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Easy application, durable, non-slip surface for baths and showers from MX Group

The significant dangers of people slipping over in the shower, in the bath or on wet tiles and bathroom floors has been addressed by the launch of the new MX Anti Slip Kit. Launched by the MX Group, one of the leading shower accessory manufacturers in the UK, the new product offers a complete kit to make a shower or bath ‘anti slip’.

The specially formulated and easy-to-apply no-slip surface instantly creates safety in wet showers and bath tubs and can be applied to tiles and floors as well. It’s hygienic and low maintenance, solvent free, environmentally friendly, colourless, durable but easily removable if required.

The MX Anti Slip kit is ideal for retrofitting to baths and showers in retirement homes, nursing and care homes, sheltered housing, hospitals, clinics and rehabilitation facilities, swimming pools, sports centres, saunas, steam baths and of course in homes across the country. The product is already recommended by a number of hotel groups keen to ensure the safety of their guests. In an increasingly litigious world, this product offers an inexpensive option to avoid claims from people willing to go to law for damages as a result of accidents that can be easily avoided.

Group Marketing Manager Sasha Davies says like most great products it’s a very simple one: “Slipping over in the bath or shower is a worryingly common occurrence – we’ve all done it at some stage in our lives, but for elderly or vulnerable people the consequences can be very serious and for commercial customers such as hotel groups that are keen to ensure that their guests remain safe during their stays, it’s a simple, easy to apply solution to the problem that makes huge sense. The MX Anti Slip Kit comes with literally everything that’s needed to apply the coating and simple to follow instructions to help you maximise on the safety that the product offers. The kits are available now through all good builders and plumbers merchants.

Visit www.mx-group.com for information on the MX Group and its wide range of products that include shower trays, enclosures, electric and thermostatic showers and shower accessories.

The new MX Anti Slip Kit has a number of independent test certificates across Europe already:

• TUV Rheinland Certificate 60024739
• Tested by EMPA (Swiss Material Testing and Research Institute) in accordance with bfu (Swiss council for Accident

Prevention) regulation 9729:2007 for floor coatings with greater slip resistance (barefoot area); EMPA test report 451829 from 23 March 2009

• NF EN 000 recommendation
• TNO tested
• Slip-proof according to DIN 51097 Class C

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‘The rain in Spain’ may well ‘fall mainly on the plain’, but in the UK it mainly falls on the roof and has to find its way effectively, from there via the guttering, down downpipes into the drains and soakaways that most homes have, before finding its way safely to the council’s drainage infrastructure or the local streams and runaways then heading to a nearby river. And in the UK, especially with changing weather patterns that are tending to see us get our rain less often, but in greater quantity, the rainwater goods have to be up to the task.

Rainwater goods have traditionally been metal – usually cast iron – however these days, on most new build, self-build, refurbishment and replacement projects, the rainwater goods are plastic-based systems, uPVC or similar materials.

And the increasing popularity of these modern rainwater systems is not coincidental. The benefits of a plastic system are many and obvious and when you’re looking for benefits of any system in the building industry, it’s best to have benefits for both the homeowner and the installer. For starters they are very lightweight but extremely durable, with lower initial outlay and lower maintenance costs. It makes it easier to sell to the property owner and easier to sell to the installation company. Its pretty inconceivable that in this day and age, many homeowners are going to insist on a new rainwater system that demands the erection of scaffolding to fix it to the building unless the roof is being replaced as well.

New lightweight rainwater systems can be easily fitted to most homes using ladders quite safely. And if a piece of guttering or a bracket slips out of an installers grasp, the likely damage on the way down to ground level is minimal if anything at all.

In addition there’s the speed of installation using modern lightweight systems. Assuming soffits and boards are in decent condition, removal of an elderly rainwater system and replacement with a new plastic system is for most standard homes these days, a day’s job, possibly a few hours more.

But what about the look of plastic rainwater systems….don’t they look, well, plasticky? The choice of profiles is huge so you can choose rainwater systems in a number of colours, a number of profiles and a number of finishes to slot neatly into any new building or replacement guttering and downpipe scenario. And even if you like the look of authentic cast iron guttering but don’t like the weight problems, and the maintenance and cost issues – there’s a solution for that too. Use a cast iron ‘look-a-like’ rainwater system such as Polypipe’s Elegance rainwater system, which once on a building, to the eye looks exactly like cast iron guttering and down pipes. So you can have ‘cast iron’ drainage systems with none of the degradation drawbacks you get with the real thing. You get a lightweight, low maintenance solution at a lower cost that’s quick to install, comes ready to fit without the need to paint it or apply protective coatings, and is fully compatible with other modern rainwater systems.

