Story

Heating engineers and installers are well aware of the damage that hard water can cause in heating systems and appliances – they see it pretty much every day of their lives if they work in hard water areas. But many are still to wake up to the very real opportunities that water softeners can offer them and their businesses.

Water softeners work in reverse to nature. Rain water is naturally soft and only becomes hard when it filters down through limestone type rocks, picking up hardness impurities as it goes. A water softener does the reverse of this, ‘washing’ hard water through a resin bed that takes out the ‘hardness’ salts – calcium and magnesium – leaving you with softened water, the way nature intended!

If your customers live in a hard water area – which is around 60% of the UK, especially in London and the south east, East Anglia and the Home Counties – they will already know about hard water. Scum in the kettle. Scaling up of showerheads, limescale marks in the sink and loo.

But if that’s what can be seen easily, imagine what damage is being done where you can’t see it, in heating systems, in washing machines and dishwashers, prime targets for hard water damage. Just a 1.6mm build-up of scale on the inside of heating system surfaces can cause a 12% loss in heating efficiency in pipes, in radiators and on heat exchanger surfaces in boilers. Scale will also form around the heating coil and eventually fill a hot water cylinder. It’s estimated that the annual amount of hard water used by an average family of four contains a whopping 70kg of scale. Untreated limescale simply means wasting energy, wasting money and having to replace appliances and heating systems.

The most welcome benefit for householders, is that having softened water in the home can reduce heating bills significantly – 15% reductions in energy bills are commonplace, often more – and importantly, having a water softener installed will reduce maintenance costs on those appliances. Good for the planet. Good for homeowners pockets.

As an installer, you can install a water softener at anytime. They are quick and simple to install – usually no more than half a day’s work for a competent plumber or heating engineer. Just a minimum water pressure of 1.7 bar (25psi) and access to the mains water supply, drainage and electricity are required. Many installers offer a water softener as ‘part of the package’ when they install a new kitchen or bathroom, because they know that a water softener will help keep the customers investment as good as new. But, if you are called to undertake remedial work that has been caused by hard water, particularly replacing a boiler, a radiator or sections of pipework – that’s an excellent opportunity for you to take the customer through the benefits of a water softener.

Once installed they are really simple to use and maintain. All you need to do is occasionally add salt to aid the regeneration process. Water softeners come in a range of different sizes. The one you recommend will depend on the size of the family and the property in which it will be installed.

View Tapworks's profile:

Story

Along the Dishforth to Leeming section of the North Yorkshire A1 upgrade, new carriageways are being built adjacent to the in-use existing highway. By using a Tensartech TR2 Wall solution to create a temporary structure while raising a below grade section, the Carillion/ Morgan Sindall joint venture contractors are saving extensive time and helping to minimise traffic disruption.

The existing 150 metres section of the A1 either side of the Butcher House Bridge is up to 10 metres below the final required grade of the new motorway. An earth retaining structure with a near vertical face was required to support the new carriageway, which would allow the traffic to be switched to it while the old section was filled in and complete the dual three lane motorway.

The conventional technique using extensive sheet piling along the embankment and for the bridge abutments to relieve lateral thrust would have been time consuming, and access for the installation plant could have disrupted traffic flow. In addition, the sheet piling would have been buried when the carriageway was filled in for the completed motorway, making a very expensive loss of material.

“Tensar developed a reinforced earth solution which was quick to install, with minimal disturbance to vehicles by temporarily supporting the new south bound embankment, bridge wing walls and abutments,” commented the joint venture senior engineer, Kevin Wilcock. “As a temporary sacrificial structure, the TR2 was by far the best option and less expensive than other methods available.”

The Tensartech TR2 solution comprised compacted fill reinforced with layers of Tensar’s uniaxial geogrid, securely connected to steel mesh facing units to form a 100m length of the 85°earth retaining structure up to 3m high; site won fill was used for this section. For the bridge abutments and wing walls, a 26 m length of vertical faced TR2 face, using imported 6N/6P granular fill and uniaxial geogrids, was built up to 9.5 metres. At either end of the embankment, a 45° slope was constructed using the Tensartech NaturalGreen technology.

In a project which started in 2009, the A1’s existing dual two lane carriageways will be upgraded to dual three lane motorways. Access points for local traffic will be made safer, and agricultural traffic will be excluded.

View Tensar's profile:

Story

Marflow’s Martin Lowe is to deliver a seminar on post-occupancy energy efficiency through continuous commissioning at this year’s Sustainability Live exhibition.

Aimed at building managers, energy managers, facilities managers and building services engineers, the presentation will address the need for ongoing post-occupancy energy efficiency and the barriers to achieving this. In particular, it will use fan coil and chilled beam systems to exemplify the traditional difficulties of re-commissioning such systems in line with changes in building usage.

The presentation will go on to explore how more sophisticated control technologies can be applied to create a continuous commissioning approach that enables such systems to be easily reconfigured from a PC, without the disruption and cost of entering the ceiling void.

