we a lso the t he products products w e can ca n offer and o ffer iinstallers nstallers a nd ttheir heir customers.

Together, we c ustomers. T oget her, w e have h ave achieved achieved a number number of of milestones over years m ilestones o ver tthe he y ea r s our best– from from llaunching aunching o ur b estGreenstar boiler sselling elling G reenstar b oiler sseries er ies to to achieving achiev ing seven seven Which?

Best Buys sstraight traight W hich? B e st B uy s our Greenstar ffor or o ur G reenstar range range – and and we’re w e’re excited excited about about what what the the holds.” ffuture ut ure hol ds.”

IInnovation nnovation award award for for industry industry products products The T he Queen’s Que u en’s Award Award for for Enterprise Enterprise in in the the innovation innovattion category c ategory has has been been granted granted to to two two familiar familiar names names iin n tthe he iindustry: ndustry: Kohler Kohler M ira a nd A dey P rofessional Mira and Adey Professional Heating He ating Solutions.

Solutions. This This prestigious prestig ious award award a cknowledges tthe he achievements achievements of of companies companies acknowledges developing d eveloping iinnovative nnovative pr products. oducts.

Mira M ira a attracted ttracted tthe he Q Queen’s ue u en’s A Award ward for for iits ts F Flight light S afe range range of of anti-slip ant i-sl ip shower shower trays. t ray s. Factors Factor s Safe tthat hat influenced influenced tthe he d decision ecision tto og grant rant tthe he a award ward iincluded ncluded a h ig h llevel e v el o oduct iinnovation; nnovat ion; high off pr product tthe he addressing addressing o off a sspecific pec ific m market-need arket-need ((an an

ageing demographic ageing demographic in in this this case); case); demonstrable demonstrable benefits b enefit s over over competitive compet it ive products; product s; and and high h ig h llevels e v el s o off c corporate or porate ssocial oc ial rresponsibility esponsibi l it y and a nd c ommerc ial success. success. commercial A dey won won the t he award award for for iits ts innovative innovat ive rrange ange Adey o ig h p e r f o r m a nc e c hem icals, specifically spec ifical ly off h high performance chemicals, rrecognising ecog nising the t he development develop pment of of new new chemical chemical fformulations ormulations ffor o or o tthe he c ompany’s MC1+ MC1+ ‘Protector’ ‘Protector’ company’s a nd MC3+ MC3+ ‘Cleaner’ ‘Cleaner’ range range of of products, products, designed designed and tto o w ork in in tandem t andem with w it h the t he company’s company ’s work M ag naClean magnetic mag net ic filters. fi lter s.

MagnaClean

Chance C hance tto ow win in V VIP IP ttickets ickets Tap and Tap and shower shower br brand, and, Bristan, B ristan, has has teamed teamed up up w itth Plumb Plumb Center Cen nter to o offer offer f with a cchance hance to to win win VIP VIP tickets tickets d uring e ach month month h of of tthe he during each pro omotion. Running Running until until promotion.

3 1st A ugust, B ristan’s 31st August, Bristan’s ‘‘Season Season of Sport’ Sport’ promotion pro omotio on w ill a utomaticcally en ter will automatically enter

iinstallers nstalle ers iinto nto a m onthly monthly d draw raw w when hen p purchasing urchasing B Bristan’s ristan’s taps taps or or showers showers s a att P Plumb lumb Center.

Center er.

E Each ach w winner innerr w will ill rreceive eceiv ve a VIP VIP h hospitality ospittality e experience xperiience a att one one o off fiv five ve m major ajor sportsportiing ng events events s including including the the P Premiership re emie ership R Rugby ugby fi final nal a att

T wickenham, W imbledon, Twickenham, Wimbledon, T he Open Open Golf Golf ChampionChampionThe s hip, W orld C up Q ualifier ship, World Cup Qualifier E ngland v sS loven e ia, a nd tthe he England vs Slovenia, and NFL N FL New New Orleans Orleans S Saints aints vs vs Miami M iami Dolphins Dolphin ns a att W Wembley embley Stadium.

S tadium.

For F orr further further information, info ormation, visit v isitt www.bristan.com www.bris i tan.com

How H ow tto ow work ork with w ith H Harvey arvey

Teutonic T eutonic talent taleen nt

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A German team proved m pr oved victorious in last month’s month’s friendly friendly football match matc ch organised organised by for

by Viessmann Viessmann i fo or its German and English installers at Huddersfield’s Hud ddersfield’s PPG Canalside Training Training Ground.

Ground. The English installers were were hoping to deli deliver verr the same success as the 1966 England tea team, am, but the German team took the honours victory. s with a 6-1 victor ry.

Both teams stayed sta ayed on to watch watch HuddersHuddersfield Town’s Town’s Sky Sk ky Bet Championship match match against against Fulham at a the JJohn ohn Smith’s Smith’s Stadium the next of the club. next day da ay as guests g club. Pictured Pictured above ab bo ove is Viessmann Viiessma ann Germany German ny captain Sven Sven Kiontke as he collects co ollects his Vriendly Vriendly trophy troph hy from from Viessmann Viiessmann UK U MD, MD, Graham Graham Russell.

Wo k i n g - b a s e d Wo manufacturer manufacturer HarHarvey v ey Water Water SoftenSoftenerss h has er as launched launched a rrecruitment ecr uitment drive dr ive fill tto o fi ll plumbing plumbing South rroles oles iin n tthe he S outh East as busiE a st a s tthe he b usiness n ess c continues ont inues tto o grow. g row. Open Open to to fully fully qualified q ualified plumbplumbers, e rs, tthe he jjobs obs will w ill be b e in in the t he firm’s fir m’s installations installat ions department, depar tment, which w hich iis s tthe he team team responsible responsible for for deliverdeliverdomestic water iing ng and and fitting fitt ing d omest ic w ater ssofteners ofteners iinto nto homes homes across across tthe he South Sout h of of England.

England.

Successful applicants S uccessf ul a pplicants will w ill be be required required to to undergo comprehensive five-week u ndergo a c omprehensive fiv fi e-week traintrainprogramme att tthe company’s Woking iing ng pr og ramme a he c ompany’s W ok ing headquarters before beginning work h eadquar ters b efore b eg inning w ork iin n ttheir heir local local area. area. For For more more information, infor mat ion, visit: v i sit : www.harveywatersofteners.co.uk/ w w w.ha r ve y w ater sof tener s.co.u k / new-plumbing-roles n ew-plumbing-roles

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May 2017

10 NEWS Review Van tour spreads the stainless word Commercial boiler and hot water specialist Hamworthy Heating is taking its range of stainless steel boilers and calorifier, the Stainless Family, to the road. Starting in June, the van will be touring the country to show customers the benefits of stainless steel in the components of boiler and water heaters, as well as best practice heating and hot water system design, using

real products and hydraulic schematics. Visitors will have the chance to learn about the benefits of using a stainless steel heat exchanger, along with many other areas of interest.

The Stainless Van will be available from next month and can be booked by phone on 01202 662500 or email at sales@hamworthy-heating. com.

Bruce Ayling RIP Bruce Ayling, the founder of Plumbing & Heating Equipment News in 1963, which became PHAM News when acquired by current owners Pinede Publishing in 1996, sadly passed away on 22nd March after a short illness. He was 89 years old.

Bruce had been MD and owner of Peterson Publications and Print, based in Droitwich, and had also founded, in conjunction with the then-named Institute of Plumbing (now the CIPHE), the forerunner to the current PHEX Exhibitions.

He was one of the industry’s characters who was respected for his opinions and professionalism, and

was extremely helpful in the development of PHAM News in the early years.

Chris Evans and Russ Jackson, the current publishers of PHAM News, would like to express their sincere condolences to Bruce’s family.

The news in brief r Viessmann has launched a new app that lets installers register new boilers and complete the Gas Safe and warranty registration processes via the Registration UK App.

Installer scoots off Gas engineer Dean Turner from Millom in Cumbria is the proud new owner of a 125cc AJS Modena scooter, having been selected the winner of Ferroli’s competition for its loyalty club members of Installersmate.

Dean received his prize from Ferroli’s Martin Youd along with Keith Sanders, branch manager of the Barrow branch of Express Plumbing Supplies, where Dean is a regular customer for Ferroli Modena HE boilers. Dean, who runs Dean Turner Plumbing & Heating, admits to being a bit of a petrol head and is looking forward to getting out in the spring sunshine to try out his new toy.

r 5IF 5 4FSJFT QPSUGPMJP of connected, programmable thermostats from Honeywell has won a 2017 Red Dot Design Award for superior product design. r Widnes Vikings rugby team is to be sponsored by Rinnai for the upcoming season. r 6QPOPS IBT SFMPDBUFE JUT headquarters from Leicestershire to The Pavilion on Blackmoor Lane in Watford to provide a more comprehensive service to its customers.

r Staff at Kohler Mira have raised a total of £92,000 GPS $BODFS 3FTFBSDI 6, $36, JUT DIPTFO DIBSity for the year 2016/2017. r Guardian Water Treatment has been awarded ISO 14001:2015 certification, the International Standard for environmental management which supports organisations in reducing their environmental impact. r 5IF 2VJFU .BSL BXBSE has been granted to Ideal Boilers’ Logic+ range by the Noise Abatement Society. r Water management specialist Graf UK has moved its UK headquarters to a new 10,000ft2 premises on Beaumont Road in Banbury.

Readers enjoy Wembley experience

PHAM News is pleased to announce the winners of our recent email competition to win tickets to this season’s FA Cup Semifinals. Andy Ball of Worcestershire based AB Plumbing Ltd, Ian Gray from I.M. Gray Plumbing & Heating in Herefordshire, and Ben Richardson of Belper based Richardson Plumbing & Heating Services each won pairs of tickets to see either Chelsea v Tottenham or Arsenal v Manchester City.

“We had a wonderful experience, and the seats were exceptional,” says Andy Ball (pictured left) who took his

young son James to see Chelsea play Spurs. “We came away from Wembley with huge smiles and have felt privileged to have been able to enjoy that experience. I cannot remember the last time I have won anything, and to see my son enjoy himself so much was priceless.”

Ian Gray (pictured right) went with his son Luke to see the same game, a memorable six goal thriller, while Ben Richardson elected to go to the nail-biting clash between Arsenal and Manchester City.

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May 2017

PEOPLE on the Move Fetim UK, owners of the Aqualux brand, has appointed Bevan Edwards as Area Sales Manager. Bevan joins from ERA Home Security, where he held both sales and marketing positions. In his new role, he will be responsible for the central region of the UK, developing sales and growing positive relationships with accounts, ensuring they are fully aware of the company’s product offering.

A new Area Sales Manager has joined Croydex, the manufacturer of bathroom accessories. Andrew James brings three decades of experience to the role, having held similar positions at other sector-related companies, including RAK Ceramics and Phoenix Whirlpools. He will be responsible for strengthening relationships in his territory in South Wales and the West Country.

Shower solutions manufacturer Coram Group UK has announced the appointment of Stephen Woolsey as Business Development Manager. Stephen will be responsible for selling Coram’s whole portfolio including Coram, Coram ShowerPods, Impey and Geesa products throughout the South East region. He was previously Area Sales Manager at Saniflo and Kinedo, and prior to that at Warmup.

Eddie Clifton has been named Sales Manager for the South of England at Marley Plumbing and Drainage. Bringing over 20 years experience to the role, Eddie will lead a team of seven sales representatives. He previously worked for Hepworth Bartol and Polypipe, as well as BSS, where his role was Drainage Sales Manager for the South West of England.

Ideal Commercial has appointed two new Business Development Managers. Mandy Webb (pictured), who will oversee the West Midlands, previously worked for Andrews Water Heaters and IMI Hydronic Engineering, so she has worked closely with products that support the Ideal Commercial range. Sharon Cox takes over the East Midlands and used to work with Georg Fischer and Panks Engineering.

Two new Technical Sales Engineers have joined UFHN (Underfloor Heating Now). Glyn Dewey (pictured) and Stuart Edmunds will both cover the London and South East region. They bring a wealth of industry experience to their new roles, with Glyn having previously served as Regional Projects Manager and Stuart as UK Contracts Manager at Warmafloor.

The sales team at Grohe has welcomed a new Area Sales Manager. Martin Garner will cover Yorkshire and the Midlands and brings a wealth of experience to the new role, having spent 12 years in sales and managerial positions within the plumbing sector. He joins from Wavin UK and says he is delighted to join a company with a proven track record in product design and sustainability.

Waterloo Air Products has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Paul Wilson as Regional Sales Manager in the North East of England. Paul will work with customers in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Cumbria, Durham and Teeside, as well as other key accounts in the North of England, alongside Waterloo’s existing network of agents.

Previously, Paul was owner of H&V Direct.

Air conditioning manufacturer Hitachi has appointed three new Area Sales Managers. David Taylor (pictured) takes responsibility for London and the South East, while Martin Tanner will serve Hitachi customers in Scotland.

Based in Bolton, Richard Simpson will cover the North West and Wales. These appointments will support Hitachi’s plans to launch new products in the coming months.

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May 2017

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May 2017

14 Point of View

How the oil industry can cut carbon emissions OFTEC has put forward a two-stage approach to improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions for oil using households. PHAM News talks to CEO Paul Rose about the organisation’s proposals, the prospects for a new boiler scrappage scheme and the current state of the UK oil heating market.

How do you view the state of the current oil heating market?

“In terms of boiler sales it’s very buoyant.

Last year was up 15% on 2015, which was 10% up on 2014. The ECO scheme has helped to drive sales, but I also think there’s more confidence in the market. With the lower oil price, more users are retaining and investing in their oil heating systems, whereas in previous years they may have looked to explore other technologies. The number of registrant numbers are on the rise, and it comes back to confidence in the oil product – people are swapping them out rather than just servicing them and keeping them going.”

Are you concerned that the oil price will rise in the near future?

“It’s very hard to say. We assume that the price will creep up a little bit, but I think most people trying to predict future prices recognise that it’s an exercise in guesswork. Most commentators seem to think that the price is going to remain pretty steady for the near future. We’re not expecting it to fluctuate much beyond the $50/60 mark for crude oil, which will basically mean that the price for kerosene will stay pretty much as it is now.”

Realistically, despite the relatively low prices, do you think it’s more a question of holding on to oil customers rather than persuading people to switch across to oil?

“You can make a case for switching if you crunch the numbers. If you had a standard efficiency LPG boiler, for example, you’d get a return on your money in just a few years.

But we don’t kid ourselves that people will shop around for options until their boiler has got to be changed. Consumers are very reluctant to invest in heating and it’s usually a distress purchase. I think we also have to acknowledge that the new build market is gradually slipping away.

You can still fit oil heating, of course, but the additional technology – and therefore extra costs – that the builder will need to put into the fabric of the building to trade off the carbon doesn’t really make it a viable option.”

OFTEC has been quite vocal on the need to address fuel poverty in rural areas. Do you still believe that some form of a boiler scrappage scheme is one answer to the problem?

“Yes, absolutely. The type of people who are most likely to look at just keeping an oil boiler going are those who are in fuel poverty and can’t easily afford a replacement. If we can make condensing boilers more accessible through a grant, make it easy for them to access some money, it could make a real difference.”

Do you think the Government would be In five years time, would you hope to have prepared to dedicate funds to oil users or a viable biofuel that would be appropriate for use with existing appliances? rural areas?

“We would certainly like to see a scheme “Yes, we would need more testing and we that was more aimed at our part of the would probably need some government market. We know that when the boiler help to do that. We’ve got to have a scrappage scheme in 2010 took place, look at the technical side and we need there was massive demand so we know to reassure ourselves about material that there’s an appetite. The vouchers for compatibility. As a ‘drop-in’ replacement, we’re also going to have that scheme were taken up within a matter “There’s a much more to measure performance against the Efficiency of months. But the positive vibe about Directive. If somebody problem for our sector bought a boiler today of the market is that it our industry at the and that was declared is much more difficult moment” at 91% efficiency, using to promote the benefits kerosene, they’re going of a scheme like that very quickly, because we’ve got a smaller to want reassurance that if they drop installer base compared to gas. Whereas this other fuel in that they’re still going the gas market has the likes of British Gas to hit that 91%. It also looks likely that who can bang the drum for such a scheme. biofuel will cost a bit more than current “We will continue to beat the drum for oil prices, so we would need some sort of boiler scrappage as we still believe that it government incentive, but it’s pointless at represents a viable option in the current this stage in the process to try and guess circumstances and, in terms of carbon how prices might compare in the future.” reduction and government spend, it’s one In 10 years time, do you envisage that a that really gives you a bang for the buck. lot of oil customers will be using the new We need to replace these old, inefficient fuel? boilers that are still chugging along, “Definitely. We see the mid 2020s as because non-condensing oil boilers still the target date to have the fuel widely represent about 40% – possibly as much as available. I think it would be pretty poor 50% – of the market.” if we couldn’t deliver this. Our job is to Some might argue that that’s a credit make the case and get industry behind to the older boilers if they’re still going the concept, which I think they are, and strong after all these years. then to find the means to make it happen.

“Yes, and I think that’s part of the reason I think there’s general consensus that that people are so keen to stick with if we’re going to keep liquid fuels in the oil, because it’s seen as a very reliable marketplace in the long term, then this is technology and people have a high level of something that has to be done.” confidence in it.”

Until now, the Government doesn’t appear OFTEC has spoken about a two-stage to provide backing for biofuel. approach in the move to a more efficient “They haven’t so far, but there’s increasing and low carbon oil heating solution. interest in a green solution for the gas Can you explain more about what that market, with an acceptance that you can’t involves? remove all the gas boilers. We think the “Broadly speaking, this two-stage same arguments would apply. approach is about persuading customers “In 2010, when we began lobbying for to invest in the most efficient existing funding for biofuels, government advisors technology, such as condensing boilers were saying that heat pumps were the and the latest controls, and then moving way to go. But there’s been a lot of work over to some sort of biofuel in the future.” done since then and I think there’s been So do you see biofuels as being the long a realisation that the costs of rolling out on a substantial scale would be absolutely term option for rural heating?

“I think it’s got to be. It’s the only game in colossal, with the extra electricity town, really. Tests suggest that there won’t generation that would be required and the be a problem with material compatibility upgrade in housing stock. It’s really not and a drop-in replacement fuel will a credible alternative and I think there is mean that people will be able to carry on now an acceptance of that. using the technology that they’re already “But we’re not against heat pumps in familiar with. They won’t have expensive the right environment. After all, we run conversion and renovation costs but a Competent Persons Scheme for heat will still be able to achieve the carbon pump installers. We recognise their place, reduction that we need.” as we do many other technologies.”

Previously OFTEC’s Technical Director, Paul Rose was appointed CEO in August last year

Do you think the Government has been unrealistic in its efforts to incentivise the take-up of heat pumps and other renewable technologies?

“I think the Government is starting to realise that there isn’t a ‘one technology fits all’ solution. They are happy to consider more viable solutions. And I think the abolition of DECC and the creation of BEIS (the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) has probably helped in that regard, because BEIS has got to take a more holistic view across industries, jobs and everything else, rather than just focussing on carbon reduction. There seems to be more emphasis on affordable solutions and more of a focus on providing good value for money for consumers.”

Hybrid solutions is another option that’s been talked about, of course. Do you see much of a future for that?

“Yes, that’s another technology that we think is ripe for development. There is an issue around the cost of the appliance for hybrids, but we certainly think it’s worth exploring. It’s a potential solution for the older, off-grid, draughty house with high heat demand. From the end user’s point of view, there’s a familiarity argument as well. But they’re not cheap because you’re basically paying for two lots of equipment.

Ultimately, I think what we need is a range of solutions to suit different circumstances and different budgets.”

Apart from investment in controls, is there much more that can be done to improve existing oil heating technology?

“To be fair, oil boilers are pretty up there with the best – 90% efficiency now. There is a trade off with trying to squeeze an extra 1 or 2% out of a product against the longevity and the cost. Our manufacturing members have put money into re-testing and tweaks to their product to meet the latest Eco Design criteria. Manufacturers have been investing more in improving technology, such as blue flame burners for example, whereas before they might have thought twice about such investment.

“It definitely tells a story, I think. There appears to be more enthusiasm for product development than we’ve seen in the recent past. There’s a much more positive vibe about our industry at the moment.”

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May 2017

ENERGY E NERGY M Matters atters s 15 Renewable e nergy a nd llow ow S Renewable energy and Shape hape the the future future of of heating heating carbon carbon economy economy statistics statistics The T he latest lattest government government figures figures have an estimated h ave shown shown tthat hat a ne stimated 234,000 2 34,000 full full time time employees employees were working directly w ere w orking d irectly in in low low carbon c arbon and and renewable renewab ble energy energy ((LCRE) LCRE) activities activities in in 2015.

2015 5.

The T he Office Offic fi e of of National National Statistics S tatistics re recently cently released released tthis his d data ata iin n tthe he ‘‘UK UK L Low ow C arbon R enewable E n rg y ne Carbon Renewable Energy Economy Survey’ year E conomy S urvey’ ffor or tthe he y ear off 2 o 2015, 015, w which hich analyses analyses the the low lo w carbon carbon a and nd renewable renewable energy e nerg y economy. economy. Although Altho h ugh 2015 tthe he 2 015 numbers numbers are are sslightly lightly down d own o on n2 2014, 014, tthe he O ONS NS says says tthat hat it’s it’s not not p ossible tto od irectly possible directly a ssess w hether tthey hey a re llikely ikely assess whether are tto o represent represent a sstatistically tatistically ssignificant ignificant change. change.