Polypipe Building Products offers its enhanced and extended Elegance cast iron effect uPVC rainwater system with the addition of the unique notched gutter concept for its Ogee profile to add to the original half round profile. The Elegance range has been designed in such a way that each profile in the range utilises a common downpipe, making installation and ordering very simple. In addition it has launched a new range of soil and vent products in a matching cast iron effect finish.

The new notched Ogee profile guttering provides a secure fit and counters the problem of gutters becoming dislodged from their retaining clips during warm weather due to heat expansion, help making leaky joints a thing of the past. The leading edge of the gutter is notched and the system uses a flexible band clip to secure the gutter. The lugs on the gutter are simply matched to the band clip and snapped into place.

In addition to the notches, Polypipe has included grooves midway between the notches which act as cutting markers when cutting the lengths of guttering. These benefits, in addition to the lightweight construction of the guttering system, make handling, assembly and installation as simple as possible for installers.

Simon Green is Polypipe’s Category Director for the drainage and water management side of the business: “We’re excited to be able to offer the Elegance range with the new Ogee profile which closely resembles the profile found on original cast iron installations and the range is being extended with new fittings available soon,” he says. “This will make it easy to preserve the traditional look of a period home when replacing the original guttering, but with the knowledge that it will give a more secure fit, be simpler to install, give rise to far lower maintenance and be far lighter than the original.”

The compatible soil and vent range is based on the Polypipe 110mm soil pipe, supplied in 3 metre lengths with a selection of sockets, bends and a vent terminal. The range uses Polypipe’s popular push-fit system, again for quick and easy installation.

CASE STUDY :

WORCESTERSHIRE HOME GETS TOP NOTCH REPLACEMENT GUTTERING

One of the first homes in the UK to benefit from Polypipe’s Elegance Ogee rainwater system was the home of Steve Parsons in rural Worcestershire.

Following a major downpour in the Worcestershire countryside, the elderly cast iron guttering on Steve Parson’s house became detached from the fascia boards over his bedroom window. When he tried to temporarily straighten and reattach the now flapping piece of guttering, it became detached either side of the original problem as well, swinging alarmingly in the air and Steve realised – despite not being ‘Mr Practical’ – that the cast iron guttering – which was far heavier than he had anticipated before heading up the ladder to sort it out – could literally fall off, damaging the house and from his precarious position up the ladder – him! It was time to call in the experts!

The house, a solid four bedroom detached red brick house, stood out in the countryside, open to the elements. It had been built by a farmer who had retired, sold the farm and built a retirement home at the end of one of his former fields. That was in 1954.

Now in 2010, the guttering needed replacing. Having been nearly decapitated by the old guttering, Steve had no desire to replace the old cast iron guttering and downpipes with new cast iron, and was impressed by the latest Elegance uPVC cast iron look alike system from by Polypipe. The Elegance Ogee notched – which to him had a little more class, looked just right for the property and the decision was made.

“I’m impressed both by the way it looks and that the guys who fitted it, who had not worked with this system before, managed to get it up and in place so quickly,” said Steve.

Full details of the new extended Elegance rainwater range can be found on its own dedicated web site at www.polypipe.com/elegance and Elegance is available from merchants now.

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Micronics Ltd exhibited their comprehensive range of “Clamp-On” ultrasonic Liquid flow, Heat and Energy flow meters for industry and commerce including the NEW U1000 fixed “Clamp-On” flow meter providing – simple to install and accurate flow measurement from outside the pipe and the market leading, simple to operate PF330/220 portable range.

The PF330/220 portable range continues to maintain Micronics position as the leading UK manufacturer of portable “Clamp-On” instruments. Micronics portables have always been regarded as the simplest to set-up and operate and this essential feature for portable instruments has been carried through in the PF330/220 with great success.

The U4000 has now established itself as Micronics’s “Clamp-On” fixed meter solution for Building Services and Industrial applications incorporating the latest digital ultrasonic measurement technology to provide easier set-up and commissioning with enhanced accuracy and reliability in operation. Savings of up to 90% have been established for fixed meter installations in comparison to traditional in-line meter installations!

So if you need to know what's happening through investigation with a temporary, portable solution or need a permanent flow or heat measurement/metering solution a “Clamp-On” alternative is a must consider option! And the first step is to visit Micronics at www.micronicsflowmeters.com

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Polypipe TDI’s range of loft hatches is manufactured to comply with all Building Regulations requirements for insulated loft hatches with a clear opening of 600mm x 532mm. They include injection moulded Rigid Polypropylene outer hatches with no welded corners, attractive moulded ceiling architrave surround and trap door sculpture, offer easy access for loft ladders, are simple to fit, and come supplied in a box with fitting instructions.

For details, contact Polypipe TDI on 01629 733177 or visit www.polypipe.com/tdi

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When Suzie Adams the proprietor of The White House, a distinctive Victorian “boutique” guest house overlooking Hastings Old Town, called Chatham-based Monitor Fire Ltd. to advise her on fire protection she was pleased to discover that the installation of the fire alarm system would not have to damage her beautifully restored premises. Each of the distinctive rooms, all named after American presidents reflects great care and attention to detail so the last thing she wanted was the cabling, mess and disruption associated with wired systems. Monitor Fire, who specialise in the supply, installation and maintenance of fire protection and extinguisher systems in London and the South East designed and installed a system using Detectomat’s SRC 3000 wire free radio fire alarm and detection system. The Detectomat system offers many benefits over a traditional hard wired system, including low cost of installation, cost effectiveness and convenience for premises that are in continual public use. Its benefits make it ideal for the protection of small hotels, B & Bs, and guest houses, nurseries, sheltered housing schemes, special needs projects and residential homes as well as small commercial premises and HMO’s (Houses of Multiple Occupation). It was installed in The White House within one day as opposed to the 7 or 8 days associated with conventional installations, meaning there was very little impact on their year-round, 24/7 business. Suzie Adams, is delighted with the total flexibility it offers and was really pleased to be able to select the “designer” covers for the alarms to suit the individual dǸcor in the bedrooms and function rooms.

Monitor Fire are approved suppliers and installers of the Detectomat system. They are an established fire protection company and were formed in 2001 by Deryck Bottomley, the current MD. They are one of the few remaining independent suppliers in the UK providing products at competitive prices and an after-sales service that includes service and maintenance.

Detectomat’s product offering ranges from design conscious detector covers for residential and commercial applications to conventional, addressable and leading edge wire-free systems, marketed under the company’s “Wireless detect” brand. For further information on Monitor Fire Ltd. or Detectomat’s Wireless detect systems call 01579321750 or email Detectomat@leighandersonassociates.com.

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An elegant blend of Art Deco and English Edwardian styling, the newly restored The Savoy introduces classically-inspired furnishings against a backdrop of original architectural features steeped in over 120 years of history.

One of the first hotels to offer electric lighting in 1889, The Savoy now boasts an assemblage of luminaires from Chelsom that spans the spectrum from restored treasured heirlooms to sparkling bespoke feature lights which utilise the latest low energy technology.

Original brass Art Deco pendants suspended within the lobby were carefully cleaned and restored by Chelsom before being refurbished with high output 150W Halogen lamps and Emergency LEDs, to cast bright light onto the heavily corniced ceiling and subtle downlight onto the highly polished floor tiles, whilst adhering to safety regulations. Representing the grandeur of a bygone age, the pendants are a striking example of British craftsmanship at its best.

With a stunning interior scheme designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon & Reardon Smith Architects, The Savoy has undoubtedly regained its iconic status as one of the leading hotels of the world, offering the very best in traditional English hospitality.

The 268 guestrooms, offering the height of 5-star luxury, now feature an eclectic mix of table lamps, desk lights and reading lighting from the Chelsom range. Brass swing arm reading lights and Bohemian hand-cut crystal chandeliers hang from the ceilings in the traditional guestrooms providing opulent glamour and timeless elegance, whilst the Deco rooms feature 1920’s inspired nightstands and bathroom lighting and state-of-the-art LED cone head reading lights in the headboards.

Handmade silk shades were specially fabricated by Chelsom for many of the retained fittings, adding a new lease of life to the antique pieces.

After undergoing “the most ambitious hotel restoration project ever undertaken in London”, the Savoy is truly back as a statement of British heritage.

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Under the Government’s Access for All funded initiative, railways stations across the UK are being radically overhauled and Crittall Windows is playing a major role in supplying its Corporate W20 profiles for both refurbishment and new build programmes.

Originating from recommendations under the DDA Act 2005, the DFT published its Railways for All strategy in 2006, which stated that railway stations need to be brought into line, in terms of accessibility and Network Rail has embarked upon a comprehensive programme to make essential changes to its vast infrastructure.

Footbridges in particular are benefiting from the installation of Crittall’s Corporate W20 profiles, with future works planned to include screening for lift shafts : although the fenestration requirements vary from station to station, Crittall has been selected as preferred supplier for Network Rail and its local rail franchise operations.

“So far, we have worked on Witham, Ipswich, Loughborough, and Wendover stations” comments Ian Shepherd of Crittall. “Our designs for both refurbishment and replacement of existing glazed components revolve around the Corporate W20 hot dip m/f…galvanised, hot rolled steel sections. Frames are finished in durable, architectural grade polyester powder coating and coloured to suit the individual station or franchise’s corporate requirements.”

As he explains, there are a variety of styles specified, from fixed lights and raked windows to bottom and top hung casements and horizontal pivots. “For maximum safety, non projection hinge leaves are welded internally to the steel frame prior to galvanising, and assembled using a steel hinge during the manufacturing process,” he continues. Safety glazing is also included alongside varying thicknesses of single glazed laminates, clear or opaque, ranging from 8.8mm to 11.5mm.

The aim of the Government scheme is to allow all stations to be fully accessible, safe and secure, and the specification of the Crittall profiles is a testament to the strength and durability of the product range. “In addition,” concludes Ian, “our ability and flexibility to work with different architects, designers and contractors demonstrates the capacity of the company to adapt our expertise and product offering to individual requirements, whilst still maintaining the highest levels of quality and service.”

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There’s no denying the attractiveness of Hertfordshire as a place to live, apart perhaps from the hardness of the water that comes out of the water mains and untreated, can lead to significant problems from limescale build up around the home. And as well as limescale where you can see and experience it – in kettles, in shower heads, on shower screens and down loos, in washing machines and dishwashers, it can cause grief where you can’t see it – in the heating system in particular, where limescale build up in the boiler on the heat exchanger, and in the pipework and valves around the system, can reduce the efficiency of the heating system, see more gas or oil being used with consequential higher bills and of course the potential for higher maintenance bills when the limescale eventually causes blockages.

So if you’re looking to build a large, brand new home in leafy Hertfordshire, it makes sense to plan in something that gives you peace of mind, knowing that as a result of it, you won’t suffer from limescale build up – anywhere in the property.

Tucker French Plumbing & Heating Merchants are leading bathroom specialists in the Home Counties and have been supplying high quality bathroom and associated products since 2000. The Watford branch was asked by the owners of a brand new six bedroom property close by, to specify the fittings in the six bathrooms in their new home and as well as specifying the aesthetic components that made the bathrooms look fantastic, they also specified some additional components that would keep them looking that good. In particular, they specified a Tapworks water softener.

Andy Tucker says that there’s very little as depressing as seeing a stunning, brand new luxury bathroom – that a few weeks later is already looking the worse for wear as a result of the hard water that has not been addressed in the design stage: “We regularly specify water softeners because we have seen the damage that limescale can do – and in some parts of the Home Counties, the water is very hard indeed and damage can begin within weeks of the new installation getting used. In this project it was clear that we needed a reliable water softener that would address the limescale issues from the outset and the owners of the new property accepted our recommendation to install a Tapworks AD15 water softener unit that softens the water for the whole house apart from one tap in the kitchen which delivers untreated mains water as is recommended by regulations.”

The Tapworks water softener was installed by Stuart Wilson, senior engineer at Capital Heating in Watford: “We’re installing more and more softeners in this part of the world, for people who recognise that they have hard water and want to do something about it. For many, it’s the quality of life factor that is key – people like the feel of softened water, nicer feeling skin and shinier hair and some people anecdotally say that softened water has a beneficial effect on young children’s skin problems, such as eczema and psoriasis. For others they recognise quickly the reduction in cleaning that’s needed when you have one fitted and the lower bills for cleaning materials, shampoo and soap products – all of which can be cut in half when you have softened water. But for nearly all our customers that install a water softener, it’s the lower heating bills that they see that makes the real difference with bills at least 15% lower than pre-water softener installation, which all helps to see the water softener paying for itself within about two years – and there aren’t too many appliances you can say that about!”