As a pioneer of this concept, Martin Lowe will chart the recent technological developments that have made this possible and outline the potential energy efficiency benefits it brings. These include aligning systems to changes in building occupancy and layout and the increased potential for retrofitting renewable heat sources to generate hot water for these systems.

View Marflow Hydronics's profile:

Story

Thorn has introduced a series of slim tubular lighting columns. The Alumet range aims to help landscape architects and town planners define direction, create an atmosphere and provide comfort and safety. The luminaires comes with an opal or clear diffuser. The former takes twin 54W T5 lamps and the clear diffusers offer three choices of optics: Fresnel rings or a glass top lens to suit a 35-150W HIT-CE lamp, or multi-layered directional spotlights for added drama. The spotlights take white or coloured LEDs or 35W HIR-CE 111 lamps. An external lampshield (180 degree) with arabesque or perforated mesh patterns adds further flexibility.

View Thorn Lighting's profile:

Story

STELRAD COMES TO THE RESCUE FOR SARAH BEENY!

– quality radiators provide the finishing touch at Rise Hall!

When Sarah Beeny’s now famous refurbishment of Rise Hall in deepest Yorkshire featured on the Channel 4 series ‘Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare’ was endangered by a failure to show of radiators – ordered by the UK’s favourite property renovation expert – leading European radiator manufacturer Stelrad, played the white knight to her restoration project’s crumbling dragon!

The 40,000 square feet, 200 year old, 30 bedroom, 20 bathroom, Grade 2* listed building requires not inconsiderable heating! As part of the restoration project, Sarah was expecting a lorry load of radiators to arrive on time, to allow the filming of the project to proceed as agreed. When the lorry didn’t arrive, the shooting schedule, not to mention the heating system, seemed to be in total disarray.

A phone call to Chris Humphreys and Lorraine Hawes at Stelrad was followed by a rapid response from Stelrad, who provided, from stock, a sensational mix of their classy Planar and Classic Column radiators in ten different sizes to meet the very specific needs of Rise Hall and Ms Beeny!

“When we first got the call we thought it was a wind up,” says Stelrad’s marketing co-ordinator, Lorraine Hawes, “but when we calmed down and realised this was a genuine plea for help, we took a closer look at Sarah’s requirements and managed to meet the very specific size requests she had, pretty much from stock. The ones we didn’t have in stock we delivered three days later! One of the benefits of making more than 2 million radiators a year and having a sizeable stock from which building merchants can usually draw rapidly, is the ability to meet these ‘one off’ demands at very short notice compared to most suppliers. We sorted the driver out and had the radiators taken the relatively short distance from our base in Yorkshire across to Rise Hall, just down the M18.”

“Having been let down at the last minute by the original supplier, we felt a bit cheeky going to another supplier and begging them to help us at such short notice,” says Sarah. “But Chris and Lorraine were so kind and helpful – and they did exactly what they said they would do – and saved the shoot that was going to show the radiators being installed! And the quality of the radiators we were provided is excellent and the radiator designs match the surroundings at Rise Hall perfectly – it was a real success story for us – plucked from the depths of despair and elevated to the height of relief in less than a day.”

The Planar design radiator has a flat, smooth surface with elegant, integrated top grilles and side panels that have made it a favourite with architects up and down the UK. It’s a slim profile, silky smooth surfaced radiator that simply oozes quality.

The Classic Column radiator range has an instantly traditional appearance but actually sits as comfortably in modern building designs as it does in period refurbishments. Available in low level and vertical options – a total of seven different heights from 300mm to 2500mm – more than 50 models in all and available as both horizontal or vertical models for maximum room design flexibility, it’s a massively popular option and absolutely ideal for Rise Hall.

A final word to Lorraine: “Despite the rapid turnaround and the whole project being a slightly hairy one, it was great fun to work with Sarah and to get a real feel for how she works on her renovation projects and with the TV production teams, to make sure everything happens as and when it should. Rise Hall is a wonderful project and a lovely home as well as business premises – it was a privilege to be involved.”

View Stelrad's profile:

Story

British fibre bonded carpet manufacturer Heckmondwike FB is helping educational establishments keep clean by the introduction of its new Cleaning and Maintenance Guide.

The attractive guide, which contains nine pages in a handy reference point style, features clear and concise pictorial instructions as well as the cleaning products needed for each specific job. It details the best ways to tackle general cleaning; deep cleaning; stain removal and the biggest problem faced when maintaining flooring, the removal of chewing gum. Caretakers, facilities, estates and site managers across the country can request their cleaning and maintenance guide by calling 01924 406161, with a digital version available online [link] for anyone who wishes to download it.

Abby Chandler, Marketing Manager at Heckmondwike FB commented; “Heckmondwike FB is dedicated to manufacturing cost effective durable flooring options for schools and educational facilities which we have been doing for over 40 years. The Cleaning and Maintenance Guide was created to maximise the life of existing and new carpet options – making carpet – as cost effective an investment as possible for these facilities.”

If installed and maintained properly, many carpets from the Heckmondwike FB range should have a life span of at least 10 years and at a time when cuts are at their peak, schools need to be able to depend on this promise by maintaining their flooring correctly.