T he ssurvey urvey found found tthat hat The L CRE activities activities g enerated LCRE generated £ 43.1billion tturnover urnover iin n2 015, £43.1billion 2015, ac counting ffor or 1.

3% of of tthe he accounting 1.3% U K’s non-financial non-financial turnover. turno n ver.

UK’s S ectors active active specifically specifically in in Sectors rrenewable enewab ble e nerg y generated generated energy £ 14.9billion in in tturnover, urnover, £14.9billion w hich iis s 3 4.7% o ll L CRE which 34.7% off a all LCRE tturnover. urnover. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, the the e nerg y efficiency efficiency pr oducts energy products ssector ector generated generatted £13.9 £13.9 b illion billion iin n tturnover urnover a nd a ccounted and accounted ffor or a lmost h alf o ll L CRE almost half off a all LCRE em ployment, w ith 1 02,500 employment, with 102,500 ffull-time ull-time equivalent equivalent jjobs. obs.

S cotland ffared ared e specially Scotland especially w ell in in tthe he ssurvey, urvey, w ith tthe he well with n umber of of workers workers in in Scotland Scotland number e mployed iin n tthe he llow ow c arbon employed carbon a nd renewables renewables ssector ector h aving and having rrisen isen to to 58,500 58,500 in in 2015 2015 1 – up up ffrom rrom 43,500 43,500 e mploy yed iin n employed 2 014. S cotland represented repre esented 2014.

Scotland 4 8% of of a ll UK UK e mployment, 48% all employment, a nd 5 3% o ll U K tturnover, urnover, and 53% off a all UK iin no nshore wind. wind. 3 3% of of all all onshore 33% U K em ployment a nd 2 8% UK employment and 28% o urnover iin n llow ow c arbon off tturnover carbon e lectricity generation generation is is in in electricity S cotland. F or llow ow c arbon Scotland.

For carbon sservices, ervices, s S cotland rrepresents ep presents Scotland 2 4% of of a ll UK UK e mployment, a nd 24% all employment, and 2 6% o urnover.

26% off tturnover.

M inister ffor or B usiness, Minister Business, IInnovation nnovation and and Energy, Energ y, P aul Wheelhouse Wheelhouse M SP, ssays: ay ys: Paul MSP, ““These These are are impressive impressive figures figures tthat hat sshow how h ow tthe he S cottish how Scottish G overnment’s focus focus on on Government’s de decarbonising carbonising ou ourr e energy nerg y ssystem ystem h as n ot only only a llowed has not allowed

u to meet meet our our climate climate change change uss to obligations, o bligations, a and nd tto o have have d one sso oe arly y, b ut iitt h as a lso done early, but has also ssignificantly ignificantly b oosted tthe he boosted S cottish e conomy.

Scottish economy. ““They They sshow how how how large large tthe he ssector ector w was as iin n2 2015 015 5a and nd tthe he h uge opportunity opportunity that that green green huge e nergy pr esents iin ng enerating energy presents generating tthe he k ind o ustainab ble g rowth kind off ssustainable growth ffrom rom w hich a ll Scotland Scotland which all b enefits.” benefits.”

Boiler manufacturer Boiler manufacturer Baxi Baxi has has joined joined Carbon Carb bon Connect, Connect, an an independent, independent, cross-party cross-part y fforum orum tthat hat a aims ims tto o iinform nform a and nd g guide uide th the he ttransition ransition to o a llow ow ccarbon arbon future future underpinned underp pinned by energy.

Carbon Connect analyses and b y sustainable sustainable en erg y. C arbon C onnect a nalyses the the opportunities opportunities a n challenges nd challenges presented by moves discussion p resented b ym oves tto o a llow ow ccarbon arbon future, fu uture, and and provides provides a platform platform for for d iscussion b et ween iindustry, ndustr y, a cademia a nd p olicymakers. between academia and policymakers.

As A sam member, emberr, B Baxi axi w will ill b be ea actively ctiiv vely ttaking akin ng p part artt iin nap programme ro ogra amme of of events eve ents and and meetings meetiings iin nP Parliament arliament a and nd s supporting upporting a and nd ccontributing ontributiing to op policy oliccy re research. esearch. Je Jeff efff H House, ouse, R Regulatory egulatory Marketing M arketing Manager Manager at at Baxi, Baxi, says: says: ““Carbon Carbon Connect Connect is is currently curre ently undertaking undertaking a crosscro ossparty research offered by gas and p arty re esearch project pro oject to to investigate investigate the the opportunities opportunities o ffferred b y llow ow ccarbon arbon g as a nd how h ow policy policy can can support support it. itt. In In particular, particular, it it is is investigating investigating h how ow llow ow ccarbon arbon gas gas ccan an ccontribute ontrib bute to to heat heat decarbonisation. decarbonisatio on. The The project project will will examine examine iissues ssues rrelated elated to to the the gas gas distribution d istrib bution n network etwork a and nd llocal ocal storage, sto orage, the th he production production a and nd bulk bulk storage storage of of low low carbon carbon gas, appliances. essential g as, consumer consumer challenges, challenges, and and the th he development develo opment of of compatible compatib ble a ppliances. IItt iis se ssentiial nd w us be part off tthese discussions, and we are ffor or u s to ob ep art o hese d iscussio ons, a ea re proud pro oud to o support support rresearch esearc rch like like this.” this.”

Calling C alling ffor or a action ction The Heat The Heat Pump Pump Association Association ((HPA) HPA) a and nd T The he F Federation ederat ion off E o Environmental nv ironmental T Trade rade Associations A ssociat ions (FETA) (FETA) have have jjoined oined o other t her o organisations rganisat ions iin n writing w r it ing tto o tthe he S Secretary ecretar y o State ffor or B usiness, Energy Energ y off State Business, and a nd Industrial Industr ial Strategy, St rateg y, R Rtt Hon. H on. G Greg reg C Clark lark M MP. P. T The he jjoint oint lletter etter u rges the the Government Government urges tto o use use its its forthcoming forthcoming plan plan tto o reduce reduce carbon carbon emissions, emissions, n ow c onfirmed tto ob ec alled now confirmed be called tthe he ‘‘Clean Clean G rowth P lan’, tto o Growth Plan’, address a ddress tthe he ssignificant ignificant g gap ap iin np policy olicy tto o ttackle ackle e emissions missions ffrom rom b uildings. buildings.

Whilst W hilst e emissions missions from from electricity e lectricity generation generation fell fell 36% 3 6% b between etween 2 2012 012 a and nd 2 2015, 015, driven d riven by by lower lower coal coal use use and a nd increased increased renewables, renewables, emissions e missions from from buildings buildings h ave rremained emained flat flat over over have period, tthe he same same p eriod, following follo owing cuts government ssignificant ignificant c uts tto og overnment homes, sschemes chemes tto o iinsulate nsulate h omes, demise off tthe Green tthe he d emise o he G reen Deal D eal a and nd tthe he sscrapping crapping o off Zero Carbon Homes tthe he Z ero C arbon H omes new buildings. sstandard tandard for for n ew b uildings.

The T he signatories sig nator ies to to the t he

Rtt H R Hon. on. Greg Greg C Clark lark M MP P

letter are calling new letter a re c alling ffor or n ew policies encourage policies tto oe ncourage househouseholders make energy holders tto o m a ke e nerg y efficiency ef ficienc y improvements improvemen e ts to off tthe to their t heir homes, homes, one one o he cheapest cheapest ways ways to to reduce reduce emissions. emissions.

The also calls T he lletter etter a l so c alls ffor or greater g reater action act ion on on tthe he ttranransition sit ion to to low low carbon carbon heat heat by helping by h elping investment investment in in district networks and dist r ict heat heat net works a nd faster faster installation installation of of electric electric heat off heat pumps pumps in in homes homes o ff tthe he gas grid. g r id. gas ENQUIRY

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16 ENERGY Matters Scottish solar firm Show homes help to promote efficiency lends its expertise Scottish solar panel manufacturer AES Solar has been selected to work on Heat4Cool, an EU-wide project to promote the development of renewable technology. The firm will work alongside other researchers and companies who specialise in renewable technology in Spain, Italy, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and Belgium.

The idea behind the Heat4Cool project is to create a fully integrated system using all the different renewable measures available and make them work together optimally in homes.

Grant Feasey, Senior Design Engineer at AES Solar, says: “It is fantastic that we have been selected to work on the project and are able to contribute our expertise. It’s a real accolade for us that we were the solar company that was selected to represent solar from thousands of

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Grant Feasey, Senior Design Engineer at AES Solar

companies and researchers in the whole of Europe.

“One of the most exciting parts of the project will be working on four buildings throughout Europe. Two are actual homes and two are test centres. The idea is that by the end of the project there will be one super, fully integrated renewable system that can be replicated across Europe.”

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A recent study from the National Energy Foundation (NEF) has highlighted how the use of ‘show homes’ could help promote the benefits of energy savings through retrofit and renovation.

The new report, ‘Show Homes: An effective force for inspiring domestic retrofit’, looks at how show homes can be used very effectively to raise public awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, and how they can generate interest among visitors who

might then go on to install similar measures in their own homes.

According to the NEF, show homes can raise awareness of what is possible and take

visitors from inspiration to action. The study identifies the SuperHomes project as an exemplar of promoting energy efficiency. This nationwide network of over 200 owneroccupied properties have been renovated by their owners to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 60%.

Each year, SuperHomes hosts the public in a series of open house events. Three in five visitors say it is ‘very likely’ they will improve the energy efficiency of their own homes following a visit.

Potential of combined heat and power As the Government works toward building an industrial strategy that addresses long-term challenges and meets the need for affordable energy for business, Remeha is urging Ministers to consider the benefits of combined heat and power (CHP), which it says can reduce energy bills by around 20% compared to conventional power generation, and can improve the efficiency of commercial heating.

Gary Stoddart, Technical Sales Director at Remeha, says: “While many cities across Scandinavia already utilise CHP plants to power their heating networks, uptake remains fairly low in the UK. We urge the Government to strongly consider increased support for local CHP systems to help reduce commercial energy costs and emissions.

“By generating heat and power simultaneously, CHP can reduce carbon

emissions by up to 30% compared to conventional generation. This is particularly beneficial for buildings with high and continuous year-round heating loads, such as hospitals, as the long running hours can achieve the most energy efficient operation. A recent report by the Sustainable Development Unit found that implementing CHP could save the NHS around £26.4m per annum.”

PHAM MAY17 Edit Pages:Layout 1 28/04/2017 09:42 Page 17

May 2017

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Going G oing the the d distance istance Ne New w to to Hilti’s Hilti’s lline-up ine-up o off cordless c ordless ttools ools iiss the the SF SF 6H6HA 22 c ordless h ammer d rill A22 cordless hammer drill driver. d river. This This latest latest addition addition to to tthe he 22V 22V Li-ion Li-ion b battery attery platform platform has h as a powerful powerful motor motor capable capab ble off 1 o 1600rpm, 600rpm, w which hich e enables nables u sers to to tackle tackle a wide wide v ariety users variety off applications o applications across across many many base b ase materials. materials.. addition being able IIn na ddition tto ob eing ab le tto o drill d rill with with auger auger a and nd sspade pade b bits its up u p tto o3 32mm 2mm d diameter iam meter iin nw wood, ood, and 13mm on metal with a nd up up tto o1 3mm o nm etal w ith HSS drill H SS d rill bits, bits, users users can can also also undertake u ndertake hammer hammer drilling drilling up iin n diameters diameters u p tto o 14mm 14mm in in brick, masonry, b rick, m asonry, ssand-lime and-lime

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PHAM MAY17 Edit Pages:Layout 1 28/04/2017 09:42 Page 18

May 2017

BUSINESS USINESS Matters Matters s 18 BU

Mortgages M ortgages ffor or the the self self employed employed Getting a mortgage Getting mortgage is is rarely rarely an an easy easy process, process, but but for for the the self-employed self-employed it it can can feel fe eel like like an an even even greater greater challenge. challenge. Simon Simon Walklin-Knight, Walklin-Knight, a Mortgage Mortgage and and Protection Protection Adviser Adviser at at John John Charcol, Charcol, looks looks at at what what the the self-employed self-employed can can do do to to improve improve their their chances chances of of approval. approval.

W

e all alll know know it’s it’s difficult difficult for for first-time first-time b uyers to to get get a mortgage, mortgage, but but as as a buyers pr ofessional iin n tthe he p lumbing a nd professional plumbing and h eat ing iindustry, ndustr y, you you may may be be aware aware it it can ca n heating a lso b ea se qually d ifficult tto og et a m ortgage also be as equally difficult get mortgage iiff y you’re ou’re a b business usiness o owner, w ner, c contractor ontractor o orr ssimply imply classed classed as as sself-employed. elf-employed.

IIn n recent recent years, years, llenders enders h have av ve b become ecome m more ore c au utious about ab bout how how much much and and to to whom whom they they cautious are a re willing willing to to lend. lend. Before Before the the financial financial crash crash iin n 2008, 2008, self-employed self-employed workers workers could could apply apply ffor or ‘‘self-certification’ self-certification’ or or ‘self-cert’ ‘self-cert’ mortgages mortgages w here no no pr oof o ncome ssuch uch a s ttax ax rreturns, eturns, where proof off iincome as a udited accounts accounts or or bank bank statements statements were were audited rrequired. equired. H oweverr, tthe he ssystem ystem w as abused abused a nd However, was and ass a rresult a esult ffast-track ast-track a and nd sself-cert elf-cert m mortgages ortgages w ere banned. banned. Since Since then then it’s it’s become become a lot lot were harder h arder ffor or tthe he sself-employed, elf-employed, freelancers freelancers and and contractors c ontractors to to get get a mortgage. mortgage. The The good good news, news, however, h owever, iis s tthat hat it’s it’s not not iimpossible. mpossible.

What W hat you you need need The most The most recent recent fi figures g ures ffrom rom tthe he O Office ffice ffor or N at ional S tat ist ics sshow how tthat hat iin n tthe he llast a st National Statistics y ear, a n a ddit ional 1 25,0 0 0 people people have have year, an additional 125,000 b ecome sself-employed, elf-employed, ttaking ak ing tthe he ttotal otal become number n umber tto oan new ew h high igh o off 4 4.8million, .8million, o orr 15 15.1% .1%

Type T ype of of business business

of of those t hose in in work. work. With Wit h so so many many potential potent ial bor rowers, you’d you’d think think that that lenders lenders w ould borrowers, would be ffalling alling o ver tthemselves hemselves tto o o ffer m ore be over offer more self-employed self-employed mortgages; mor tgages; h however, owever, iit’s t’s impor tant to to understand understand that t hat there t here is is no no important such thing t hing as as a ‘self-employed’ ‘self-employed’ m or tgage. such mortgage.

As someone someone that’s that’s self-employed, self-employed, you’ll you’ll be be As apply y ing ffor or a n or mal m or tgage. H owever, applying normal mortgage.

However, because because y you ou o own wn y your our o own wn b business, usiness, whether whether a as sac contractor ontractor or or one one w who ho iis s sselfelf-

How you How you set set up up your your plumbing plumbing ga and nd h heating eating business b usiness will w ill a affect ffect h how ow a llender ender w will ill v view iew a nd assess assess y ou : and you: Sole S ole ttrader: rader: If If y you’re ou’re a one-man one-man b band, a nd , keeping k eeping records records and and accounts account s will w i l l be be rrelatively elat ively straightforward st ra ig ht for ward – especially espec ial ly ass you’ll a you’l l be be keeping keeping all al l the t he profits. profit s. If If you y ou d o y our tax t a x by by self-assessment self-assessm s ent a nd g et do your and get HMRC H MRC to to c calculate alculate iitt ffor or y you, ou, y you ou m may ay g get et a fform orm c called alled a an nS SA302.

A302. This This shows shows the the total total iincome ncome received received and and the the total total tax tax due. due. Your Your llender ender m may ay w want ant to to see see this this alongside alo l ngside d your your a ccount s, sso o make make sure su r e h ave tthis h is rready eady accounts, have when w hen a applying. pply ing. IIt’s t ’s iimportant mpor tant tto ob be ea aware wa re tthat hat the t he lower lower your your net net profit, profit, the t he less le s s a e nde r w will ill b be e pr prepared epared tto o le llend nd y you. ou. employed, you’ll you’ll have hav ve to to provide provide significantly significantly llender employed, Partnership: If you’ve gone into business Pa r t n e r s h i p : I f y o u’ v e g o n e i n t o b usiness more p aperwork tto o pr ove y our iincome. ncome. Y ou’ll more paperwork prove your You’ll with w i t h s someone o m e o n e e else, l s e , y you o u m might i g h t h have a v e sset et u up pa need to to make make sure sure you you h ave y our a ccounts need have your accounts partnership.

When looking at your income, p a r t n er s h i p .

Wh e n l o o k i n g a t y o u r i n c o m e, and tax tax return ret ur n at at the t he ready. ready. and mortgage m ortgage llenders enders will will look look at at your your individual individual Gathering G athering evidence evidence sshare hare of of the the profits. profits. It’s It’s therefore therefore important important to make sure you have accounts t o m a k e s u r e y o u h a v e a c c o u n t s tthat hat sshow how Here’s H He re’s a llook ook a att w what hat y you ou w will ill n need eed tto o pr provide, ovide, exactly how much money you made so that e x a c t ly h o w m uc h m o n e y y o u m a d e s o t h at a depending d epending o on ny your our sstatus: tat us: mortgage lender can see your annual income. m o r t g a g e l e n d e r c a n s e e y o u r a n n u al l i n c om e.

Sel f-Employed/ Business Owners: Owners: A Self-Employed/Business Ass Limited company: Setting up a limited L i m i t e d c om p an y : S e t t i n g u p l i m i t e d llittle itt le as as one one year’s year’s trading trading with w it h one one y year’s ear’s company means that you keep your business c o m p a n y m e a n s t h a t y o u k e e ep y o u r b u s i n e s s a ccounts. You You won’t won’t necessarily necessar ily need need to to accounts. separate from your personal affairs.

A s e p a r a t e f r o m y o u r p e r s o n a l a f f a i r s . h ave an an accountant accountant but but if if you you don’t don’t have have have company imited c ompany will w ill have have at at least least one one o ne, iitt m ay restrict restr ict y our m ortgage o ptions. llimited one, may your mortgage options. director and, in some cases, company d i r e c t o r a n d , i n s o m e c a s e s , a c o m p a ny IIff y ou do do decide decide to to employ employ a na ccountant, you an accountant, secretary.

Directors normally pay themselves s e c r e t a r y .

D i r e c t o r s n o r m a l ly p a y t h e m s e lv es make m ake ssure ure tthey hey a are re e either it her a C Chartered h a r t er e d o orr basic salary plus dividend payments.

Some a b a s i c s a l a r y p l u s d i v i d e n d p ay y m e n t s .

S o m e C er t ified accountant. accountant. Generally, Generally, lenders lenders Certified mortgage lenders will consider retained m o r t g a g e l e n d e r s w i l l c o n s i de r r et a i ne d w ill base base their t heir c alculat ions o ny our m o st will calculations on your most profits ofits when when assessing assessing an an application applicat ion of of rrecent ecent years’ years’ net net pr ofit o na verage o ver pr profit orr a an average over this but won’t. t his ssort, or t, b ut some some w on’t. tthe he p period er iod o off ttwo wo y years. ears.

That mean company That can can m ean tthat hat c ompany C ontractor: A track track rrecord ecord Contractor: ““A A cclean lean cr credit edit directors directors can can find find it it more more off p o past ast w work ork w with ith a llikelihood ikelihood difficult get mortgage dif ficult to to g et a m or tgage o future work. work. If If you’ve you’ve been been off future history boost histor y will will boo st than employees. t han their t heir e mployees. If If contracting c ontracting ffor or lless ess tthan han a y year, ear, your your chances ch hances you you fi find nd y yourself ourself iin n tthis h is do n’t p anic! There Th here are are lenders lenders don’t panic! of of getting getting a situation, good sit uat ion, a g ood mortgage mor tgage iin n the the market market who who offer offer a less less mortga g ge” mortgage” broker broker can can help help ensure ensure the t he rrestrictive estrictive approach, approach, especially especially lender takes t a ke s b ot h tthese hese lender both iiff you you can can prove prove a track p track record record elements off y your elements o our iincome ncome o egular w ork iin n tthe he ssame ame off rregular work nto consideration consideration when when assessing assessing mortgage mortgage iindustry ndustry or or role. role. So, So, for for example, example, if if you’ve you’ve left left iinto affordability. ffordabilit y. ffull-time ull-time employment employmen m nt tto ow ork as as a contractor contractor a work iin n tthe he p lumbing and and heating heating iindustry, ndustry, o ou plumbing orr y you h av ve e vidence o uture w ork, iitt w ill help help to to have evidence off ffuture work, will b oost your your application. applic cation. boost IIff y ou already already h av ve a m ortgage a nd y ou’re you have mortgage and you’re llooking ooking tto o rremortgage, emortgage, iit’d t’d b eag ood iidea dea tto o be good sstart tart with with your your existing existing lender, lender, as as they’re they’re in in tthe he b est p osition tto ok now y our h istory. B ut best position know your history.

But iiff they’re they’re unable unable to to help, help, there there will will be be other other le nders tthat hat w ill c onsider your your application. application. lenders will consider A healthy healthy deposit: deposit: T here’s n oe scaping tthe he There’s no escaping ffact act that that your your chances chances o etting a m ortgage off g getting mortgage w ill iincrease ncrease ssignificantly ignificantly b yh aving a llarge arge will by having d eposit. IItt w ill a lso h elp y ou ssecure ecure a llower ower deposit. will also help you rrate ate a nd ttherefore herefore iitt c ould rreduce educe y our and could your mon t hly rrepayments. epay ments. monthly A good good credit credit history: history: A c lean c redit h istory clean credit history w ill b oost y our c hances o etting a m ortgage. will boost your chances off g getting mortgage.

B e aware aw ware however however e that that as as a business business owner, owner, Be tthe he llender ender w ill c redit c heck b oth y ou a nd y our will credit check both you and your b usiness sso o iit’s t’s iimportant mportant tto om ake ssure ure y our business make your c redit h istory iis s iin na sg ood a sshape hape a sp ossible. credit history as good as possible.

Y ou can can actually actually check check it it yourself, yourself, for for free. free. So So You e nsure any any unpaid unpaid or or llate ate d ebts a re ssettled. ettled. ensure debts are

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Good G ood advice advice Before ap Before applying ply ing for for any any mortgage mor tgage it’s it’s iimportant mpor tant to to get get advice adv ice ffrom rom b both ot h y your our accountant a ccountant a and nd a mortgage mor tgage b broker. roker. A m ortgage b roker is is invaluable invaluable when when ap pplying mortgage broker applying ffor or a any ny m mortgage or tgage b but ut e especially specially w when hen y you ou are a re self-employed. self-employed. They’ll They’ll understand understand the the llenders enders tthat hat a re w illing to to lend lend tto o sselfelfare willing employed e mployed c clients, lients, which which lenders lende d rs will will include include rretained etained pr ofits, and and which which will will accept accept lless ess profits, tthan han ttwo wo y ea r s o ccounts. years off a accounts.

A nd most most iimportantly mpor tantly o ll tthey hey w ill b e And off a all will be able ab le tto oh help elp y you ou fi find nd tthe he b best est d deal. eal. G Getting ett ing a mortgage mortgage when when you’re you’re self-employed self-employed can can b e ttrickier, r ickier, b ut a s I ssaid aid a he sstart, tar t, iit’s t’s n ot be but as att tthe not iimpossible, mpossible, e specially iiff y ou h ave tthe he rright ight especially you have a ccountant and and mortgage mor tgage broker broker working work ing accountant ttogether oget her ffor or y ou. you.

F or more For m or e information i n f or m a t ion o on n sself-employed e lff- e mp l o y e d ortgage rtgage b broker roker mortgages m ortgages or or to to speak speak with with a mo a ohn C harcol p lease v isit: w ww.charcol.co.uk/ att JJohn Charcol please visit: www.charcol.co.uk/ sself-employed elf-employed

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May 2017

BUSINESS BU USINESS Matters Matters s 21 Be B e on on time time to to win win over over customers customers Home services Home ser vices marketplace marketplace Pl entific.com’s llatest atest ssurvey ur vey Plentific.com’s h as rrevealed evealed tthat hat p unctuality has punctuality iis s tthe he most most desirable desirable q uality quality h omeowners lo ok ffor or w hen homeowners look when h ir ing ttradesmen, radesmen, w ith hiring with 8 4% ranking ranking iitt h ighest.

84% highest.

H aving a p olite m anner Having polite manner a nd responding responding pr omptly and promptly iin n communication communication a lso also h ave a p ositive influence influe u nce have positive a ccording tto o 8 3%. A hird according 83%.

Att tthird p lace, 8 1% ffeel eel that that they they place, 81% a re more more llikely ikely tto oh i re o ne are hire one w ho can can talk talk them them through through who

the pr ocess o heir project. p oject. pr the process off ttheir Communication a s w ell Communication as well as o rganisation a ppear as organisation appear to dominate dominate tthe he ttop op o to off the table, table, w hich ssuggests uggests the which that homeowners homeowners v alue that value

professionalism professionalism iin n ttradesradespeople. This This is is further further people. emphasised b y tthe he q ualities emphasised by qualities which ffollow ollow o n tthe he llist: ist: which on 78% are are more more llikely ikely l to to hire hire 78% tradesman if if tthey hey ssend end a tradesman

through a professional professional quote, quote, through while 69% 69% are are more more llikely ikely to to while choose a ttradesman radesm man if if they they choose create a solid solid schedule. schedule. create The q ualities ranking ranking The qualities bottom o he llist ist ssuggest uggest bottom off tthe thatt appearances ap ppearances have have less less of of that an iimpact mpact on on a h omeowner’s an homeowner’s choices. Having Hav ving a modern, modern, choices. clean and and professional prrofessional clean looking v an m akes o nly 4 7% looking van makes only 47% of h omeowners m ore llikely ikely of homeowners more to h ire a ttradesman, radesm man, w hilst to hire whilst wear ing a branded branded uniform uniform wearing influences o nly 2 2%. influences only 22%.

Financial F inancial jargon jargon a barrier barrier to to loans loans An new ew ssurvey urvey ffrom rom L LDF, DF, a an n iindependent ndependent pr provider ovidero o offsm small all business b usiness finance finance solutions, solutions, has h as revealed revealed that that nearly nearly half half ((48.2%) 48.2%) o off U UK K sm small all b businesses usinesses have h av ve been been put put o off ff a applying pplying ffor or fi finance nance ssimply imply b because ecause tthey hey ffound o ound tthe he tterminology erminology difficult understand. d ifficult tto o u nderstand.

Acronyms A cronyms like like COGS, COGS, ROCE ROCE and a nd EBITDA EBITDA were were sshown hown tto o be be the the least least understood. understood.

Despite D espite sstruggling truggling w with ith some of some of the the jargon, jargon, however, however, only 39.8% professional o nly 3 9.8% of of pr ofessional sservices ervices SMEs SMEs have hav ve been been tturned urned down down for for finance finance against a gainst an an average av verage o off 46.9% 4 6.9% across across a all ll tthe he sectors sectors ssurveyed u r v e y e d (professional ( profe s s ion a l sservices, er v ic e s, administrative ad m i n i st r at iv e sservices, er v ic e s, wholesale whole s a le & rretail, et a i l , human hu m a n health/ h a lt h / he m e d ica l, ma nu fac t u r i ng medical, manufacturing

and and construction). construction n).

The ssurvey urvey ya lso rev rrevealed ealed The also that thatt 62.7% 62.7% o off S SMEs MEs ffelt elt tthat hat the approval of, orr ttime the a pproval o f, o ime taken taken to to receive, receive, money money had had a negative negative impact impact on on their their business. business. The Th he delay delay iin n receiving receiving finance finance also also had had an emotional with an e motional iimpact, mpact, w ith 65.4% 65.4% saying saying that that they they felt felt stressed, stressed, the the highest highe est level level across across tthe he ssectors. ectors.

““It’s It’s iinteresting nteresting tto o ssee ee tthe he professional pr ofessional sservices ervices ssector’s ector’s view on business v iew o n b usiness finance finance and a nd the the terminology terminology around around Peter Alderson, iit,” t,” ssays ays P eter A lderson, MD off L LDF. LDF are M Do DF. ““We We att L DF a re committed c ommitted to to making making not not just just tthe he tterminology erminology of of finance, finance, but as easy, quick b ut access access to to iit, t, a se asy, q uick and an d trouble-free trouble-free as as possible.” possible.”

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www.ldf.co.uk www .ldf.co.uk

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Procurement P rocuremen nt rrisks isks According tto According o TenderSpace, TenderSpace, an online procurement and a no nline pr ocurement a nd collaboration c ollaborat ion p platform, latfor m, tthe he UK U K construction constr uct ion iindustry ndustr y iis sb blighted lighted b by y pr p procurement ocurement ffraud raud that t hat is is costing cost ing companies c ompanies some some billions billions off p o pounds. ounds.

A recent recent PKF PKF Annual Annual Fraud Frau ud IIndicator ndicator ((2016) 2016) report repor t also a l so ssays ays there t here is is evidence ev idence that t hat ffraud raud is is costing cost ing SMEs SMEs in in tthe he construction constr uct ion iindustry ndustr y a round £ 2billio on. around £2billion.

D av id Stapleton, Stapleton, C EO of of David CEO T enderSpace, p oints o ut tthat hatt TenderSpace, points out tthere here are are ways ways contractors contractors c an gain gain more more iinsight nsight iinto nto can w ho they t hey work work with. w it h. who

““By By running r unning a credit credit risk r i sk rreport eport o ny our ssupply upply c hain on your chain p ar tners, y ou c an c heck partners, you can check ttheir heir payment pay ment h istor y a nd history and n egate tthe he rrisk i sk o raud negate off ffraud a nd late late payment,” payment,” he he says. says. and ““Specifiers Specifiers also also want want to to work work w it h c ont ractors w ho c an with contractors who can sshow how their their qualifications qualifications and and ttrustworthiness rustworthiness for for jobs jobs too. too.

P requalification documents documents Prequalification c an take take time t ime tto o fi ll iin, n, b ut can fill but e asy-to-use technology technolog y like like easy-to-use T enderSpace c an he lp w ith TenderSpace can help with a ll o hese iissues ssues a nd m ake all off tthese and make c ollaborat ing e asier – and and collaborating easier ssafer.” afer.”

F orr m ore information, info ormattion, visit: visit: For more w ww.thetende d rspace.com www.thetenderspace.com

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May 2017

22 TRAINING Update Premier setting for taking gas courses

Dedicated to Nest Heating engineers and electricians can now sign up to Baxi’s dedicated half-day Nest training courses across the UK. The training will help installers understand how to install and set up the learning thermostat, understanding how it works alongside other Nest connected products, and how to hand over to the customer. They can also sign up to the Nest Pro programme, which gives exclusive tools, VIP support and local customer referrals.

Steve Owen, National

Training Manager at Baxi, says: “Nest has transformed the way we look at controls in the heating industry. It is simple to use and helps to ensure that homes are heated to the correct levels, at the right times of day. Not only will Nest Pro help boost their business, it will also help make households more efficient and save customers money.”

For more information, visit the website: www.baxi.co.uk/ trade-area/training /nesttraining.htm

In a move to highlight its quality training, NAPIT has rebranded its offering as the Premier Training Academy and is encouraging installers to take advantage of courses through its Premier Gas Training Centre.

For those in the domestic sector, NAPIT offers the Core Domestic Natural Gas Safety and Appliances course in Sevenoaks. It includes training and assessment

of Core Domestic Gas Safety (CCN1), Central Heating Boilers and Instant Water Heaters (CENWAT), Gas Cookers (CKR1) and Gas Fires/ Heaters (HTR1).

This course, which takes up to five days to complete, is for anyone who wishes to work on domestic gas installations and appliances.

Completing the course allows candidates to work in the gas industry in accordance with

the limitations of the Gas Safe register. On completion of the course, candidates will receive a certificate of competence recognised by Gas Safe. It can be taken first time or as a reassessment, whilst units can also be taken individually.

Also available through NAPIT is the Core Commercial Heating Natural Gas Safety and Appliances course, which is required

for anyone wishing to work on non-domestic gas heating installations over 70kW input, including commercial heating and hot water appliances.

As with the domestic course, candidates will receive a certificate of competence upon completion and the course can be undertaken in the same way.

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Why copper delivers added benefits Highlighting the advantages of using copper for pipework and fittings, a new CPD programme has been devised by Conex Bänninger for specifiers and M&E contractors. Stockists and installers will also find it useful, says the company.

As well as showcasing copper’s main performance benefits, the programme includes an update on current codes of practice and

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explains how the material helps meet increasingly stringent building standards.

The CPD also addresses

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the role copper can play in maintaining water hygiene and how its anti-microbial properties can combat

Legionnaires’ Disease.

The programme also considers the full range of products and jointing solutions on the market, from solder and braze to compression, threaded and push-fit.

Those interested in attending should contact Richard Smith via email: richard. smith@ibpgroup.com.

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May 2017

TRAINING Update 23 Make a date for Competent people hands-on courses New dates for free training on the latest piping systems and sanitary systems have been announced by Geberit, with installers urged to book quickly to avoid disappointment.

Installers can choose from a selection of training modules, tailored for their specific needs and level of experience.

The training takes place at the company’s new Training Academy based at its new head office in Warwick. Complete with a two-storey installation tower used to demonstrate good and bad plumbing practice, this purpose-built facility enables installers to get to grips with products and benefit from hands-on experience.

With no charge for attending, sanitary solutions training attendees also receive a free Geberit Duofix frame and flush plate, while piping installers receive a selection of piping fittings, to put their new-found knowledge to the test. For details of training dates or to book a course, please visit the website below or enter the number on the freepost enquiry card inside this issue. www.geberit.co.uk

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A new Competent Person Scheme (CPS) is now available from Blue Flame Certification (BFC) aimed at installers of oil heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The company is UKAS accredited and DCLG approved and has been offering certification services in gas, electrical and renewable technologies for over 12 years.

The CPS will give competent individuals and organisations the ability to self-certify that

their work complies with Building Regulations, without the need to submit a building notice to Local Authority Building Control or use an Approved Inspector, thus avoiding unnecessary costs.

BFC also offers a range of Approved Installer memberships for other building services work that can be selfcertified, including electrical work and hot water systems.

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CPD seminars on underfloor heating

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Discounts on gas To mark the opening of its new ACS Gas Centre in Bristol, the South West Construction Academy (SWCA) is offering a 20% discount on all bookings for two or more engineers to renew their qualifications. The discount will apply to any bookings made before the end of October.

MD Shane McCallum comments: “We originally built our gas centre as part of the apprenticeship framework.

We currently have around 76 apprentices working for a large range of employers in and around the Bristol area, and the fourth year of their course is gas. We thought it would make sense to open this centre up to the trade. We look forward to running ACS training and assessments for gas engineers in the area.”

Visit www.swconstructionacademy.co.uk for details.

A RIBA accredited CPD seminar on water based underfloor heating systems is now available from Polypipe at the company’s Professional Development Centre in Doncaster.

The CPD seminar is designed to expand specifier knowledge, highlighting the aesthetic and energy saving benefits of UFH systems and the latest generation of temperature controls, as well as its potential use with ground or air source heat pumps. Other topics include an overview of the wide choice of floor finishes and installation methods, from screeded and suspended, to retrofitting over existing floors.

Rachel Smith, Head of Marketing at Polypipe Building Products, says: “By offering a wide variety of information and training sessions, we are hoping to maintain the high skill levels within the industry and keep architects, specifiers and installers up-to-date with the latest UFH technology and best practice.”

To find out more, or to book a Polypipe UFH RIBA accredited CPD session, please visit: www.polypipeufh.com/RIBA-CPD

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24 COMPANY Spotlight

Finding what the market wants Staffordshire based Intatec prides itself on designing and sourcing products that offer something different to what’s already on the market. PHAM News recently spoke to founder and MD Stuart Gizzi about how the business operates and the success of the Inta brand.

G

iving the customer what they want – or at least what they need – has to be a good starting point for any enterprise. If you can provide said products at a price point that the market finds appealing, then you could be on to a winner.

Stuart Gizzi, MD of Intatec, has an impressive track record of sourcing products and solutions for the heating and plumbing Stuart Gizzi, MD of Intatec market that manufacturers need, merchants are happy to stock, and installers want to fit. As well as having a good eye for what might sell, Stuart explains that the success of the business comes down to a willingness to talk to installers and keeping on top of technology. A regular at trade shows – both as a visitor and an exhibitor – he argues that there’s no substitute to communicating with people face to face.

“I’ve always loved exhibitions, I go to them all the time,” says Stuart. “As well as offering a chance to promote our products, they offer a good opportunity to get feedback from customers – and talking to customers, the people who fit our products, is the only way you can understand what they want. We also visit exhibitions abroad looking for new products. We’re always on the lookout for what is coming in and what the market is likely to want.”

us we make it work. And we’ve had the support of an incredibly good a team, including our Sales Director Darren Bougourd and our National Sales Manager Rob Jones. We’re a very close family unit and that’s how it’s worked. I think we’ve got one of the best external sales teams in the industry, and they’ve been tremendously loyal. Not just the sales staff, but those who work in the office and warehouse too.”

Earlier this year, the company unveiled the latest evolution of its Intamix TMV range with a quick-fit system that reduces the number of connections to the valve from five to three. The valve’s overall size has also been reduced, enabling it to be installed in locations where space is at a premium.

“We are continually innovating and collaborating with installers to identify ways to improve and upgrade our products,” says Stuart.

In the mix “But one of the things we won’t do is Intatec and the company’s now set out to make a product as cheap familiar Inta brand first saw the light as we possibly can. We’d actually of day in 2005 with the launch of prefer to sacrifice margin and offer the Intamix range of thermostatic a product that actually works and is Intatec’s new ActivFlo water conditioners mixing valves. Originally a division reliable. We’re not big enough to get of Altecnic and then an independent business from 2010 it wrong, so if we have to sacrifice margin, or not launch onwards, the company has enjoyed steady growth as the a product because we can’t make money out of it, then product range has expanded and a growing number of so be it.” installers have become familiar with what Intatec has to Going with the Flo offer.

“We’ve gone from strength to strength,” says Stuart. It was with the goal of providing something that was a “Our turnover in 2010 was about £6 million and this year step up from products that were already available on the we should be very close to £30m, so that’s reasonable market that the company recently launched the ActivFlo growth, and in recent times we’ve achieved double digit range of domestic and commercial water conditioners.

“Rather than just having a water conditioner that only growth year on year.” works for a few years, we wanted to move it to the next It was the company’s first range of products – the Intamix level – giving a 15 year warranty on the ActivFlo, rather valves which ensure that water coming out of taps is always than just following the crowd. It took us a long time to find at a safe temperature – which really helped to raise brand it, but we found a product which really works. With combi awareness. Intatec has probably done boilers, plate heating exchangers and washing machines more than any other manufacturer to getting clogged up, we think there is a big market for this promote the importance of hot water kind of fit-and-forget solution.” safety. In 2007 it published a free advice Team effort Other products that are currently doing well for the book for installers called ‘Everything you business include its ever-expanding range of Hiper Heat Stuart is the first to acknowledge need to know about anti-scald’ and has Interface Units (HIUs), the IntaKlean magnetic system that Intatec is very much a team campaigned to improve regulations and filters and the Zilmet range of expansion vessels. So are effort though, and he works closely widen industry knowledge about the there any gaps in the product range that the company is with fellow Director Cynthia Fisher TMV2 and TMV3 standards. looking to plug? and the sales team to ensure that “We’ve given half a million booklets “We undergo a gap analysis every six months,” says all additions to the range are given away,” says Stuart. “It’s helped to get the Stuart. “Clearly, we could always do more but sometimes every opportunity to succeed. He says brand out there, but it has also meant we decide to do something about it and other times we that the secret to their long-lasting business partnership is that everyone The new quick-fit Intamix TMV range that installers have gained a better don’t. The biggest challenge is always to offer something understanding of what thermostatic different to that which is already available. There’s no plays to their strengths.

“Cynth has always been the heart of the business and mixing valves are all about. The regulations have a made point in trying to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, so I’ve been the engine,” he explains. “I’m great at finding a difference, but they’re not enforced enough and there each year we will keep coming out with new products, new products and coming up with ideas, but I’m not are still a lot of installers who aren’t really aware of the new ideas and new concepts.”

PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No. www.intatec.co.uk always so good at putting them into practice. Between Building Regulation requirements.”

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Advertisement Feature

26 Company Spotlight

Plumbase takes pride in business

Getting to know you Each month, PHAM News shines the spotlight on installers around the country to get a picture of what life is like for them at work and at play.

NAME: Michael Goodall

With the UK’s plumbing and heating industry as dynamic as ever, Paul Bullivant, Commercial Director at Plumbase, tells PHAM News how 2017 is shaping up to be a key year for the plumber’s merchant.

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s one of the UK’s leading national plumber’s merchants, our main objective has, and will always be, to offer the best products, customer service, and added value to our customers. With that being said, we are also very conscious of how both our network of branches and the needs of our customers have evolved over time.

We can’t assume that what we’ve always done is what we should continue to do, and for that reason, we have already embarked on a significant level of market analysis to gain a full understanding of what exactly installers in 2017 want from their merchant.

being able to network with like-minded professionals, industry leading suppliers and their local Plumbase branch team.

It’s clear that the need for the traditional merchant is as strong as ever, but it’s important to recognise that when we talk about ‘traditional’, we are not talking about being backwards-looking or stuck in our ways.

What we are talking about is concentrating on the things that our customers like about using a merchant and developing these qualities to help make their lives easier.

For example, we know that our strong relationships with suppliers is a strength and using this to bring customers closer to the latest products in 2017 is one of many ways we are able to add value to our customer service proposition. To that end, we have brought back our popular ‘Innovation Nights’, which give installers a chance to take a look at the latest products on offer, while

FROM: Leeds

Knowledge and service

The fact of the matter is that a professional plumber or heating engineer needs a professional merchant. For Plumbase, this means keeping our customers central to everything we do and putting proper investment into our teams behind the counter and building our expertise behind the scenes too, to keep our customers happy.

Nothing typifies this better than our recent investments in a brand new Sales DevelopCustomer research ment Centre and our Plumbase Response Having partnered with the CIPHE to team. The Sales Development Centre is conduct an in-depth customer research reaching out to our new account cusprogramme, we’ve been able to broadly tomers as well as existing and inaccategorise our customers tive ones to discuss into three main their individual business types. With each needs. Meanone of these while, the customer types Plumbase Recharacterised sponse team is by its own set armed to supof needs, this port customers is where we’re that are operating working extremely hard over very large geographbehind the scenes to ensure that cal areas and are therefore we can offer the right kind of service. utilising the services of mulYes, today’s trade professionals tiple branches up and down might like to see longer branch the county.

The Plumbase opening hours, an online retail option, Response team is on hand to or delivery guarantees, but values support these particular cussuch as customer service, technical Plumbase: proud tomers with logistics of UK-wide to back trade expertise, and product availability still professionals orders and despatch. come first. There is no question that It’s important for us to the use of smart phones and the ease of recognise that for many of our customers internet access is affecting our industry, but – especially the sole traders – running a many are still holding true to the core values business is a lot of hard work.

They have a held by merchants and the services they host of things to think about every single have to offer. These values are synonymous day so we need to make sure that they are with a capable, friendly and dedicated branch looked after and given the support they counter team. need at branch level.

Traditional values

COMPANY: i-Plumb Leeds

Proud to be Plumbase As a team we provide a service to be proud of. Our customers depend on us to deliver the services they need, when they need them. And that’s exactly what we do. From advice to great prices to stock availability, we’re always there to help. Plumbase is proud to support the plumbing and heating professional.

Your local branch: To find a Plumbase near you, please visit www.plumbase.co.uk/storefinder Facebook.com/plumbaseuk @plumbaseuk

At work... At play...

How often do you work weekends?

“I’ve got a young family, so I try not to work weekends if it can be helped. That said, if a customer calls with an emergency and another member of the team can’t make it, I’ll go and help out – I’d never want to leave somebody without heating or hot water. Luckily I work with two other people who have flexibility over the weekends, so between the three of us, there’s always somebody there to answer the phone.”

Have you ever visited a trade exhibition – if so, was it worthwhile?

“I go to as many exhibitions and trade shows as I can. We even went to the Renewables show in London this year, which was fantastic. They’re always worth going to as they offer a great chance to find out about the latest ideas and product innovations that people are putting forward. It’s also a brilliant chance to speak to other installers and stay ahead of the game.”

What is the best part of the job you do?

“I’d say the best part of the job is when you can help a customer in their time of need. A customer called us recently after her boiler had stopped working. She’d been left with no heating or hot water overnight and was worried about how much a replacement boiler would cost. After a couple of hours we managed to repair the system and even serviced it for her. Seeing how happy and appreciative she was made my day.”

What tool would you least like to do without?

“I couldn’t live without a flat screwdriver in my pocket – I’ve told all of the lads who work for me that it’s the first tool they should have. I use it for everything: it stirs your cup of tea, makes a good door wedge and obviously helps with screws!”

Do you use social media to promote your business?

“I use social media a lot and have accounts on everything from Instagram to YouTube, but the ones that get the most interaction are Twitter and Facebook.

A lot of customers, as well as potential customers, will comment with issues they’re having with their current boiler, or with queries about a replacement job, and on Facebook we can answer those questions straightaway. ”

How much tea or coffee do you drink in a typical day?

“I have to have a coffee in the morning to wake me up, but we’re normally up with the kids quite early anyway. I won’t have another coffee after that, but I will have a cup of tea if the customer offers me one. Then I’ll have a cup of tea before I go to bed, so I’m not a massive tea and coffee drinker, really.”

Can you cook, and what’s your best dish?

“I can do a really good full English breakfast. Other than that, if I do cook, it’ll usually be a stew or a curry in the slow cooker. We like hearty meals, and with those kind of dishes you don’t really have to do much.”

What was the last box set that you watched on TV? “We tend to be watching a lot of catch-up lately, but the last full series we watched was Breaking Bad – that was really good. Oh, and we watched Narcos quite recently actually, which was excellent as well.”

What is your favourite sport to watch?

“Football, hands down. I support Leeds United – everybody from Leeds supports them. Wherever you go in the world, there’s always somebody with a Leeds United shirt on! I try to go to matches when I can, but it’s a busy life being a plumber, especially when you’ve got kids and you’re running a business.”

What do you listen to when you’re driving?

“I recently bought the new Ed Sheeran album which I quite like, but I normally just have the radio on. It might be boring, but it’s usually on Radio 2 as I can’t be listening to anything too energetic all day long. Something a bit mellower works for me.”

Do you do any DIY at home?

“I do all the DIY at home. I bought my first house when I was 20 years old and renovated that, and we’re currently renovating an old bakery.

There’s been quite a bit of work to do, but it’s been a really interesting project.”

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The right material for the job at hand While most installers tend to have their favourite between copper and plastic pipe, both materials have their particular advantages that suit them to different applications. Here, Drew Clough, Product Manager at Rehau, discusses the advantages of copper vs. polymer.

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opper piping was once the pipework of choice for plumbing installations, but since the 1950s, when plastic polymer alternatives hit the market, the popularity of copper piping has waned.

However, both are still used in installations today, and each material has its own merits.

Copper is a traditional and trusted solution which can be used for gas and water pipework. Many installers Drew Clough, Product will have learned their trade Manager for Rehau on copper piping and have all the necessary tools and experience required to negotiate most installations using only copper pipes. Homeowners, too, see copper pipework as a trusted plumbing solution for their homes.

Polymer pipe competes toe-to-toe with copper in terms of its uses and can be used for hot and cold water systems, central heating and underfloor heating. The most common polymer pipes used for heating installations are PE-X, PE-RT and PB. Let’s take a closer look at the key talking points for copper vs. polymer pipes.

Installation speed One of the reasons that polymer pipes have become so popular in the trade is because of the speed in which they can be installed, compared to copper piping. Polymer pipes are light and easy to bend by hand, making installations particularly quick and keeping labour costs down. As they are flexible, they are ideal for installations in restricted or awkward spaces.

PE-Xa pipes are made from cross-linked polyethene and have the highest flexibility of all PEX pipes. Should kinks occur in the pipework on site, these can be easily fixed using a heat gun to ensure any white lines or weak spots are repaired and the pipe is returned to

its original strength without the need for coupling.

This is possible because PE-Xa has a memory effect, meaning it will always return to its original shape and strength when heat is applied. PE-RT pipes and PB pipes both require coupling to repair kinks, which can add time to an installation.

When compared to polymer pipe installations, copper installations take much longer due to the time-consuming nature of having to use tools to cut and bend the pipework to the exact specification needed and soldering the connections.

Rehau’s Everloc system offers leak-free pipe connection

refurbishment can be sold to reduce costs for the customer, but unfortunately, it has a value for thieves too.

Although cheaper than copper pipes, polymer pipes also have variations in price. PE-Xa pipes are more durable and more flexible due to their cross-linking structure. However, manufacturing them is therefore Peace of mind more complicated, which makes them expensive when Push-fit connections can be used for both polymer compared to PE-RT or PB pipework. and copper pipework, but while these While the debate over whether copper or connectors are quick to install, they are polymer pipework is the optimum choice not the most robust or long lasting of for plumbing installations rolls on, one “Installers should do joints. This is because they rely on rubber thing is clear. Both materials have their their own research O-rings to seal them, so any corrosion advantages, and installers will always in the rubber over time means the joint on what products gravitate to the products they feel most will be prone to leaks. comfortable with. Installers should be work best for an For copper piping, soldering is normally encouraged to do their own research installation” the join of choice. This takes a degree of on what products may work best for an skill, and if done correctly, offers a leakinstallation, keeping an open mind as free seal for complete peace of mind. It is they may well find a more efficient, more undoubtedly the most time-consuming part of a copper durable or less expensive way of doing things. pipework installation, but it is necessary to ensure the Find out more pipework system is securely sealed.

For polymer piping installations, we recommend installers For more information on the range of pipework available use a compression sleeve jointing technique rather than from Rehau, including its compression sleeve joint solutions, push-fit connectors. A compression sleeve joint ensures a enter the number below on the freepost reader enquiry permanent seal without additional O-rings and uses the and registration card inside this month’s issue, or visit expanding and shrinking of the pipe to seal it directly the website below. onto the connection. The pipe is not reduced in diameter, www.rehau.com/gb-en ENQUIRY No. 117 ensuring minimal impact on water flow through the system.

If installers choose a compression sleeve joint like our Everloc system, there is a zero risk of leaking. To date, more than 850 million Everloc joints have been installed around the world, and no leaks have ever been reported.

Durability issue One of the great things about polymer pipes is that unlike copper pipes, they don’t get a build-up of limescale, so customers should always have fast flowing water through their pipework without the need for periodic flushing of the system. They don’t corrode over time, and they also don’t develop pin hole leaks, which is a common complaint with copper pipes.

Despite some problems with the degradation of the metal, copper pipework is very robust, particularly when it has soldered connections. It is particularly hard wearing and resistant to damage from rodents. PEX pipework is very quiet in operation and can withstand surge pressures much better than copper to avoid water hammer.

Looks and cost

Light and flexible, polymer pipes can be bent by hand, which makes installation quicker and keeps labour costs down

There is still a bias towards the aesthetics of copper over plastic when it comes to having pipework on display, for example in radiator drops. Some installers use a combination of the two types of pipework, switching from plastic to copper for exposed areas.

Copper is more expensive than polymer pipes due to global pricing influences for this valuable commodity. It also has value as scrap, which works both for and against the installer – any old copper pipework taken out during a ENQUIRY

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28 PIPES Fittings & Valves

The lasting benefits of copper The advantages of copper as a pipework material have never been more important as engineers and designers strive to meet ever more exacting performance specifications. Dan Wild, UK Business Unit Director for Conex Bänninger, discusses some of its major benefits.

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opper is one of the oldest metals known to man, with its use traced back thousands of years to the Bronze age and beyond. It was the first metal to be cast into a shape, in around 4000 years B.C. But it’s no less important today, playing a key role in helping specifiers and M&E contractors enhance a building’s technological footprint while still achieving high performance and cost goals.

As a noble metal, it resists corrosion and compares favourably to steel and iron. It is highly resistant to extremes of temperature, whether those be highs or lows, and in the case of a fire (its melting point is 1085°C) its non-flammable capabilities mean copper tube and fittings will not burn or give off toxic fumes. Copper also performs well in terms of its linear thermal expansion – or lack of it. Where the temperature rises by 30°C, copper pipework will expand by just 5mm over 10m. While marginally bettered by steel (4mm), it matches stainless steel, is better than aluminium (7mm) and comprehensively outperforms polyethylene (54mm) and PVC (60mm).

Anti-microbial A distinctive additional benefit of copper pipework is its well-known anti-microbial properties, which often makes it a must when specifying plumbing solutions in healthcare and medical environments. In fact, it can help to protect any communityfocused application where water hygiene is a concern.

It attacks a wide range of bacteria, including the potentially deadly legionella, and helps prevent a multitude of pseudomonas infections such as ‘swimmer’s ear’. Direct interaction between the surface of the copper and the bacterial

Dan Wild, Conex Bänninger

Copper pipework and fittings are widely used in medical environments because of the anti-microbial benefits

outer membrane causes it to rupture. As a result, the bacterium loses vital nutrients and water, and dies.

This relatively newly-discovered biocidal effect of copper and copper alloys is recognised by several major scientific bodies.

In 2014 the independent non-profit making ECRI Institute, whose guidance is looked to by more than 5000 healthcare organisations worldwide, listed anti-microbial copper as one of its ‘Top 10 Technologies to Watch’.

Of course, proper water hygiene continues to be absolutely essential with EN608 taking over from BS6700 as the applicable industry standard covering ‘specifications for installations inside buildings conveying water for human consumption’. This makes copper an essential material to specify at the design stage of a new drinking water system or a refurbishment.

The general rule for potable water is to keep cold water cold and hot water hot. Up to 20°C, bacteria can survive but are not active. At 60°C and above, some 90% of bacteria will be killed within two minutes.

The ‘optimal zone’ for bacteria to thrive is between 45°C and 60°C.

Legionella infection Legionella pneumophila is naturally present in wholesome water and is similar to pneumonia. Its favourite habitat is biofilm, where micro-organisms have gathered to produce a slimy substance that helps more nasty ‘gunk’ stick to it. At this stage the legionella are harder to kill.

The infection is spread to humans via droplets of water that people breathe in.

Potential sources, if not properly installed and maintained, include hot water tanks, cooling towers and evaporative condensers of large air conditioning systems, such as those commonly found in hospitals, hotels and large office buildings.

Thankfully, there is a wealth of practical advice, legislation and literature available in print and online providing today’s designers, specifiers, installers and water suppliers with guidance and technical information on preventing and managing Legionella and other contaminants. These range from the Health & Safety Executive’s ‘Legionnaires’ disease – the control of legionella bacteria in water systems’ to ‘Water Safety in Buildings’, published by the World Health Organisation.

From a sustainability perspective, copper has one further advantage. It is 100% recyclable. In fact, some 80% of copper ever mined is still in use today.

And while it takes 100 gigajoules of energy to refine one ton of copper, it takes only 10 gigajoules to reprocess it. So recycling is 90% better when environmental costs are taken into consideration.

The enduring qualities of copper continues to make it a favourite amongst installers, and its antimicrobial qualities can only enhance this.

CPD course Conex Bänninger has introduced a new CPD programme highlighting the advantages of copper as a preferential fitting material. The course looks at current legislation and codes of practice, and considers the full range of products and jointing solutions on the market.

Anyone interested in attending the CPD presentation should email Richard.

Smith@IBPGroup.com. www.conexbanninger.com

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Why push-fit systems can be the professional’s friend Push-fit fittings can help reduce installation time, but that is not their only benefit. Gareth Samuel, Product Manager for Hep2O at Wavin, discusses the advantages of push-fit systems and offers advice on obtaining the best results when using these fittings.

Push-fit fittings have become an increasingly popular choice for plumbing and heating installers. Designed with the installer in mind, the fittings offer a number of benefits ranging from reduced installation time and ease of use, to reliability in performance and compatibility with existing plumbing and heating systems.

For installers, the speed of installation is perhaps the most well-recognised benefit.

Unlike other plumbing and heating systems, push-fit fittings do not require the use of any additional tools to complete an installation.

Once the pipe has been measured and cut to length, installers simply connect it to the fitting and, for added ease, Hep2O fittings are pre-lubricated during factory assembly.

As well as saving installers time, the pushfit method protects them from some of the safety risks associated with other types of

spaces. Push-fit therefore helps to keep installers safe without negatively affecting installation times.

Joint recognition

plumbing and heating fittings. When soldering copper fittings, for example, installers must take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from flames and the risk of fire – a risk which increases in smaller, confined

For extra peace of mind, our Hep2O push-fit system is equipped with joint recognition technology to guarantee a secure fit and optimum system performance. It means installers can ‘feel’ when the pipe is fully inserted into the fitting, thanks to a distinct ‘rumble’ sensation. Installers can also visually inspect the fitting by checking the ‘^’ symbol is level with the end of the fitting. As well as joint recognition, Hep2O also ensures pipes cannot be unintentionally disconnected from fittings, as pipes can only be removed with a specially-designed demounting tool.

Made with polybutylene plastic, the push-fit system has been designed to be compatible

with other common materials used in plumbing and heating systems. For example, copper pipe can be connected without any extra equipment, and goes straight into the fitting using the same push-fit connection to once again save time during installation and notify installers of a secure fit.

Because Hep2O fittings cannot be taken apart, the risk of product faults or problems is significantly reduced. That said, there are some general rules of thumb to follow to ensure the fittings are kept in good working order: • Avoid dust and debris entering fittings by storing them in a clean environment • Keep fittings in their bags until ready for use • When re-using a fitting, spray a little Hep2O HX200 Jointing Lubricant onto the O-ring www.wavin.co.uk ENQUIRY No. 118

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30 PIPES Fittings & Valves

Plastic works in joists

Integrating pipe into joists can be challenging, but according to Toby Howard-Willis, Technical Sales Manager at JG Speedfit, plastic pipework can make the hurdles easier to clear.

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or hundreds of years very little changed when it came to fitting floors above ground level.

Wooden joists were the norm, but today things are different.

While first floors are typically still built on joists, the joist designs themselves have evolved — and plumbing

techniques have evolved with them.

Solid wooden joists in standard sizes are still available, and many architects and builders prefer them because they are relatively inexpensive.

However, they present a number of challenges when

it comes to plumbing. There are serious issues to consider when installing conventional copper pipework in solid wooden joists.

The main problem is fitting the pipework to the joists.

Traditionally, plumbers have had to drill holes or make notches in joists to run inflexible copper pipes.

Drilling holes with enough precision to thread pipe through is difficult, and the rules around doing so, while clearly needed to ensure safety, are complex and demanding. Both notching and drilling can seriously weaken the joists, threatening the structural integrity and durability of the floor.

life much easier for plumbers, because running a flexible plastic pipe through the centre is very straightforward.

Manifolds The evolution of joist design and the convenience of plastic plumbing has seen an increase in manifold plumbing techniques. Plastic plumbing systems allow a continuous length of pipe to run from the central manifold position to a bath or basin, or anywhere a hot or cold point connects. This eliminates the need to have multiple fittings running under the floor or in ceiling space, thus ensuring tidier pipework and

Fire risk Once the joist has been drilled or notched, installing traditional copper pipe presents further problems.

Because of the way that copper pipes are connected using a flux solder and a blow torch, there is a potential risk of fire. Given this issue – flame and wood, particularly old, dry wood, are best kept apart – and in some buildings, hot work is simply banned altogether, so another solution must be found.

A further problem lies in copper’s lack of flexibility: feeding rigid metal pipe through holes or notches, stopping to connect pieces, then starting again, can be difficult and time-consuming.

New designs New joist designs and pipe fitting techniques now give installers a much simpler, and in many ways, more efficient option. Modern designs include cores that are more easily drilled than their predecessors, and some have additional space for pipes to run through.

Such designs include the I-joist, which is made of timber on the outside but contains a core of engineered board that can easily be drilled.

Some I-joists have pre-formed knock-out panels to allow pipes to be threaded through.

Another innovation is the floor joist with a wooded top and bottom and an open metal web centre, known as a cross web joist. These joists make ENQUIRY

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fewer components required on site. It also means that in the event of a problem occurring with the pipework, for example a leak, it is only necessary to check the two ends of the pipe, rather than investigating multiple connection points.

As joist designs continue to evolve and plumbers increasingly recognise the flexibility and installation ease of plastic pipes, the industry is set to experience an altogether different and more effective approach to first fix plumbing techniques.

This will not only make life easier for the installer, but will ensure that the first fix process is completed to the highest standard possible, passing on more reliable and effective pipework to end users.

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Sanitaryware: getting it right behind the wall With the growing popularity for wall-hung sanitaryware and concealed cisterns, it’s important to get the pipework right. Andy Cairns, Sanitary Category Manager at Marley Plumbing & Drainage, looks at what’s going on behind the scenes.

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ecause the space within UK bathrooms is usually quite restricted, it is vital that products which can fit into more compact areas are used to maximise square feet and to ensure that a clean and simple, yet modern bathroom is created. One way to maximise the use of space in small bathrooms is to specify wall-hung sanitaryware and concealed cisterns.

While it is important to ensure that the correct sanitaryware has been installed, what is happening behind the scenes is also vital to get right. To carry the foul wastewater away from a building as quickly and quietly as possible, soil and waste discharge systems should comprise the minimum amount of pipework necessary, and all sanitary pipework should be designed to satisfy the relevant Building Regulations.

Manifold system Developed for use in sanitary pipework systems in schools, hospitals, public and commercial buildings, t he Marley manifold system allows a range of toilets to be connected to a horizontal float above floor level and eliminates the risk of discharge from one WC entering another. The components are suitable for installation in a duct or for fitting on the surface of the wall directly behind the pan. Where the manifold is fitted directly behind a range of toilets, the minimum distance between the end of the WC spigot and the face of the wall is 150mm.

A manifold system allows a range of toilets to be connected

eliminate the risk of crossflow from one branch to another. A branch creates a no entry zone for opposing waste connections, which varies depending on the stack diameter. No connections should be made within the restricted zone, although entry is permissible on the centre line of the boundary directly opposite or at right angles.

What’s more, bends at the base of vertical stacks should be of long radius and have a minimum centre line radius of 200mm on a 110mm nominal size stack.

Find out more For more information on the range of sanitary pipework available from Marley Plumbing & Drainage, enter the number below on the freepost reader enquiry and registration card inside this month’s issue.

Cross-flow Where small diameter branch waste pipes connect to a discharge stack, they must be arranged to

Two 45° bends may also be used as an alternative to provide the change of direction and connection to the building drain.

To complete the sanitary pipework for the WC, contractors will also need WC connectors. To select the right WC connector, the outer diameter of the spigot and the inner diameter of the pipe needs to be measured.

Once these dimensions have been calculated, only then will installers be able to fit the correct connector. Multikwik has a comprehensive range of WC connectors in a variety of sizes to choose from.

At the beginning of a project it is highly recommended that you liaise with a reputable manufacturer to ensure that you have specified the correct products and installed them in line with Building Regulations and British Standards.

Concealed cisterns keep the pipework out of sight

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New look TRVs to meet demand The Terrier TRV range from Pegler Yorkshire has been a big success since its launch in the 1990s, but the UK manufacturer has now unveiled a new and improved design which is claimed to provide users with better performance and more accurate temperature control.

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ccording to research from BEAMA Heating Controls Group, over half of UK homes don’t have basic controls like thermostatic radiator valves and room thermostats, even though these are minimum requirements under current Building Regulations. Such relatively lowcost and tried-and-tested technology can help householders to reduce their heating bills by 40%.

Designed to provide precise temperature control, the Terrier TRV was the first radiator valve to be manufactured in the UK. First launched in the 1990s, the Terrier range commands the largest share of the UK market with, over 20 million already fitted.

Pegler Yorkshire believes that there is still a great need of this type of simple but highly engineered technology and has now launched a new range which is claimed to offer even better performance. Manufactured at the company’s £15m manufacturing and plating facility in Yorkshire, the improved design is said to address the needs of contractors and installers, from its ease of installation through to meeting the demands of Building Regulations and energy performance.

The new range has been improved in three key areas: design, operation and performance.

Improved design The redesigned Terrier TRV features a slim profile and a new Active Air Flow Vent System whereby the elongated open vents along the body are now enclosed in favour of open vents on top. Tests have shown that this provides a more efficient flow of air because of the focused air chamber.

In addition, the body has been manufactured in a bright white colour with a larger easy grip and easy care surface finish. To accent the design, a feature chrome trim has been added, and to support the needs of different users a clear colour temperature window offers high contrast icons and intuitive colour coded settings.

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The new Terrier TRV features a new air flow system for more responsive performance and comes with an easy-to-understand user guide

Intuitive operation Operation has been altered to provide a more intuitive, low friction mechanism that offers effortless turning, making it easy for any dexterity. The temperature settings have also been designed to be more sensitive, providing a ‘jump to setting’ operation to ensure users can be assured the valve is working to the exact setting they choose. In addition, the thermal head incorporates an ECO touch indicator which makes it easy to select the ‘3’ setting just by touch – an ideal feature for those with visual impairments.

Enhanced performance Enhanced by a pure copper element, the performance provides a faster response to temperature changes. The Active Air Flow system draws room temperature air through discrete side vents up around the copper element. The flow of warm air rises through the unobscured and protected element and out through the vents on top.

Tests have shown that the new Terrier provides a quicker response and even better accuracy for temperature settings.

It is therefore claimed that the new TRVs will enable comfort levels to be reached in a significantly reduced time when compared with other TRVs on the market.

“The installation and contractor network across the UK relies on their reputation and quality of service to meet their client’s and user’s expectations,” says Sindar Singh, Valves and Heating Market Manager for Pegler Yorkshire. “By evolving our most iconic brand, we are helping to deliver on these needs and drive even higher expectations of heating control.”

The new Terrier TRV range is supplied suitable for 8, 10 and 15mm pipework and is also offered in a tamper resistant option.

It fully complies with the requirements of EN215 – the European standard that fully investigates the physical as well as operational characteristics of the product. It is also ‘A’ rated under the TELL

scheme and meets Part L requirements.

The valve carries the CEN symbol and the manufacturer’s identification number to confirm its compliance. It also carries a five year warranty against manufacturing or material defect.

Quick guide Pegler Yorkshire has developed a quick guide to ‘getting the most out of your TRV’. This guide has been streamlined to ensure householders are able to get to grips with their new valve from the onset. It gives a brief overview on the operation of the product and average comfort level settings which are also displayed pictorially. Each new Terrier TRV has one of these guides around the neck of the valve, therefore encouraging users to digest the information before they start to use them. www.pegleryorkshire.co.uk

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May 2017

36 PIPES Fittings & Valves Insulated valves for flexibility Designed for use in district heating schemes, the Flexalen pre-insulated pipe is said to deliver significant heat loss benefits and energy efficiency gains. Manufactured by Thermaflex and available from Flexenergy, this pipe can be used in sustainable energy projects, such as biomass, CHP, geothermal and heat recovery networks.

Flexenergy has also developed a pre-insulated valve system – V-Flex – said to

introduce new levels of control to district and community heating schemes, enabling sectors to be easily isolated for maintenance and network extension.

This pre-insulated valve system is available for plastic pipe systems, providing greater control over heat networks. In effect, it means that the valves can be used to shut down entire networks or to isolate individual streets/ properties, making network

maintenance and extensions much easier.

The valves can be specified for single or twin pipe applications and come in a number of chamber sizes (to accommodate depth variation) in order to provide flexibility in network or zonal control.

Each chamber provides easy access to the valve and includes an optional lockable lid.

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Mark of quality Push-fit fittings from Pegler Yorkshire now carry the BSI Kitemark. Received for its Tectite Classic, Pro and Sprint ranges from 15 to 54mm, the BS EN 1254-6:2012 certification demonstrates regular independent batch testing and auditing to assure the integrity of the products.

Eleanor Johnson, Push Fittings Product Manager for Pegler Yorkshire comments: “Receiving this endorsement from the world renowned BSI can only serve to reaffirm our commitment to customers for high performance and quality by providing the best products on the market.”

The Tectite range of fittings can be used in both domestic and commercial applications and feature grip first grab rings which prevent any risk of full bore blow offs, pre-lubricated seals for reduced insertion force and DZR brass or stainless bodies.

The range is suitable for jointing with a wide range

of tube materials, including copper, flexible metal, PEX and PB and a variety of steel including stainless and carbon. Additional features include fixed non-demountable and demountable options.

Last year Pegler Yorkshire also received a special certificate from the BSI for having held the BSI Kitemark for over 70 years, one of only two companies in the world to do so.

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Gas shut off valve Powerseat Eco is the name of an electro-hydraulic gas safety shut-off valve used in commercial and domestic applications. Manufactured by Black Teknigas and available from Watts Industries, the product launch follows the original Powerseat valve and offers a range of new and improved features.

The new valve benefits from an LED display detailing the status of the valve, increased external environmental protection to IP56 equivalent, a manual re-set switch and screwless, quick connections for installation of electrics.

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carbon emissions when compared to a comparable solenoid valve over 100mm.

The valve is kept open by a hydraulic pump whereby hydraulic fluid is forced into a cylinder, driving the valve open. This only closes when a malfunction is detected, with the shut-off mechanism operating in less than a second.

“A gas shut-off valve is required in most commercial buildings and mixed use residential buildings,” says Dave Raynor, Watts Product Manager. “With this in mind an efficient valve that consumes minimum energy, delivers reliability and is easy to install and maintain remains a priority for specifiers and facilities managers alike.”

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PIPES Fittings & Valves 37 Lighter weight supports thanks to PET Cold press system works with gas

The Armafix pipe support range from Armacell now offers better load capacity due to a new 100% recycled PET honeycomb core structure. The PET core achieves excellent load-bearing performance, prevents thermal bridging, and delivers excellent material durability.

The PET core is made from 100% recycled material and is lightweight, offering a high mechanical strength in combination with residual

flexibility and a maximum service life. The closed-cell structure and low thermal conductivity is said to lend the pipe supports excellent

insulative properties.

The company says that with a density of 100kg/ m³, PET is lighter in weight than PUR cores (140-145 kg/

m³). PET also displays higher pressure resistance than PUR and is resistant to ageing. A further benefit of the new PET material is the residual flexibility which greatly minimises the risk of the material breaking on large pipe diameters.

The PET core is made from 100% recycled PET bottles, making it an environmentally friendly choice.

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Freezing large diameter pipes Designed for use with large diameter pipes, the Qwik-Freezer from Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT creates ice plugs, or freeze seals, in pipes. It works upstream of a valve or on both sides, avoiding the requirement to completely drain down systems.

This system covers pipe diameters from 9 to 200mm and requires very little set-up time. The product is suitable for use on large diameter pipes, including sprinkler systems. Once liquids have been brought to a standstill, a specially designed flexible jacket is wrapped around the pipe at each point where the freeze is required. A nozzle in the jacket is

then coupled to a cylinder of liquid carbon dioxide. For valve replacement, a second jacket is installed on the other side, creating a double freeze, blocking flow on both sides of the valve.

The ice plug forms only in the section of the pipe covered by the jacket, so the resulting rise in pressure is very small and there is no damage to the pipe itself. The technique can be used safely on iron, steel, lead, stainless steel, copper, brass and plastic pipe.

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With the launch of the Megapress G connectors, Viega now offers Megapress technology to those working in gas installations. These ‘cold’ pressed connectors have been tested and Kitemark approved for natural gas and liquid gas applications as well as for heating oil, diesel fuels, compressed air containing oil, and technical gases.

The Megapress carbon steel press connection system from Viega offers a fast, effective alternative to traditional methods such as welding. The system is a cold-applied pressing

method that is said to help to reduce installation time by around 60% by creating a secure connection without the need for an open flame.

Additionally, the Megapress G connectors feature the Viega SC-Contur technology.

This ensures that any connections that have remained unpressed can immediately be identified in a dry leakage test – reducing downtime and servicing costs.

The Megapress G connectors are marked in yellow and packed in yellow bags.

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38 PRODUCTS in Action Stainless steel sinks for university lab UK stainless steel manufacturer, Pland Stainless has supplied 50 new sinks for the recently refurbished Labs in the STEM department at John Moores Liverpool University.

The refurbishment, carried out by Teksol Ltd, caters for 4000 undergraduates and will be put to a variety of different uses including course work in microbiology, biochemistry, and ecology.

The labs now reflect the

commercial environments the students will work in upon completion of their degrees, something that the

Government and European funding aimed to achieve.

“We have worked within the laboratory environment

for many years,” says Iain Millington, MD of Teksol.

“Our clients specify stainless steel sinks within our projects, as the material provides great versatility.

The material is much more resistant to chemicals, heat and damage than other composites. We have worked with Pland Stainless products for a number of years.”

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Ultra quiet fan coils Dunham-Bush has supplied over 290 Cougar and Puma fan coil units to Woodford Heating and Energy for installation at the prestigious residential development Morello Quarter, formerly the Galaxy House site in Croydon.

The fan Coil Units have also been installed in the reception and lift areas of the building. This development has created 290 two and three-bedroom high specification apartments in four connected buildings.

Billy Eastman, Contract Manager from Woodford Heating and Energy, says: “Each apartment has been fitted with ultra-quiet Dunham-Bush Cougar fan coil units, installed to serve the lounge and bedroom areas. This ensures the occupants achieve comfortable room temperatures in both summer and winter. The Cougar fan coil is a slimline waterside control chassis unit with EC motors, designed specifically for this type of application.”

Puma fan coil units have also been installed in the reception and lift areas of the building. These are vertical waterside control chassis units with EC motors.

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www.dunham-bush.co.uk

The right balance The installation of Danfoss ASV automatic balancing valves is providing heating comfort and energy savings for tenants living in five social housing tower blocks in south east London. Danfoss’ simple and cost-effective solution optimises heating system performance by ensuring that risers are perfectly balanced under all system conditions (partial and full load) and outside temperatures. The result is even heat distribution throughout all apartments, with no overflows and wasted energy, which means lower heating costs for tenants.

The automatic balancing valves offered a solution to system misbalances. Installed on each floor, ASV valves, together with Danfoss by-pass valves to the top of the riser, provided the basis for achieving proper hydronic balance throughout the system. And once the risers had been balanced, fitting Danfoss thermostatic radiator valves with a pre-set function ensured that each radiator got the right amount of heated water to maintain the desired room temperature. www.heating.danfoss.co.uk

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Sponsored column

May 2017

Products in Action Eco-friendly system delivers comfort to farmhouse project A rural mansion in Surrey has had Polypipe Underfloor Heating installed throughout as part of its high specification build. Renewable energy specialists, Worcester Renewable Energy, specified Polypipe to provide Burrows Lea Farmhouse with environmentally friendly heating in conjunction with a ground source heat pump.

The Red Floor Plate Solid Floor System was specified for the ground floor to provide an ambient temperature throughout the property. The first floor of the mansion benefitted from Polypipe’s Overlay system, which is suitable for heat pump installations and first floor rooms. Because

In today’s age of fake news, no matter how good a product is, there’s always the odd misconception circulating about it. So PHAM News has teamed up with Geberit to separate fact from fiction regarding the company’s Mapress press fitting systems. it can be laid directly on top of floors, it offers much higher outputs at the low flow temperatures delivered by heat pumps than other systems that are installed beneath floors.

At only 18mm in depth, the Overlay systems allow

underfloor heating to be installed in projects where other underfloor systems would require expensive excavation or where the existing floor would be raised to an unacceptable level.

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Waste pipes go in quickly A 46 storey new build on the Isle of Dogs has benefitted from products supplied by Marley Plumbing & Drainage, along with technical support.

The high level of technical support that Marley provided meant that time and money were saved during the building process.

The Baltimore Wharf project was contracted by RPM Services Limited and saw the installation of Marley 160 and 110mm PVC Soil, PVC-U and Polypropylene Waste pipes. Marley’s technical advisors were also heavily involved on site to advise on flow rates, installation detail,

schematics, and material take-offs.

Marley’s push-fit and solvent weld system solution has enabled a speedy installation on site, whilst the system was more cost efficient than those that were originally specified, a significant benefit to the contractors.

Tony Iuliano, a sub-contractor for RPM, comments: “Marley undertook a value engineering exercise to specify UPVC, which suits us as it is a brilliant product to work with due to how easy it is to install.”

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LST the choice for children MHS Radiators has supplied 39 Ambiguard radiators from its LST range to the Phoenix Centre in Wigan. The Special Education Needs (SEN) facility reopened its doors in February 2017 after receiving funding for

an extensive renovation of the building.

When NPS Group was appointed as M&E consultants for the project, they identified LST radiators as the most appropriate product, given that the occupants would be children of various ages. The new radiators replaced ageing fan convectors, which had been installed for many years and were unsuitable for further use. Facilitating an easy install, the existing pipework was utilised across the single storey building.

Lorraine Green, Mechanical Engineer at NPS, specified the Ambiguard radiators from MHS and says: “We always want to specify from companies that are not only reliable, but can also supply a high quality range of products. We’ve been really pleased with the Ambiguard radiators from MHS. They arrived within the specified lead time and the feedback on site from the contractors has been very positive. Overall, we’re impressed.”

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Myth: Pipe pressing doesn’t save time Geberit Mapress fact: Besides delivering a fast leak-

free seal, there’s no need to wait for it to cool down, adding an extra hour of pipe fitting productivity to your day

I

n fact, it has been proven that one way to improve profitability is to switch from soldered and screwed joints on piping to pressing. Pressing presents a considerable saving, resulting in reduced overheads that could improve your profit margins, or be passed on to the customer. According to a recent BSRIA report, pressing can reduce time on site by around 35% compared with screwed steel pipework. By speeding up your working practices, you may also be able to squeeze in more jobs, further improving your bank balance.

Little wonder then that Geberit Mapress is fast becoming the installation method of choice for installers looking for a speedy yet reliable turnaround on all types of projects. Simple to use and offering a much safer alternative to conventional pipework connection methods, Geberit Mapress is available in wide ranging materials and sizes, enabling it to be used across multiple applications.

Available in diameters from 12 to 108mm, Geberit Mapress requires no adhesives, solvents or hot works, whilst the press-fit connections can be easily rotated into tight spaces, making the system ideal for use on retrofit projects and complex installations. The only tools needed to form a reliable, tight and durable connection are a cutter, deburrer and press tool.

Geberit Mapress may be the ideal choice for working at speed, but it never compromises on safety for the sake of saving time. That’s because the fittings are designed so that any connections not pressed during installation can be visibly detected during testing. The pressing

indicator consists of a thin plastic foil encasing the pressing shoulder, which gives a visible indication of a pressed joint when the foil is removed during the pressing operation. Clearly marked with the fitting’s size, each indicator is colour coded according to material to further aid installation, with blue representing stainless steel, red for carbon steel, white for copper and black for CuNiFe. To really get the most out of this press fitting system and to optimise on efficiency levels, Geberit provides free installer training. Held either on site or at the company’s purposebuilt Training Academy in Warwick, the training enables installers to get hands-on with Geberit Mapress so they can hit the ground running when back on site.

Advertisement feature

May 2017

MERCHANT News

BWT creates the winning formula An estimated 70% of the UK suffers from hard water. Yet despite its impact, too many consumers accept hard water, with its negative effects such as limescale and scum, as ‘one of those things’.

Europe’s No.1 water technology company BWT plans to change all this over the summer with a TV advertising campaign plus Formula 1 sponsorship, which will educate consumers about its Luxury Water® softeners. The campaign is designed to make the profitable market of water softeners more accessible than ever before for consumers and will create a major business opportunity for installers.

Chance to win a new ride Account customers at Graham Plumbers’ Merchant will have the chance to win a new VW T6 Transporter van with every purchase of a Boiler Replacement Pack made in-branch.

Each Boiler Replacement Pack purchase will be entered into a prize draw in which the lucky winner will receive a new VW T6 Transporter – awarded the best large trades van for 2017.

Additionally, customers will also be entered into a weekly prize draw for every

pack purchased, where they stand the chance to win a range of luxury prizes such as a Husky drinks fridge, an RAC Dash Cam, a Fitbit smart watch, and an Amazon Echo.

The Win a Van promotion

Branch promotion Value

added packs

F1 sponsorship BWT’s significant sponsorship of the Sahara Force India Formula 1 team is the latest in a series of high profile motor sport sponsorships that includes GT and DTM, placing the BWT brand name in front of an estimated worldwide audience of over 460 million people. The eye-catching livery, complemented by the helmets of drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, signals a long-term relationship with BWT. Alongside the sports sponsorship, BWT will be running a national TV advertising campaign later this year to promote its Luxury Water®. The campaign is designed to educate consumers about how the simple addition of a water softener can transform a family home. This promotional combination will see BWT do more this year than any other company in this marketplace to grow consumer awareness, and in doing so, support the installer base by putting BWT products front of mind.

Easy sell BWT’s new advertising campaign will make the compelling benefits of softened water clear for all to see and will demonstrate to consumers the very real differences Luxury Water® offers to lifestyle and household budgets. BWT Water softeners remove the hardness minerals in the water supply, resulting in major benefits around the home: limescale deposits are prevented from building up, which protects appliances and eliminates the need for harsh chemical cleaners; it is quicker and easier to keep shiny chrome, glass and ceramic surfaces sparkling; hair is shinier and skin softer; soap products lather more easily and therefore last longer; when washing laundry in softened water, less soap is used and so clothes rinse out more easily, leaving colours more vibrant, and fabric softer to the touch.

By increasing consumer awareness and knowledge of Luxury Water® solutions for hard water problems, BWT will drive demand for its innovative products and for the services of its installers, who will be able to talk to consumers about a water technology brand they recognise and benefits they understand.

is now open until the 30th June 2017 in Graham branches nat ionw ide. For more infor mat ion and T&Cs, visit your local branch or log onto www.graham plumbersmerchant.co.uk

Join a winning team Until now, the water softener market has been relatively untapped, so the anticipated rise in demand and awareness offers a lucrative opportunity for installers.

So don’t miss out. Get yourself booked onto BWT’s already popular Best Water Professional programme. The company has increased the number of dates and venues for the training to cope with the demand it’s expecting on the back of the TV campaign.

Now in its third year, this free installer training programme provides all the tools needed to easily generate new revenue.The programme provides in-depth installation instruction and training on the business opportunities of Luxury Water® and BWT water softeners, resulting in the coveted Best Water Technology accreditation and an enhanced listing on the BWT website.

In addition, BWT offers sales brochures, videos, exclusive offers worth over £250, and a dedicated Programme Champion to further support business growth.

Best Water Professionals can also invite customers to a Luxury Water® day, a demonstration at a bathroom showroom where customers can see for themselves the benefits of a Luxury Water® softener.

Chance to win BWT is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to win two places at the Sahara Force India Partner party to be held on Sunday 16th July 2017. Full details are available in selected plumbers’ merchants or by calling 01494 838100.

Time to train The time is right to reap the rewards of one of Europe’s most advanced and reliable product ranges and the unrivalled support BWT offers. To become a Best Water Professional, book your place on a training course by calling 01494 838100. www.bwt-uk.co.uk

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An agreement between Redring and Plumbase will make it easier for installers to access Redring’s range of domestic and commercial stored and instantaneous water heating solutions, as well as training and product knowledge. The promotion will include a number of breakfast mornings at Plumbase branch locations nationwide, offering incentives, giveaways and product demonstrations. The two companies have also worked together to develop an informative installer product guide and eye-catching point-of-sale material.

Richard Braid, Redring’s Head of Water Heating and Showers, says: “This initiative is designed to ensure our products are as easy as possible for installers to access, whilst delivering product training on these key items. We know that Plumbase is well respected by installers, and with 170 branches across the UK it will ultimately help deliver value to our core customer base, whilst raising the profile of the Redring brand.”

The Chester branch of plumbing and heating merchant City Plumbing Supplies is offering a specially priced Sentinel water treatment pack with every boiler sold.

As a result, the store has seen a significant increase in sales of water treatment products.

Jamie Pain, Heating Spares Manager at the branch, says: “Installers really like the pack contents and they like the price. It really is excellent value as the cleaner and inhibitor basically come free. This means that they can make more money on every job without having to compromise on quality, because they’re getting premium Sentinel products.”

Newcomer in Newmarket PlumbStock, the heating and plumbing brand of the Ridgeon Group, has launched a new trade counter in Newmarket.

PlumbStock Newmarket is now open within the existing Ridgeons branch, located in Newmarket Business Park.

This trade counter is the 17th PlumbStock to be launched by the Ridgeon Group.

Branch Manager of Ridgeons Newmarket, Karli Millard, comments: “We are delighted to launch PlumbStock within Ridgeons Newmarket. PlumbStock has had such a successful start,

expanding across many of the other Ridgeons branches, and it’s exciting for our local customers to now have this specialist service close by.

We have got a great team in place at the new trade counter who are committed to supplying exceptional customer service.”

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May 2017

WATER HEATING & Cylinders 41

The drive to improve efficiency ratings Legislative changes scheduled to come into force over the next two years are likely to have a significant impact on the water heater market. Jonathan Tedstone, Category Manager at Andrews Water Heaters, discusses the implications for installers and end users.

O

ver recent years, European Union To the letter (EU) member states have been A complementary and related framework is subject to a number of directives the Energy Labelling Directive (ELD). This aimed at improving energy efficiency only applies to boilers and water heaters with within the construction sector. Several outputs of up to 70kW and storage cylinders of these still apply to the UK and, whilst of up to and including 500 litres volume, and nobody can predict the outcome of the dictates that products should display an Brexit negotiations, it is a fair assumption alphabetised, colour-coded label according to that the Ecodesign of Energy-related their efficiency. The labelling system provides Products (ErP) Directive will remain in transparency for consumers, enabling them some capacity. to compare the energy credentials of all The Ecodesign of Energy-related Products products on the market based on the outcome Directive (ErP), which replaced the Energy of standardised laboratory tests.

Using Products Directive in 2009, dictates Unlike Ecodesign, ELD affects not only performance requirements for products Jonathan Tedstone, Category manufacturers but also installers. It is their that use energy, or have an indirect impact Manager at Andrews responsibility to ensure a package calculation on energy consumption. The minimum requirements for each datasheet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; otherwise known as a fiche â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and package label product group were are made available to the end user when installing certain divided into three tiers, combinations of products together. Most manufacturers with implementation provide assistance by making their productsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; efficiency staggered over a three- data readily available online, in product brochures and leaflets. Guidance documents are also free to download year period.

The tier pertaining from many manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; websites. to space heating, Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next? combination heaters and water heaters with Energy labelling was first introduced with a scale of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; an output equal to or for water heaters. In September this year, the rating system less than 400kW, and will be updated to introduce an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A+â&#x20AC;&#x2122; energy efficiency class storage tanks with a and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rating will be removed. The colour scale will volume equal to or less remain the same, with dark green representing the highest than 2000 litres, came energy efficiency class and red the lowest. For contractors, into force in September this change means it will be more straightforward than 2015. Any manufacturer ever to specify the most energy efficient products for a whose products did not job. It also means that the overall performance standard meet these minimum for water heaters (and other energy-using products) will requirements were not be raised. legally allowed to place There are also upcoming changes to the Ecodesign them on the market in Directive due to come into force in 2018. These will the UK and other EU include mandatory limits on NOx emissions for gas, LPG The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rated ECOďŹ&#x201A;o condensing countries after this and oil fired water heaters. For gas/LPG fired products, direct ďŹ red water heater date. the maximum NOx emissions will be 56mg/kWh and for oil-fired products 120mg/kWh. We expect this new requirement will generate significant changes to the water heating sector with new or improved models entering the market as a result.

Energy labelling makes it easy for consumers to identify the products that will help them reduce their energy bills

Help is at hand At Andrews Water Heaters we have invested heavily in research and development to identify ways to make products more efficient, including improvements to heat exchanger and burner designs. In addition to this, we have also focused on compliance, testing our water heaters to the latest standards to ensure we meet the latest requirements.

Investment in quality testing equipment means we can get the most accurate results for every product.

Finally, we have updated our website and installation instructions to make it easier for specifiers and contractors to find information on performance and efficiency parameters. www.andrewswaterheaters.co.uk

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Timetable

The MAXXďŹ&#x201A;o range can meet the needs of applications with high hot water demand

The timetable for future legislative change is as follows: r 4FQUFNCFS 4FDPOE UJFS requirements regarding energy efficiency come into force. The energy labelling scale for water heaters is updated to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A+â&#x20AC;&#x2122; to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. r 4FQUFNCFS 3FRVJSFNFOUT regarding emissions of NOx come into force. Tier 3 requirements regarding the energy efficiency of water heaters start to apply. A SFWJFX PG UIF 3FHVMBUJPOT JT UP CF presented.

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May 2017

42 WATER HEATING & Cylinders

No one size fits all solution A combi boiler is not always the best when it comes to meeting hot water demand. Neil Mattock, Marketing Director at Vokèra, looks at the reasons to install an instantaneous hot water system or stored hot water.

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e all know that combi boilers dominate the UK heating market, but there will always be some applications where they are not necessarily the most suitable or the most efficient option. In these instances, other forms of hot water systems come into their own.

For small light commercial applications, such as sports venues, holiday parks and community centres, or offNeil Mattock, Marketing grid residential properties, Director at Vokèra for example, instantaneous gas fired water heaters can provide hot water wherever and whenever it is needed.

Due to its extensive use within the leisure industry, the instantaneous water heater market is an area dominated by retrofit applications with end users looking to upgrade their systems and make them more efficient. They are ideal for sites that only require a hot water supply as they already have existing electric, convector or gas wall heating appliances. Instantaneous water heaters are also generally simple to install, commission and service, thus making the retrofit process and maintenance easier for installers.

They are also either already LPG compatible or can be easily converted if required.

Instantaneous water heaters can also prove to be a great option for on or off-grid light commercial and residential applications, where LPG gas is the preferred fuel option.

For example, many farm sites and owners are changing the use of their buildings by creating small business parks and offices. These new buildings and tenants require access to instant hot water supplies to operate effectively, and water heaters are the ideal option for these applications.

In recent years there have been many improvements made to water heating appliances to make them as efficient and cost-effective as possible. For instance, there are now a number of ways a water heater can be flued, which helps considerably with the installation process. As an example, our AquaNova instantaneous multipoint water heater can be flued horizontally or vertically using our concentric uni flue or twin flue systems. Electronic ignition is another benefit which eliminates the need for a constantly running fan or energy wasteful pilot light.

Into storage One of the biggest problems for homeowners remains getting the right amount of hot water, at the right rate, when it’s needed, and in some domestic properties stored hot water can provide the most efficient solution. In recent times we’ve seen a boom in home extensions, especially loft conversions, which have transformed many older properties, bringing additional space and, in many cases, extra bathrooms and utility areas. In these cases, the best solution is stored hot water via an unvented cylinder.

First of all, there is no need for a cold water tank. Instead the sealed hot water cylinder is fed directly by the cold water mains, and since it will be operating at mains pressure, it offers better flow rates and will improve the performance on the shower or bath. It also removes the danger of the water tank freezing up during the winter months. Finally, since it is a sealed system with no water storage cistern, the cold water is not at risk from breeding legionella bacteria or contamination in any other way.

A heating and hot water system for the home is, ultimately, all about comfort. With a system based around an unvented cylinder, householders can be assured of instant hot water, even if there is a long draw off. Reheating and recirculating the hot water will also be very rapid.

Using an unvented cylinder also makes positioning the equipment a much easier task and gives more choice to homeowners. With no need for a hot water tank, it frees up

space and eliminates having to rely on gravity to move hot water around the property.

This means that an unvented cylinder can be positioned virtually anywhere in the home. Installers could create a mini plant room in their customers’ property to keep everything together and out of the way of everyday life.

Homeowners are always Vokèra’s AquaFlow twin coil on the lookout for ways to unvented cylinder make their properties more energy efficient. Incorporating renewable products is proving increasingly popular. When adding renewables onto a home, it’s important to remember that they specifically require a hot water storage unit. There are two main types of indirect unvented cylinder: single coil and twin coil, and in most cases they are heated via an external heat source, such as a gas or oil boiler. But when installers add solar thermal to the system, the cylinder must be a twin coil version to allow connection to the renewable technology and the boiler or additional external heat source. For heat pumps, a larger single coil cylinder (for increased surface area) is required due to lower primary circuit temperatures.

So, when will unvented cylinders not be the right call?

If the property has low mains water pressure, then the system may be unable to operate effectively. Price can also be a factor, and unvented cylinders come at a premium over vented cylinders, though that may well be offset by time and cost savings on installation.

There are a number of water heating options out there.

The key is to use the right solution for the project, and if installers do that they can provide their customers with the best heating system for their needs. www.vokera.co.uk

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Making the most of more efficient cylinder technology Demand for instantaneous hot water means that the versatility and reliability of stored hot water can sometimes be overlooked, but the efficiency gains of the latest cylinder technology shouldn’t be ignored, says Worcester Bosch Group’s Martyn Bridges.

Despite the rapid rise of combi boilers, the fact that around 500,000 cylinders were sold in the last year should give installers confidence that there is still some fuel in the tank when it comes to their relevance within the UK heating market.

Of course, we all know that in larger properties or areas of low pressure, cylinders are more than capable of delivering a solution. However, manufacturers have worked hard to give cylinders the same efficiency benefits as other technologies, through their high heat retention, reliable performance and rapid heat-up times. So much so, in fact, that there are many less obvious scenarios in which an installer may consider recommending one to a customer in order to help deliver better comfort and lower heating bills.

Although most cylinders will be connected to a regular or system boiler, it can go overlooked that there are times when a cylinder could be connected to a combi boiler to great effect. For example,

solution would be to install an unvented cylinder alongside the combi, allowing the hot water side of the boiler to serve the house as it did before, whilst the new cylinder would serve the extension and provide hot water whenever it is needed.

Solar solution

Worcester’s Greenstore unvented solar cylinder

most property extensions will involve the addition of another bathroom, and this will inevitably place extra strain on both the heating capability and hot water functionality of the existing boiler.

An extended property may already be equipped with a combi, so replacing it altogether could be both time consuming and expensive. Instead, one alternative

Hot water storage cylinders are also a great option for anyone wanting to heat their homes with a system that harnesses solar energy. Generally speaking, this will involve solar thermal panels connecting to a twin-coil cylinder – the lower coil being connected to the solar thermal panels, and the upper coil being connected to a secondary appliance should there be insufficient solar energy available.

However, another less common option would involve the use of solar PV panels – less commonly associated with an accompanying cylinder. The dilemma for many owners of solar PV systems is that if they are not in their property on a sunny day, the solar panels

will be producing energy they are not using.

Whilst this energy can be sold back to the National Grid, the export rate is relatively low; furthermore, in the evening – when the demand for electricity is greater – the solar PV system cannot generate energy and so homeowners are obliged to buy their electricity from the grid.

Instead, there are numerous, relatively inexpensive ways that homeowners could exploit the ‘free’ energy their solar panels are producing. Specifically, installers can use a cylinder to redirect the output of the solar PV panels toward an immersion heater in a hot water system. This allows the electrical power to be converted into hot water and stored, providing the property owner with a much cheaper way of maximising the energy already being generated while they are at work or the demand for power is low.

This arrangement is also considerably less expensive than the purchase of PV storage batteries. www.worcester-bosch.co.uk ENQUIRY No. 137

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WATER HEATING & Cylinders 43 Integrated DHW More options come on tailor made taps and buffer cylinder Heating products manufacturer Stiebel Eltron UK has launched an integrated DHW and buffer cylinder for use with heat pumps. The HSBC 200 S combines a buffer tank for space heating and a domestic hot water tank, and is suitable for use with radiators and underfloor heating systems.

The unit can be connected to the internet, allowing for remote monitoring and control, and features a WPM heat pump manager to regulate various functions.

In addition, primary and secondary circulating pumps, electric back-up, flow meter, pressure relief valves and diverter valve are all integral.

The HSBC system comes as standard set-up to supply a single heating circuit, with an additional pipe set available if a second mixed heating circuit is required.

This makes it possible to have two separate weather-

The Zen 100°C boiling and chilled tap range from Hyco now includes the Solo, Spa, Life and Ice taps, offering a practical yet stylish solution.

There is a choice of 100°C boiling water, filtered cold (ambient), chilled and sparkling water, and kitchen mixer tap capabilities from a single outlet. The modular concept means the chosen tap can be tailored to meet individual requirements whilst being an efficient, reliable and safe option.

A number of distinctive features have been added to improve user experience.

The aerogel insulation around a stainless steel boiling water tank makes

this a highly energy efficient tap. Each cool-touch boiling water tap has 360° swivel and features an LED status ring on the base of the tap to indicate ready/heating.

Tanks are available in 3 and 6 litre capacities, with everything required for a Zen tap installation being designed to fit efficiently within a standard size kitchen under-sink cupboard.

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Clean hands with just cold water feed compensated heating circuits – for example, if there is underfloor heating downstairs running at a lower flow temperature than wet radiators upstairs.

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Businesses looking to provide a hygienic handwashing station in areas not connected to a hot water feed will benefit from the Redring Instant Electric Hot Water Tap. It satisfies environmental health requirements in areas with just a cold water supply. The Instant Electric Hot Water Tap is a mixer tap that can plug into any domestic UK plug socket or fused spur, providing instant hot water for hand washing anywhere that it is needed. ‘A’ rated for energy efficiency, the tap has been designed to replace an existing mixer tap with the added advantage that it requires only a coldwater feed and heats the water at point of use, eliminating the need for a hot water supply or storing hot water. www.redring.co.uk PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No. 140

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May 2017

44 WATER HEATING & Cylinders

A versatile alternative to unvented cylinders Unvented cylinders offer an effective way to deliver a multi-outlet mains fed hot water service, but they are not the only option available. Geoff Egginton of Advance Appliances argues that thermal stores can provide installers with a versatile and useful alternative.

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Thermostats are fitted on hermal stores offer a different approach to stores to keep them up to unvented cylinders. temperature, and heating They have a number of is usually controlled by a unique features. They can room thermostat/heating improve boiler efficiencies, programmer which operates offer fast radiator heat the heating pump on the up and provide mains direct version. pressure hot water without At Advance Appliances the need for pressure and we offer both types with temperature relief valves integrated feed and and a metal G3 discharge expansion tanks or as arrangement. cylinders without this Vented thermal stores feature. work with gas or oil boilers Geoff Egginton, owner and for mains pressure hot water founder of Advance Appliances Electric option Electric thermal stores and vented central heating.

They are usually fitted with a 3kW immersion provide mains pressure hot water for power for emergency back-up and include an showering and fast bath filling. They are integrated feed and expansion tank so the usually fitted with two 3kW immersion heaters. The bottom immersion heats up heating is self-commissioning.

Direct versions have a single hot water the store overnight using the off-peak tariff. coil. The integrated feed and expansion The top immersion heater acts as a boost tank has to be above the radiator circuit, that can be connected to a switch. From an as the water is drawn from the tank for fast overnight charge the thermal store should heat-up. Indirect twin coil versions with an be sized for one day’s demand.

These units are ideal for modern flats or integrated feed and expansion tank can be sited anywhere in the property. The lower all electric homes. They are simple to install coil can be connected to a sealed system and require minimal maintenance. These boiler in a Y plan. This makes it simple to stores are also vented and do not require fit as a replacement in an existing indirect pressure and relief valves or G3 discharge arrangements. cylinder installation.

Our Advance Electric Thermal Store ETS160 has been designed for a property with one bath and one shower and has been independently tested. It has achieved an energy rating of ‘C’, which is the highest an electric water heater can achieve without smart controls.

Sealed and delivered Sealed system thermal stores work with gas or oil boilers for mains pressure hot water and sealed central heating or underfloor systems.

We offer the Energy Manager for this purpose, which is available in standard or solar versions. The solar unit has a second coil for solar thermal to assist the boiler.

Solar thermal panels will contribute to heating and hot water during periods of solar gain.

The store has a thermostat fitted to control the boiler to maintain the temperature of the store. The heating is controlled by a room thermostat and a heating programmer.

Being a sealed system, the store has three levels of overheat protection. The first level of safety protection is a high limit thermostat that turns the boiler off. The second level is a non-adjustable thermostat which will dissipate heat through the central heating or underfloor circuit by turning on the pump.

The third level is a thermal safety valve

Problem free solution for Bury installer Installer Graeme Stansfield from Shower Services in Bury offers his view on the water heating options from Advanced Appliances: “I have been installing water heaters since 2002 and have used many different manufacturers over the years, usually ones that I have been a service agent for. About four years ago I came across Advance Appliances website whist looking to find a thermal store to replace a unit in an existing installation which had failed.

“The unit I would usually have used had a two year cylinder manufacturer’s warranty, but Advance Appliances offer a 10 year warranty on the cylinder, which is a great selling point to the customer, along with a competitive price (cheaper than the one offering a two year warranty).

“The ETS160 Electric Thermal Store was easy to install, performed well and was competitively priced. I would highly recommend this unit to replace most existing electric thermal store installations,

provided the conditions, such as wiring feeds, overflow pipes, etc are all appropriate.

“Since that time I have installed a good number of Advance units and all have been easy to install and have worked efficiently.

“I have replaced a few electric boiler and hot water combined systems with either the Advance ECB210 Electric Combination Boiler or a 9kW Eglow boiler from Advance with a separate ETS 160. Once again, if the existing conditions are appropriate installation is quite straightforward.

“I also recently replaced an existing branded electric flow boiler with an Advance PlugnGlow mini electric boiler to heat a conservatory in a nursing home. I was pleasantly surprised how well it did the job as it really is a compact unit. The owner of the nursing

home was happy with how well it heated the conservatory. It was just as warm as the old boiler and only took up half the space. Because PlugnGlow has an inbuilt timer I only needed a pump and room stat to complete the job.

“I have seen so many installations where people have replaced a thermal store cylinder with an unvented cylinder which wouldn’t pass a building control inspection due to the discharge pipe not being to G3 requirements. Unvented cylinders can be a cheaper option, but when replacing a thermal store, installers should be replacing it with another thermal store to avoid problems in the future for the customer.

Solicitors in the conveyancing markets now sometimes insist that vendors can demonstrate that discharge arrangements comply with G3.”

The ECB 210 provides mains pressure hot water and central heating

which is not electrical and will open up and allow cold mains to cool the store down. A 3 bar pressure relief at the top of the store is fitted to prevent over pressurisation.

Multi fuel One of the key advantages of multi-fuel thermal stores is the ability to take inputs from a number of sources. A good example of this is our Advance HETAS-listed multi-fuel thermal store, perfect for linking gas or oil boilers, wood burners and solar thermal or PV. It uses multiple heat sources to provide mains pressure hot water and heating for radiators or underfloor systems. It comes pre-wired and pre-plumbed and domestic sizes are 210, 250 and 300 litres.

Two thermostats are fitted to the unit to control the temperature of the store. One is to control the boiler, the other is to control the wood burner. Timers are also fitted to the unit. The first timer is for the boiler, as overnight boiler firing can be a nuisance in a quiet household. The second is for the wood burner input – the timer can be set to turn off the pump on this circuit so that all captured heat is kept in the store and not re-circulated through the wood burner.

The store’s solid fuel pump also acts as a re-circulator to ensure that cold return temperatures to the wood burner are avoided. This prevents condensation, helps it heat up, and makes it more efficient. It also helps with maintaining even store temperatures. A flue stat is wired into the system to detect when the wood burner is lit.

The sealed system unit meets G3 safety requirements with three levels of safety so wood burners can be safely installed on a pumped circuit.

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46 WATER HEATING & Cylinders

No need to take risks on quality With many new products entering the water heating market, there are many options to choose from. Antonio Piana, Product Manager at Ariston, outlines the importance of using high quality unvented electric water heaters, such as those with anti-Legionella components.

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he UK water heating market has been growing steadily since 2013, with unvented hot water heaters now accounting for 16% of the sector. Product innovation and development during this period, coupled with legislation such as ErP, has also ensured energy savings can be achieved with the latest high quality electric water heaters.

Small unvented hot water heaters are ideal for a variety of specificationled locations, including commercial properties, building sites, kitchens, bathrooms and offices. However, many manufacturers have noticed this market expanding and, keen for a piece of the action, have begun introducing units that aren’t necessarily of the best standard.

And this isn’t only in terms of manufacturing and build quality, but also health and safety credentials.

This is quite a concern, especially when considering the risk of possible illnesses and contaminants, such as Legionella.

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competent person to manage onsite water systems.

Temperature control

The Ariston Andris Lux Eco can meet a number of installation requirements

Legionella bacteria is most commonly found in water.

These bacteria multiply where temperatures are between 2045°C and nutrients are available.

However, the bacteria are dormant below 20°C and do not survive above 60°C. Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal type of pneumonia that infects the lungs and can be contracted by inhaling airborne water droplets.

There are many areas of modern life where awareness of Legionella is paramount, for instance landlords providing residential accommodation are required to consider, assess and control the risks of exposure to Legionella to their tenants. Similarly, employers and people responsible for public premises also have a duty to carry out Legionella risk assessments, regulate materials and appoint a

When it comes to unvented electric water heaters, the primary means used to prevent the risk from Legionella is water temperature control. This is why the higher quality engineered water heaters on the market, such as our Andris Lux Eco, boast functions which automatically increase the water temperature up to 65°C for an hour-long period. This eliminates Legionella bacteria and guarantees the healthiness of the water.

After 30 days, if the device has never reached 60°C, it will perform its anti-Legionella cycle automatically. However, if it has reached 60°C during a month, it will not perform the anti-Legionella cycle, and the cycle will ‘reset’ and start a fresh count from this time.

Furthermore, the water heaters should be constructed from

materials which reduce corrosion, prevent excessive scale formation and do not encourage or support microbial growth. In addition, any connected taps or showerheads also need to be regularly checked and cleaned, as any cooling water left in these areas will be capable of breeding Legionella bacteria.

Of course, high quality unvented water heaters also offer plenty of other benefits, particularly in applications when hot water is required but there is either no domestic hot water system or the current system cannot be expanded. Units are easy to install and maintain, while they save space, thanks to their compact dimensions. Plus, they can provide hot water at all times of the day to suit a property’s needs, while some models boast efficiency credentials in the form of specialised energy saving settings.

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WATER HEATING & Cylinders 47 Slimline model saves on space Designed for homes where space for a hot water storage cylinder is limited, the Megaflo Eco Slimline from Heatrae Sadia is available from capacities from 100 to 200 litres. It features an internal expansion system for a quicker and neater installation and comes in direct and indirect versions.

By being taller and slimmer, the cylinder stores the same amount of hot water as an equivalent capacity cylinder, but is able to fit into non-standard sized airing cupboards and other compact storage areas.

The cylinders are capable of delivering 72 litres per minute at 3 bar and come with an insulated T&P valve and high strength to weight ratio. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are an ideal recommendation for customers with high hot water requirements, but minimal space available,â&#x20AC;? says Technical Support Manager Alan Clarke. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They offer the same high performance and quality as the rest of the Megaflo Eco range, but in a slimmer design. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While an unvented hot water cylinder may be best suited

to a multi-bathroom home, a reduction of garage and loft space may mean a shortage of space when it comes to locating the cylinder itself. Even airing cupboards, once a handy storage space, are often converted into small toilets or wardrobes, thus reducing potential sites even further. A combi boiler might be specified as a space-saving solution, but it is unlikely to satisfy the hot water needs of a multi-bathroom household.â&#x20AC;?

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Tank for steaming taps NeoTank is the name of InSinkEratorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot water tank for the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of steaming hot water taps.

Modelled on the previous hot water tank, the NeoTank features a precise and adjustable thermostat, enabling users to set the desired temperature of the water between 88 and 98°C. The compact 2.5 litre tank takes up only a small amount of valuable, under-thesink cupboard space, and the enhanced internal and external design ensures a quiet operation and increased longevity.

With improved insulation and internal design, the NeoTank is said to be 40% more energy efficient in standby mode, offering further energy saving benefits. It is finished in a contemporary white gloss and features an electronic touch-panel display for ease-of-use when adjusting the thermostat.

In addition, the 3N1 steaming hot water tap range from InSinkErator has recently gained approval from the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS).

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Matching service The new and improved Size-it sizing tool for water heater specification from Andrews Water Heaters is now quicker to use and is accessible online on any device. The calculations are based on the hot-water requirements guidance in CIBSEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Guide G Public health and plumbing engineeringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Available for free via the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website (www. sizeit.co.uk) the new tool allows users to manage a portfolio of projects and to tailor the sizing to their exact property type and hot water requirements. Size-

it also provides up-to-date legislative guidance, and all information given can be easily downloaded as a summary or detailed report.

Chris Meir, Sales Director at Andrews Water Heaters, says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Following recent insight into the needs of our customers, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number one sizing tool even better. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made it as easy as possible for busy professionals to get the information they need in order to match the right product to the right job.â&#x20AC;?

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Efficiency across the range | Since 1924, STIEBEL ELTRON has specialised in decentralised DHW heating, offering products geared towards maximum energy savings. No more high operating costs, thanks to innovative technology, reliable premium products and a first-class service from STIEBEL ELTRON. â&#x20AC;ş Quality with a high level of innovation â&#x20AC;ş Instantaneous water heaters for any application area â&#x20AC;ş Convenience for kitchens, bathrooms and hand basins â&#x20AC;ş Peace of mind with a 2 year on site parts and labour warranty DHE SLi | Instantaneous water heater DEL SLi | Instantaneous water heater

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With a comprehensive range of electric space and water heating products we always have the right solution for your project.

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May 2017

48 Fires, CHIMNEYS & Flues

The right material for open fires As more people look to keep the home fires burning in open hearths, fireplace designs are being refined to ensure a clean and efficient burn. Simon Saunders, Technical Manager at Schiedel Chimney Systems, explains how installers can take advantage of new technology.

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hen t he bit ter w inter nig ht s draw to a close, it’s comforting to be able to light a fire to take the chill out of a spring evening once the central heating has been turned off. Perhaps this flexibility has contributed to the continuing rise of solid fuel installations in UK homes. According to the Stove Industry Alliance (SIA), more than one million homes are already using open fires and wood burning stoves, boosted Simon Saunders, Technical by annual sales of 175,000 Manager at Schiedel units.

This upsurge in demand provides excellent business opportunities for suitably trained installers across the plumbing and heating sector. Low season is a good time of year to plan ahead and to think about taking up or reviewing your HETAS training in preparation for a busy period of installation work later in the year.

The high burning efficiencies produced by most modern wood burning stoves must also be a factor in the increase in installations, as many models have the potential to be virtually carbon neutral. High quality wood emits less carbon when burned than it does when left to naturally decay, and as long as woodland is managed and trees replaced, it is a sustainable and renewable heating fuel.

temperatures for increased durability, reliability and long lasting performance. Pumice is suitable for new installations and chimney relining, as well as contributing to increased efficiencies in fire chest products.

Hotter longer

Exceptional insulation is one of the standout benefits of pumice chimney systems.

They will stay hotter for longer as the fire dies down, reducing the likelihood of condensation and soot build up. Flue gas temperatures are maintained well above the dew point, in comparison to other materials which may allow the temperature to fall.

This material is also resistant to temperature change.

Because pumice is a product of volcanos, it is naturally resistant to temperature change, exAdvances in fireplace installation and chimney liners have made open fires more efficient panding and contracting with ease and reducing the possibility of cracking and structural Regulations, and issue the customer with a certificate of compliance. This will give you a real professional edge as damage that could occur with other products.

Pumice is strong, but also lightweight, making it suitable all installations must be subject to a Building Notice that must otherwise be applied for by the householder. If the for just one person to lift and build the chimney units.

Rising efficiencies When used in conjunction with other efficiency boosting householder has to apply to the Local Authority for one of In contrast, open fires have traditionally been labelled as measures, such as fire dampers, pumice chimney systems these notices themselves, they’ll face fees of up to £300, so inefficient relics of a time gone by. While no one can deny are helping to ensure that open fires are better than ever you’ll be saving them time and a lot of money.

Safety aside, qualifying as a certified installer also makes that wood burning stoves are more efficient, the latest before. To ensure they can advise customers on what type of sound business sense. The growth of the renewable energy fireplace, chimney and products are suitable, installers need developments in fireplace installation and their associated sector has led to an increase in popularity for biomass, wood to make sure they are up to speed on the latest products and chimney liners are playing their part in the rise of the open and solid fuel installations. Coupled with technological are trained to spot potential safety issues. fire, helping end users to keep warm as well as ensure their developments surrounding fireplace technology, this growth is homes look good.

Correct installation only set to increase, and the quieter summer months provide Products such as fire chests, which amend the shape of The dangers of incorrect fireplace and chimney installation an ideal opportunity for heating installers to upskill to meet the constructional hearth to facilitate burning, not only are obvious, so cutting corners when it comes to training is future solid fuel demands. allow for easier fire lighting but also improve efficiencies. a risk no installer should take. As well as fire, there is real We’ve seen sales of our own Magnum Firechest increase potential for serious health concerns caused by by around 17% in recent years, with Fire chest benefits noxious gases if solid fuel appliances are ininstallations being carried out in very correctly installed. The most dangerous of • Choice of designs, from traditional to contemporary large new-build properties as well as these is carbon monoxide, which is formed • Produces burning efficiencies of up to 45% for the historic restoration of stately by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, • Facilitates burning and reduces draughts homes. including solid fuel. If CO is released into • Made from highly insulating materials Additionally, open fires are the home it can be extremely damaging • Easy to assemble becoming more popular with or fatal; so for installers, ensuring that all urban homeowners, suggesting Installation basics: gas is evacuated safely up and out of the that modern designer fireplaces chimney is a priority. Installers must • Bed the base plate of the fire chest onto a suitable and inserts are now fitting in with take these dangers seriously. foundation/constructional hearth in accordance with the most cutting-edge of interiors.

Installers should initially complete Building Regulations using appropriate glue.

Schiedel’s fire chests and related training approved by HETAS, the • Install the fire chest using glue, making sure all chimney systems incorporate governing body for solid fuel domestic elements are level. 100mm of brick/blockwork must a range of finishes in fireback or heating appliances that is responsible for be built around the sides and back of the fire chest to fire brick slips, complimented by the registration of competent installers comply with Building Regulations. surrounds to suit both traditional and and businesses. Technical qualifications • The inside of the fire chest must be finished with contemporary interiors. Products are should be renewed every five years to suitable fireback or firebrick slips. made of highly insulating materials, ensure that training is up to date.

• Install the gather using lip glue, making sure all such as pumice, allowing users to There is also scope for further elements are level. make a choice based on aesthetic professional opportunities. Once you have • The front face of the gather can be finished with design without compromising on HETAS approved solid fuel installation plasterboard, rendered or clad in masonry. Lintels functionality. qualifications (H003 or H004), you’ll be may be required about the gather to help carry the The unique value of pumice as a able to go on to register with the HETAS brick or blockwork. chimney liner or fire chest material Competent Persons Scheme, which will Pumice chimney is that it is a natural insulator, systems reduce soot mean you can self-certify that your work PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No. www.schiedel.co.uk 146 build-up and condensation complies with the relevant Building spontaneously responding to high

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Fires, CHIMNEYS & Flues 49

Out with the old, in with the new for a better fire Modern gas fires offer the efficiency, features and ease of use that old models just can’t match, but there are still many households harbouring ancient fires dating back as far as the 1980s. Here, Richard Beaman, Commercial Director at Valor, looks at the case for upgrading the nation’s gas fires.

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oilers are not the only Reason to change gas appliance in the Of course, persuading cushome with technology tomers to part with their that seemingly never dies. The hard earned money to invest zombie analogy can be applied in a replacement model is to gas fires too and, as with not always easy. Aside from boilers, gas fires have evolved. the cost, some won’t want A modern gas fire is not the to redecorate around a new same appliance you fitted in installation and others, par1997; those customers who ticularly the elderly, may be stick with the old fire simply unwilling to get to grips with because it’s still working are a new appliance. It’s vitally missing out on performance impor tant, t herefore, to features, enhanced control, educate customers. greater safety and of course Richard Beaman, Valor Modern gas fires may come lower running costs through greater efficiency – all of which come as with greater control over the flame picture and heat output than their last-generation standard with the latest gas fires.

It’s impossible to know exactly how many counterparts, but that doesn’t mean gas fires are in need of replacement, but if we operation is any more complicated. In fact, use the same cut-off as boiler manufacturers electronic ignition, remote control operation, and assume a zombie appliance is one that innovative sliding control mechanisms and is at least 20 years old, then we estimate touch controls have made it even easier to that there could be more than four million turn on and operate gas fires.

They are also safer. Stricter legislation on zombie gas fires currently in UK homes.

The gas-guzzling decorative fires sold in home appliances and continued product the 1980s may not have been efficient, but development from manufacturers mean they were built to last and we are aware modern fires from reputable manufacturers of some models still working more than 30 will come complete with a flame safety device years after they were first fitted. that cuts off the gas in the unlikely event

that the pilot light becomes extinguished.

Valor’s products are also quality tested to rigorous standards, which includes a gas soundness test.

What’s more, gas fires come with greater design choice and flexibility of installation than ever before, including a host of accessories that can ensure the original footprint is covered and reduce the need for redecoration after installation.

Run the numbers

Modern gas fires: safer and more efficient

However, even if we put to one side all of the style, choice, safety, control and performance benefits of modern gas fires when compared to zombie models, your customers are paying for the inefficiency of their appliance.

Consider this: running a typical 1980s decorative gas fire with 25% efficiency for an average of seven hours per day, 125 days per year, would cost £315 per year at today’s gas prices, using a standard variable tariff on direct debit. What’s more, with around 10kW heat input, additional ventilation was also required.

Running a brand new Valor Homeflame full depth gas fire with 85% efficiency for the same period would cost £157.50 – exactly half the cost of a decorative gas fire. That could mean an annual saving of more than

£150 – and a potential payback period of less than four years, not to mention the safety, control and design advantages too.

And if that’s not enough, your customer would benefit from improved comfort too – with a maximum heat output of around 2.5kW for a decorative gas fire, compared to 3.85kW with the Valor Homeflame full depth.

Chance to win Unearth a ‘zombie’ gas fire and you could win a zombie experience, courtesy of Valor. The winner’s customer will also benefit from a gas fire worth £500. Turn to page 8 for more details. www.valor.co.uk

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Soapstone acts as a Landscape design for the indoors natural convector The TermaTech TT20RS wood burning stove from Specflue is distinguished by the inclusion of 80kg of solid grey soapstone convection panels which can continue to distribute the fire’s heat up to 13 hours after the last stoking. Soapstone is a natural product that has the ability to collect the heat energy and release it slowly into the room.

In comparison, steel stoves heat up quickly and release plenty of heat, but they get cold shortly after the flame has gone out. The soapstone absorbs much of the fire’s heat energy and continues to gradually release it even after the fire has died.

Offering an impressive 5kW heat output and 83.4% efficiency, the TT20RS combines operational comfort with high product quality and a sleek, Scandinavian design.

The Inspire collection of landscape gas fires from Valor has been expanded with the launch of the Inspire 1000. This model completes the range of four Inspire fires, each delivering aspirational looks and advanced performance features.

Bringing together design, controllability and ease of installation, the new 1000 is the largest model in the range of four. It also offers greater flexibility of

installation because it comes with the option of a gather hood connector kit, which allows the fire to connect to

a flexible flue system.

There is a choice of five liners, two trim designs in four colours, and the option

Circular Scandi style The TT20RS also features a practical ash drawer, ease of operation and an ergonomic, cool-to-the-touch handle.

It comes with a five-year warranty.

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A circular design is the distinguishing characteristic of the new Odin from DRU. Sold under the Dik Geurts brand, Odin offers a number of installation options. It is available in two sizes – 100 and 120cm diameter – and there are four different versions: a wall-mounted stove, a stove that is suspended from the ceiling, a stove that is mounted on a ‘plateau’, and a ‘tunnel’ stove that can be viewed from both sides.

Odin generates a stunning log fire

with swooping, curved flames, which are controlled by the Dik Geurts ‘Thermo-glide’ air slide. The exterior is finished in dark anthracite with matching flue covers, and the interior is lined with heat resistant vermiculite.

Odin has the option of external air connection, so air for combustion is drawn from outside rather than inside the home, resulting in greater comfort and higher energy efficiency. www.drufire.com PHAM ENQUIRY No. 150

of a frameless kit, while the Duo burner technology offers excellent control of heat output for an attractive flame picture with ‘dancing’ flames.

As with other Inspire models, homeowners have a choice of Fireslide or remote control and can benefit from easy installation and servicing thanks to the design of the Inspire range.

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May 2017

50 WHAT’S New Time to switch on to Small but mighty combi digital showering The digital shower range from Mira has been enhanced with the addition of the Mira Mode, described as an accessibly priced mixer that offers the added convenience of app control. The app allows on/ off operation while enabling the user to programme maximum temperatures and shower duration, as well as up to 10 personalised bath-fill settings.

For the commissioning installer, the app allows for maximum temperature setting and easy troubleshooting. A chief benefit is the ability to configure feeds and outlets with the app.

This means pipework can be installed in a convenient way, eliminating the need for awkward additional work – such as passovers – when trying to align with existing pipework, as outlets can be nominated subsequently through the app.

There are 12 Mode product options on offer with either ceiling or rear fed fittings, and a choice of valves – a high pressure valve for mains pressurised or combination boilers, or a pumped valve for low pressure or gravity fed systems.

Eight valve-only options are also available. www.mirashowers.co.uk

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The E-Tec combi boiler is the smallest model in Alpha’s domestic range. It features a new stainless steel heat exchanger and promises to deliver on functionality, reliability and efficiency.

Available in two outputs, the E-Tec boiler is capable of delivering up to 14.1 litres of water per minute, making it suitable for small to medium sized homes. Due to wide waterways within the heat exchanger and a high efficiency Grundfos pump, mains water is warmed up

quickly for constant delivery of hot water.

With its seamless design, the E-Tec can easily be installed within a standard kitchen cupboard and is accessed from the front.

The backlit LCD display and push button controls means operation is straightforward for the homeowner too.

In addition, the E-Tec has a Class 6 NOx rating, plus is Opentherm compatible, making it a suitable partner for use with the latest in energy saving controls.

Technical Manager Darran Smith comments: “As a leading boiler manufacturer, we strive to address the evolving needs of both heating installers and end users. The benefits of compact boilers that are straightforward to install as well as handle are constantly being flagged as a priority, and with the E-Tec we feel we’ve achieved this – but without taking away from the high performance standard customers have come to expect of Alpha.”

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High-end design at a lower price Heating and plumbing product specialist Westco is adding a new range of ‘Clever’ taps to its portfolio. Clever was launched in 1998 by Standard Hidraulica (now part of the Comap Group), one of the leading producers of taps and showers in Spain. The first launch within the range includes the CL1 and Start, with more to launch over the next few months.

All products come in a choice of three design styles – elegance, xtreme, and urban.

Elegance provides timeless designs with curved lines;

Xtreme taps feature defined edges; and Urban offers versatile designs. The result is a range that reflects differing tastes and lifestyles, with a

tap to suit any style of kitchen or bathroom.

Westco MD Nick Horton says: “Clever is recognised as an innovative brand in Europe. Clever also offers a realistic price point, which makes them an option for people who want something beautiful without high-end costs.”

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Retro-fit toilet ease

Double ended bath fit for two

Offering a hassel-free refurbishment solution for existing toilet installations is Grohe’s Solido Monobloc range. This retro-fit solution can transform an existing exposed cistern into a sleek, wall hung pan installation, providing an affordable bathroom update. Its seamless surfaces offer improved levels of hygiene, as germs and bacteria are unable to hide and multiply in small joins or crevices.

A thermo-moulded acrylic

The Cayono Duo bath from Kaldewei is described as a double ended bath at an entry level price point. This model extends the Cayono bath family with a new Duo bath featuring two comfortable backrests. A roomy interior and centrally positioned waste and overflow outlet ensure that there is plenty of space for two people.

The Cayono Duo is made of Kaldewei steel enamel and is available in two sizes: 170 x 75cm and 180 x 80cm,

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reinforced cover efficiently conceals and protects the toilet frame. The product comprises a Rapid SL frame, flush plate and wall brackets, providing a complete solution with all the materials necessary to successfully convert exposed floor standing toilet installations.

In addition, Grohe’s StarLight technology is applied to the chrome flush plate, which makes it resistant to dirt and scratches, keeping it looking newer for longer.

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making it suitable for many different room layouts.

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May 2017

WHat’s New

Bag the professional look with Starrett 5 full bags to be won!

Shower collection offers more choice Temptation is the name of Abacus Bathrooms’ new collection of coordinated showering elements. The range includes two thermostatic shower controls in one, and two outlet versions. The former caters for a single shower, while the latter allows a shower system to divert to a bath filler or hand shower.

The shower mixer has a concealed design and a thermostatic cartridge for safe showering, with a safety stop set at 40ºC that can be adjusted to suit. It offers a powerful drench at a flow

rate of 26 litres per minute.

The Temptation shower controls can be combined with a choice of five shower kit configurations. From a hand shower with slide rail to a ceiling-mounted rainshower, the Temptation shower kits feature a chrome finish and support high pressure water systems of 1.0 bar or above.

Highlights include the wallmounted waterfall shower head, which has a blade-like waterfall spout. The Fluid Shower Column has a diverter that flips between overhead and hand shower.

COMPETITION

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High-end tap with elegance Offered as a high-end range of brassware from the Francis Pegler brand, the new Waterfall tap offers an elegant choice for customers. The spout of the Waterfall tap is wider than average and allows a lavish flow of water to cascade into the bath or basin. This tap provides a controlled and comfortable flow of water for any bathroom.

The tall pillar design angles the spout to a comfortable degree ensuring a better user experience. The sleek handle is easy to operate thanks to the

ceramic disc cartridge technology within and the spout provides the perfect outlet for a consistent undulated flow of water.

The five-piece range comprises a basin mixer, mini basin mixer, 3-hole bath filler, H pattern bath filler and H pattern bath and shower mixer. They are suitable for both high and low water pressure systems, min 0.1 bar (0.4 bar for 3-hole bath filler), and also feature flow restrictors.

ENQUIRY No. www.pegleryorkshire.co.uk.

157

Inverter inside heat pump Heat pump system manufacturer NIBE has launched the latest products to its range, the F1155 and F1255 inverter driven ground source heat pumps, both of which have been awarded MCS certification.

In a standard heat pump the compressor works by an on/off mechanism – the compressor is activated when heat is required and works to its maximum output to fulfil demand, meaning large buffer vessels are required. In comparison, the new intelligent inverter driven heat pumps are speed controlled and regulate output according to demand.

This allows the heat pump to automatically adjust itself to the power demand of the property, which is said to result in optimal savings and reduced energy

consumption as the heat pump runs at the correct output all year round.

Two sizes are available (1.5–6kW and 3–12kW) to suit a wide range of properties. Both operate at SCOP 5.2 at 35°C and have been attributed A+++ energy label rating. The new range also benefits from

an intuitive user interface.

It offers an automatically activated guide for quick setup, a help function for more information, and a problem solving alarm. Furthermore the F1155 can be combined with the existing range of NIBE VPB cylinders and accessories, whilst the F1255 contains an integrated 180 litre cylinder.

Under control The F1155 and F1255 heat pumps are compatible with NIBE Uplink. It is possible to control up to eight heating systems and accessorise the system to meet other applications such as pool heating, passive and active cooling and ventilation, the latter of which is achieved through the addition of the new NIBE ERS heat recovery unit.

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We’ve teamed up with Starrett to offer PHAM News readers the chance to win one of five prize bundles consisting of a toolbag stuffed with useful tools for the professional

Tooling up Hand tool specialist Starrett now provides a range of kitted-out toolbags for professional tradespeople and contractors. To celebrate the launch of Starrett’s toolbags, the company is giving away five of its standard sized bags.

“Starrett is an established and respected manufacturer of hand tools for trade,” says John Cove, Marketing Manager at Starrett’s UK HQ in Jedburgh. “Our toolbags are well-made and ideal for contracting professionals. They present an image of quality and professionalism. As always, we keep a close eye on what our customers need and endeavour to provide the ideal product to help them.”

The prize The medium toolbag is an allin-one solution for transporting tools and has a number of internal and external pockets for quick and easy access. The bag will come stuffed with a range of useful accessories including: • 20mm Fast Cut Hole Saw • 25mm Fast Cut Hole saw • A1 arbor • KUXP010-N Utility Knife • KTX1-5M-N Tape Measure • KLTX95-N Torpedo Level

How to Enter Entering the competition is easy and doesn’t even cost the price of a stamp.

Simply read the question below and then write your answer on the freepost reader enquiry and registration card inside this month’s issue. So, for example, if you think the answer is ‘Wales’, you should write 101 on the card. Only one entry will be allowed per person and the winner will be drawn from all the correct entries received before the closing date of 5th June 2017.

In which country is Starrett’s Jedburgh HQ located?

Wales...........101

England........102

Scotland.......103

Find out more For more information about the Starrett’s full range of saws and hand tool products, as well as its toolbags, please visit the website:

www.starrett.co.uk

May 2017

Advertorial

TECHNICAL Tips Four season control The unpredictably of British weather can often leave households unexpectedly cool, even during the summer months. Here, Nigel Sanger, Technical Manager at JG Speedfit, discusses how to get the best out of heating controls, whatever the weather.

WHat’s New Guarding against legionella A imed at commercial installat ions, Delabie’s range of anti-bacterial Biofil point of use filters are WRAS approved and are designed to provide peace of mind if a legionella outbreak is identified. Featuring hollowfibre membrane technology to micro-filter the water, Biofil filters have a larger filtration surface for increased volumes of water, better resistance to clogging, and a compact filter.

The range consists of sterile and non-sterile antibacterial cartridges and shower heads as well as spout filters. The spouts are also available in sterile and

non-sterile versions and can be fitted to all of Delabie’s mixers with removable Bioclip spouts. All these

filters have a maximum lifespan of 62 days.

PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No.

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Angle in on roof drainage JG Aura thermostats have four temperature options for better control over heating

S

marter heating systems are a must for anyone looking to monitor, adapt and reduce energy usage and associated costs. Heating now accounts for more than 60% of the energy consumption of a typical household, and with a growing emphasis on energy efficiency in new properties, supported by legislation, there is a strong case for any measure which makes it possible to heat a house using less energy.

Smart heating controls mean that users are no longer limited to a choice of ‘on’ or ‘off’ – instead, heating levels can be monitored and temperatures can be changed with ease, without the need to wait for the system to kick into action. Smart devices such as phones and tablets empower users to regulate the heating patterns of a home, quickly and efficiently, in line with changing and often unpredictable weather. This now can even be done remotely, if required.

Summer usage Most people turn off their heating in the summer and then turn it back on at the start of the heating season. However, rather than turn off the heating completely, it may be a better idea to set a minimum temperature, such as 17°C, so the home doesn’t drop below this threshold. This helps maintain a comfortable balance and eliminates spikes in unwanted energy usage, saving energy and reducing cost.

Many smart controls also offer more than one temperature setting that can be used at different times of the day or year.

JG Aura’s programmable thermostats, for example, offer four different temperature levels: ‘high’ for periods where the user wants to be warm, such as getting out of bed or watching TV in the evening; ‘activity’ where the user is home but active, for example, doing housework; and ‘low’ for periods where no one is home, or at night. There is also a ‘frost’ level where the family is away on holiday

and only want to prevent the home from freezing or to provide a minimum amount of heat. All these levels are individually adjustable and the homeowner can use whichever ones they wish.

In the zone Zonal heating allows for the differentiation of heating zones, ensuring that spaces are heated only as and when required, a welcome break from the current ‘one size fits all’ approach found in many properties.

Every house and its occupants have different habits and so heating control systems with better functionality allow for heating to be personalised according to specific requirements around zones, time, temperature and interlock. Heating rooms that are not used for extended periods will consume unwanted energy.

Understanding the unique requirements of the house is crucial to specifying the right solution and unlocking the full potential of heating controls. It also puts end users in complete control.

In actual fact, the functionality of most heating controls used in the UK has evolved very little since the 1960s, despite the availability of technology which can offer improved efficiency and better granular control than ever before.

Combining this with group or app control makes this process very easy to set up and adapt. The potential for savings alone more than justifies any initial outlay, with a relatively short payback period compared with other forms of renewable technology, making a very strong case for the specification of heating controls which go above and beyond the minimum requirements as outlined in part L of the Building Regulations.

Find out more For more information on the range of controls available from JG Speedfit, visit the website below.

www.speedfitufh.co.uk

The range of cast iron Vortx roof outlets from SaintGobain has been extended with the addition of 88º and 45º angled outlets with flat and domed grates for flat roofs.

The outlets are available in three sizes with a 4, 3 or 2in BSP threaded joint, with a range of spigot adaptors including concentric and eccentric to connect to smaller pipe diameters.

Designed and manufactured for a long durable life, the cast iron flat grates are sheradised, the domed grates are polyester coated and the bodies of the outlets

have a grey epoxy coating.

Mike Rawlings, Marketing Manager, says: “These cast iron roof outlets provide a hard wearing and anticorrosive option for a long life. In common with other Vortx roof outlets, the new range has been flow tested in accordance with EN1253 and will connect to most drainage systems on the market.”

PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No.

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Faster Soil stack tackles plaster unwanted noise

Thistle Bonding 60 is an undercoat plaster from Br it ish Gy psum t hat decreases setting time by as much as two thirds. The company says this allows patching and repair jobs to be completed in half the time compared to standard undercoat plaster.

With a shorter setting time of just 60 minutes, it’s ready to finish in 75 minutes.

It is suitable for patching deep holes or chases and is available in a 10kg tub or 12.5 and 25kg bags.

PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No.

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Designed to address the problem of noise in soil stacks, Wav in’s Osma Acoustic Coupler 4S125 absorbs structural-borne sounds that can be caused by thermal movement, as well as contact between the stack and the structure of the building.

Featuring Osma’s captive ring-seal at one end and a deep expandable rubber gasket at the other, the coupler can expand and contract as needed. This allows movement within the body of the fitting up to 18mm, releasing stress on the pipework.

Installing the fitting on every storey of a building helps limit noise transfer between separating floors and walls. When installed with an access pipe fitting, installers and building control officers can also check that the necessary expansion gap is present after first fix completion.

For extra installation flexibility, the Osma Acoustic Coupler 4S125 can be fitted horizontally and vertically.

PHAM NEWS ENQUIRY No.

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May 2017

53 3 WHAT’S W HAT A ’S New New 5 Recover heat Recover tthe he h eat from from hot ho ot sshowers how wers

horizontal version version of of A horizontal Heatrae Sadia’s Sadia’s e xisting Heatrae existing verticall shower showerr h ea at rrecovery ecovery vertical heat unit ((SHRU) SHRU) iis sn ow av vailable. unit now available.

The new new M egafl flo SHRU SHRU is is said said The Megaflo to b ee asy tto o iinstall nstall a nd c an to be easy and can be fi tted in in new new or or existing existing be fitted properties. Shower Shower h eat properties. heat recovery products products transfer transfer recovery heat ffrom rom d ischarged w aste heat discharged waste water into into the the incoming incoming water water ssupply, upply y, placing placing lless ess water energ y lload oad o n tthe he b oiler or or energy on boiler immersion h eatter tto o rraise aise tthe he immersion heater temperature to the the desired desired temperature level. level.

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Filters ilters rremove emove tthe he Small S mall a and nd mighty miighty F h armfu ull pollutants pollutants harmful

be fit ted d irectly underneath underneatth be fitted directly the sshower hower tray, tray, as as the the heat heat the exchange occurs occurs horizontally horizontally exchange along tthe he u nit. By By using using a coil coil along unit. heat exchanger exchanger to to transfer transfer heat heatt from from warm warm waste waste water water heat to the the incoming incoming cold cold supply, supply y, to the horizontal horizontal SHRU SHRU is is up up to to the 30% efficient. efficient.

30% The standard standard product p oduct pr The comes w it h a n iintegrated nteg rated comes with an waste trap, t rap, and and a 2% 2% slope slope waste ensures that t hat water water flows flows ensures t hrough tthe he unit unit and and is is through disposed of of effectively. effectively. T he disposed The horizontal u nit is is available availab ble in in horizontal unit t wo variations, var iations, w ith tthe he iiZi Zi two with model pr ov iding iincreased ncreased model providing flexibility. B oth tthe he sstandard tandard flexibility.

Both and iZi iZi come come with with a two-year two-year and war rant y. warranty.

PHAM P H A M NEWS NEWS ENQUIRY ENQUIRY No. No.

www.heatraesadia.com w w w.heatraesadia.com

163 16 3

The M The Murelle urelle One One HE HE 25kW 25kW combination c ombination boiler boilerr is is Sime’s Sime’s llatest attest high-efficiency high-efficie ency wallwallhung h ung m model odel a and nd is is tthe he most most compact c ompac ct a and nd energy energy efficient efficient iin n the the Murelle Murelle range. range.

Lightweight L ightweight and and easy easy to to iinstall, nstall, the the Murelle Murelle One One HE HE 25 2 5 iiss made made from from premium p emium pr quality q uality components compon nents inincluding new c luding g Giannoni’s Giannoni’s n ew condensing c ondensing stainless stainless steel steel and a nd alloy alloy heat heat exchanger exchanger tthat hatt incorporates incorporates larger larger diameter waterways. d iameter w aterway ys. IIts ts compact makes co mpact size size ma akes this this model m odel ssuited uited for for rooms rooms where w here space space is is at at a premium. premium. p Other O ther features features of of the the new boiler ne w b oiler include include a built-in b uilt-in service ser vice timer, timer, LCD LCD ttemperature emperature and and diagnostic diagnostic display, and user-adjustable d isplay, a nd u ser-a adjjustab ble tthermostatic hermostatic control con ntrol from from 20-80ºC. 2 0-80 ºC. IItt also also offers offfers efficient heating e fficient h eating control control connectivity c onnectivity ((Open Open Therm Therm connection). c onnection n).

Sime General Si me G eneral Manager Manager Massimo M assimo Bizzotto Bizzotto comcomments: many urban m ents: ““In In m any u rban

homes essenh omes ttoday, oday, iitt iis se ssenttial ial to to maximise maximise the the use use of of sspace pace in in every ever y room. room. The The Murelle M urelle One’s One’s compact compact size size makes m akes it it perfect perfect for for smaller smaller dwellings d wellings ssuch uch as as flats flatts and and houses h ouses with with limited limited sspace. pace.

While may be W hile iitt m ay yb e sm ssmall, all, tthe he Murelle M urelle One One doesn’t doesn’t comcompromise p romise on performance, performance, delivering off power d eliver ing 25kW 25kW o power iin n tthe he most most energy energy efficient efficient way possible.” wa yp ossible.”

PHAM P H A M ENQUIRY ENQUIRY No. No.

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www.sime.co.uk w ww.sime.co.uk

Ventilation V entilation de designer signer Nuaire Nuaire has h as iintroduced ntroduced a n new ew rrange ange off iin-line o n-line c carbon arbon fi filters lters c called alled IIAQ-BOX, AQ-BOX, a sstep tep fforward orward iin n both both air air filtration filtration and and carbon rresistance esistance levels levels ffor or c arbon filter fi lter ttechnology. echnolog y.

D esigned to to complement complement Designed N uaire’s M VHR rrange, ange, IAQIAQNuaire’s MVHR B OX rremoves emoves BOX 9 9.5% of of nitrogen nitrogen 99.5% d ioxide ffrom rom tthe he dioxide iintake ntake air, air, as as v erified b y the the BRE. BRE. verified by IItt a lso removes removes other other also h armful pollutants pollutants harmful pr oduced b y vehicle vehicle produced by e xhaust e missions exhaust emissions a nd tthrough hrough industrial industrial and pr ocesses. processes.

IIAQ-BOX AQ-BOX filters filters have have a twotwoy ear llifespan, ifespan, ensuring ensuring that that year ma intenance iis s m inimal. maintenance minimal.

O ptional PM10 PM10 and and PM2.5 PM2.5 Optional pr e-filters ensure ensure that that up up to to pre-filters 9 5% o armful u p articulate 95% off h harmful particulate ma tter iis s rremoved. emov ved. matter T he range range is is said said to to The iintroduce ntroduce a n iindustry ndustry fi rst iin n an first

iits ts double-width double-width c arbon fi lter – carbon filter IIAQ-BOX-D. AQ-BOX-D. This This option option offers offe f rs g reater surface surface area area which which h as greater has a duel due el benefit. benefit. Even Even more more NO 2 NO2 iiss filtered filtered from from the the air air whilst whilst tthe he e xtra w idth h elps llower ower extra width helps tthe he resistance resistance for for a quieterquieterrrunning unning M VHR system system and and MVHR b etter flow flow rates. rates. better

While tthe he IAQ-BOX-D IAQ-BOX-D meets tthe he needs needs of of meets llarger arger properties, properties, the the single single o ption – IIAQ-BOX-S AQ-BOX-S – is is option llighter ighter and and more more c ompact compact ffor or sm aller h omes. B oth smaller homes.

Both ssystems ystems measure measure just just 170mm 170mm iin n de pth, giving giving designers designers depth, v aluable v oid sspace pace ssavings. avings. valuable void PHAM P H A M NEWS NEWS ENQUIRY ENQUIRY No. No.

www.nuaire.co.uk w w w.nuaire.co.uk

165 16 5

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May 2017

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Advertiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Index ACV UK Ltd ATC Semitec Alpha Heating Innovation Altecnic Ltd Ariston Heating BWT Baxi Heating UK Ltd Brian Hyde Ltd CMR Controls Ltd

43 41 16, 23 30 45 8, 40 46 3 24

Esi Controls Ltd 10 The Electric Heating Company 17 Ford Motor Company 56 Gastite Systems Ltd 33 Geberit Sales Ltd 29, 39 Graham, The Plumbers' Merchant 13 Grasslin UK 18 HVAC & Refrigeration Show 2018 50 Intatec Ltd (Zilmet) 15 John Guest Speedfit Ltd Front Cover Wrap Kamco Ltd 38

Logic 4 Training MV Fluids Handling Ltd Maincor Ltd Nest Labs Nu-Heat UK Ltd Pegler Yorkshire Group Ltd Plumbase Plumber of the Year Polypipe plc Roca Ltd The LS Starrett Company Ltd

5 27 37 7 4 31 26 12 32 21 6

Stelrad Stiebel Eltron UK Ltd Tacotherm (UK) Ltd Talon Manufacturing Ltd Viega Ltd Viesmann Ltd Wavin OSMA Wirquin Ltd Wolseley UK Ltd Worcester, Bosch Group

16 25 47 36 34 35 22 19 11 20 9

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May 2017

INFORMATION Centre 55 Danfoss & Honeywell Book of Wiring

‘Central Heating fault finding & repair’

For years electricians and heating engineers have commented that wiring heating controls is a difficult subject to learn, existing diagrams are not always easy to follow.

Mr Combi® Training has developed a fantastic set of easy to follow coloured wiring diagrams for Danfoss and Honeywell Controls, 2 / 3 port systems, Faults, Frost stats, testing components, everything you need in one handy A5 book.

This 200 page book written by John Reginald, is designed to help the reader understand central heating and hot water systems. Offering a stepby-step guide to the fault finding and repair process of systems and components enabling the reader to achieve professional solutions to professional standards.

Priced at £26 this Industry leading book is available from all High Street and Online Book Stores COPPER JOB

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Abode Connekt Flushfit Sink

Connekt Flushfit with its ultra-thin edge detailing delivers a sleek contemporary look to any chosen worktop. Both 1.0 and 1.5 bowl sinks are produced in premium 18/10 grade stainless steel and are quite simply, all round stunning designs!

They can be fitted perfectly flush or alternatively fitted conventionally as an inset with stylish low-profile edges. Either option creates a minimal look which is easy to keep clean. Both sinks come complete with the unique Abode Orbit waste and all plumbing pipework, as standard, plus a pre-fitted seal strip around the underside edge.

Visit www.abode.eu to view the complete range of sinks, taps and accessories or enter the PHAM No. ABODE

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Please order from www.mrcombi.com or enter the PHAM No. CIBSE DBSP

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Snickers On-Site Climate Control Workwear

Graham Launches 1st Commercial Product Guide

Keep cool and dry this Summer, Snickers have incorporated 37.5® Technology fabric into its garments. It’s very quick-drying material that captures and releases moisture vapour – like your sweat - for superior coolness and dry working comfort.

Snickers have a range of shirts, jackets, shorts and trousers including Mechanical Air Flow™ features which are breathable openings in the garments and stretch mesh fabric for inside leg ventilation.

Check out the Snickers Workwear product families for precisely the right garments to fit your workday.

Visit www.snickersworkwear.co.uk call the Snickers Helpline on 01484 854788 or enter the PHAM No.

Graham Plumbers’ Merchant has launched its first Commercial Product Guide, which covers all the relevant heating, plumbing and washroom products.

The guide makes product selection simple and includes a range of complete washroom packs designed to ensure compliance with Part M of the Building Regulations.

Graham has increased the number of products in its commercial range by 50% and now stocks a greater number of these at its distribution centre, allowing for next day delivery on many of the most common items.

Available in Graham branches or to download from www.grahamplumbersmerchant.co.uk/tools/online-literature/ or enter the PHAM No.

SNICKERS

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Sime’s website has a new look!

GRAHAM

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New Puro Set Wide From Kaldewei Puro Set Wide is the latest steel enamel bath from Kaldewei, perfect for bathing and showering with a centrally-positioned waste outlet and extra wide rim, giving maximum freedom for positioning taps and fittings.

With an ergonomic backrest and extra steep walls on three sides, Puro Set Wide offers reclining comfort and optimum legroom while bathing and freedom of movement and excellent underfoot safety while showering.

Intelligent heating and hot water solutions provider Sime Ltd has completely redeveloped its website.

The redesigned website delivers an easy to navigate user experience with clearly defined areas for homeowners and installers, plus a dedicated commercial products section. Sime also has new look domestic marketing literature including brochures, price lists and posters which are currently being distributed to merchants across the country.

For more information visit www.kaldewei.co.uk Ring 01480 498 053 or enter the PHAM No.

Visit: www.sime.co.uk Call: 0345 901 1114 or enter the PHAM No. SIME

MR COMBI

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BOSS

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KALDEWEI

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Training & Assessments We’re here to help...

Kiwa UK Expert and Independent Training

www.sanctustraining.co.uk

For open courses and bespoke training across HVACR Plumbing Electrics Health & Safety 10 day Intro to Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Hydrocarbons-6187-21-course

FGas category 1/2/3/4

Legionella Unvented Water & Water Regulations

Health ealth & Safety, Safety including Fire Safety and First Aid

Gas, Solid Fuel and Oil Training

Combination tion Electrics Electr Kiwa is one of the UK’ UK’s companie es. s leading training, testing and certification companies.

Our new training centre, just off o the M5 near Cheltenham, has been designed design ned to provide a comfortable and relaxed re elaxed environment.

CCNI Domestic Gas COCN1 Commercial Gas I-GAS Industrial Gas

info@sanctustra info@sanctustraining.co.uk aining.co.uk • 01453 899101 89910 01

Tel : 01 Tel: 01242 242 662121 6 6 2121 Email: E mail : training@kiwa.co.uk tr aining @ k i wa . c o.uk www.kiwa.co.uk/training w w w.k i wa.c o.uk/t raining

www.sanctustraining.co.uk ww w.sancctustraining.co.ukk SANCTUS TRAINING

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KIWA

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