The Tapworks AD15 is the largest domestic water softener in the Tapworks range, selected because of the size of the property – six bedrooms with additional out buildings – and has been installed in the boiler/plant room on the side of the property. Tapworks offers a range of softeners to meet the water softening needs of every size home from a small apartment where you can have a softener that fits neatly into a standard kitchen cabinet – to a huge home, and then has a range of softeners for commercial use as well – many laundries, hotels and the like have water softeners on a much larger scale, for the same reasons most people have them in their homes – to stop limescale damage and to reduce costs.

“We’re delighted that our unit was specified by Andy Tucker for this project,” says Brett Benson, Tapworks national sales manager. “It’s a very prestigious new build project in an equally prestigious part of the country and our AD15 will contribute towards keeping limescale at bay in the property and to reducing heating costs. It’s very rewarding in these tougher economic times to see sales of our softeners holding up well, and we’re sure this reflects the growing awareness of the savings that investment in a water softener can bring to the family budget.”

More information on Tapworks water softeners and hard water can be found at www.tapworks.co.uk. Or you can call for more information on 01494 480 621.

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Eaton’s Electrical Sector
The Energy Show 2011
RDS Dublin
30th and 31st March 2011
Stands H10 and J13

Eaton’s Electrical Sector is turning the spotlight on sustainability at the Energy Show 2011, with products and solutions that highlight environmental benefits and help businesses to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs.

As a concrete example of how recent developments are helping to enhance sustainability, Eaton is showing a dual-conversion uninterruptible power supply (UPS) from its new 9395 range, which has the lowest carbon footprint of any comparable product. The 9395 is especially suited to data centres and has now been recognised as meeting the stringent requirements associated with qualification for the UK government’s Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme.

Eaton is a global leader in the provision of innovative sustainable solutions for the electrical sector, and offers a wide range of supporting technologies that are ready for immediate deployment. This means that users – and the environment – can immediately start enjoying proven and substantial benefits.

Throughout the exhibition, experts from Eaton are available on the stand to discuss these technologies, which include variable speed drives, flexible sub-metering solutions, photovoltaic energy systems and power factor correction. The experts on the stand are also offering details of Eaton’s PowerChain Management for electrical distribution, which is an innovative holistic approach aimed at effective optimisation of the measurement and control of energy usage in electrical power systems at every level.

In addition to discussing the company’s products and services, Eaton is also offering advice related to the specific requirements of visitors to the exhibition and, thanks to its exceptionally wide product portfolio and its in-depth expertise in all facets of the electrical sector, it is uniquely well placed to ensure that this advice is accurate and dependable, and that it reflects the most recent developments and trends.

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Plant hire provides innovative way to save money

ELGA Process Water’s AQUAMOVE mobile water treatment solutions team has reduced maintenance downtime and increased revenue at Lakeside EFW, a major energy from waste plant at Colnbrook near Slough. The facility incinerates 410,000 tonnes of household and municipal waste per year and exports 34 MW of electricity to the National Grid.

Lakeside EFW uses waste fired boilers generating 45bar steam to drive a turbine. When a boiler is drained for its routine maintenance it has to be refilled with demineralised water, with a limited flow from the make-up water demineralisation plant, this would take about three days – days of lost generation. This is where the AQUAMOVE MOFI™ 35m3/h mobile plant comes in. Martin Rogers, EHS Manager at Lakeside EFW, explains: “Hiring in the MOFI™ mobile unit means that we can get the boiler up and running in less than a day, and the increased generation revenue more than covers the hire cost. An Aquamove engineer can be deployed, together with the necessary equipment, fittings and documentation within 2 hours of a call, and that’s reassuring”. It means that if we think we might have a problem with our demineralisation plant, we can always have a MOFITM on standby at short notice.” The MOFITM is self contained, and regeneration is carried out at ELGA Process Water’s regeneration station in Stoke-on-Trent, so there is no chemical or waste handling on site.

Lakeside EFW was impressed with the service from ELGA Process Water, a Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies company, and has placed a contract with their HYDREX® chemical treatment team to help optimise their steam cycle efficiency. The contract covers a twice-weekly visit from one of ELGA Process Water’s chemists to check the boiler water chemistry and to ensure that Legionella control in the domestic water systems meets current legislation.

Visit www.aquamove.co.uk for more information on AQUAMOVE and other water treatment solutions.

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