View Heckmondwike FB's profile:

Story

Renowned for its comprehensive range of decorative electrical wiring accessories and lighting controls, Hamilton Litestat has a design and finish to suit every style of interior from ultra contemporary to heritage restoration.

However, Hamilton’s in-house team of product developers and designers also regularly work on bespoke commissions for interiors that have specialist requirements. This plate was specially engraved to the hospitality client’s specifications due to the location of several switches on a single plate.

Plates such as this could also include the halo neon, which allows switches to be located in dark conditions, and may include several different functions such as touch switches, two-way on/off and intermediate on/off switches so that everything is contained within one stylish plate.

View Hamilton-Litestat's profile:

Story

Take control of the environment in a living or workspace with Theben’s KNX-compatible VARIA eight-channel display and controller with integral room thermostat.

VARIA, with its sleek stainless steel buttons on a raised glass fascia offers elegant styling with a rugged, long-lasting design that eliminates fragile touch screens.

It can display KNX-programmed profiles in as many as eight rooms, offering control over up to three functions in each of them that combine to provide the right ‘room scene’ for, say, reading, watching TV or sleeping. Scenes can be selected at the touch of an elegant button, and users can adjust levels within limits defined at the time of installation.

VARIA can add an extra level of KNX intelligence and over-ride these programmes for instance if ambient light levels suggest electric lighting is not needed after all, or is presence detectors indicate that a room is unoccupied.

VARIA has an integral room thermostat and can be used to programme zoned heating control by installing sister thermostats in other rooms.

View Timeguard's profile:

Story

Repairing a bridge is a meticulous task that requires the combination of precision engineering with materials that offer proven strength and performance. This was the task facing Wilf Noble Civil Engineering of Whitby but, with the help of timber sourced and supplied by leading timber supplier, Timbmet, an ideal solution was achieved. The bridge in question in need of renovation was the 414ft long Scarborough Bridge, originally opened to the public in 1827. This historic spa bridge required extensive renovation work to the decking and walkways supports.

The solution involved Timbmet sourcing specialist Ekki timber, a dark heartwood which grows on the West coast of Africa and which is renowned for its strength, durability and resistance to decay. The original construction of the bridge involved the edge timbers being spliced to the main support beams, but over time, these began to sag, with heavy corrosion affecting the safety and strength of the connections holding the timber in place.

Timbmet’s manufacturing team took on the task of sourcing the timber and accurately machining the beams allowing the connections to fit precisely. Now the beams span the entire width of the deck, without affecting the trademark wrought iron arches supporting the bridge. Finally, Wilf Noble repainted the surface of the new deck, matched and textured to complement the existing footways.

Alex Peoples of Wilf Noble is delighted with the engineering achievement. “Working with the Timbmet manufacturing team was a pleasure. They were helpful, knowledgeable and professional. The accuracy of the machining enabled us to fit the timbers without problems; the overall service was very good which ensured that the project ran smoothly.”

This was echoed by the client, North Yorkshire County Council, whose chief bridge engineer, John Smith expressed delight with the finished result. “A great deal of forethought has gone into the engineering of this project and I think the bridge now looks magnificent, something that everyone in Scarborough can be very proud of.”

View Timbmet's profile:

Story

Tyco Electronics Energy Division has launched a new Crompton Instruments energy meter that is flexible and can be used in a broad variety of applications.

The new Integra Ci3 meter is the first of a new generation of digital metering systems that complements the existing Crompton Instruments Integra range. All the main electrical and power quality parameters can be measured from any supplies. Twenty fundamental measurements are offered, including single and three-phase, total harmonic distortion (THD), currents, frequency, KWh and so forth.

The Integra Ci3 digital metering system is programmable to suit single-, three-phase three-wire and three-phase four-wire systems, while scalable current transformer ratios enable the display of any current range. The backlit LCD display simply clicks into place during manufacturing and screens are selected by the end user using four simple buttons and an intuitive interface. Two plug-in output ports allows a combination of various output modules – for example, pulsed relay and/or Modbus output – to be incorporated.

At the heart of the instrument is a homogenous single board that houses all the electronics for the meter. The central processors have been rationalised to give a common development platform for future extensions to the Crompton Instruments range of products. Even the development tools (software) are common. This gives almost limitless scalability and a high degree of ‘future proofing’ as both the Crompton Instruments product range and end user’s systems develop or grow.

The installation of the Integra Ci3 meter is simplicity itself. The DIN 96 enclosure has integral retention clips to enable fast, safe and secure panel mounting in various material thicknesses without any external screws of clips. The meter gives true RMS measurement and is fully CE certified. An IP65 protective cover is available for harsh environments.

The design of the product started with the involvement the voice of customers and internal sales, design, product management, procurement and manufacturing teams. Apart from resulting in a holistic process to ensure design efficiency, this early consultation influenced the manufacturing methods deployed, improved and truncated the design phase and ensured a high quality, reliable product from the first production runs. Only high quality standard value components are used – the risks and costs associated with bespoke or semi-bespoke devices is reduced, as is the need to carry discrete spares.

View Crompton Instruments's profile: