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At this year’s high-profile Electrical Industry Awards, Megger’s new MFT1700 range of multifunction installation testers scooped the coveted award for Innovative Test and Measurement Product of the Year. The testers were chosen from a wide range of entries in this hotly contested category by a panel of independent judges, all of whom have in-depth knowledge of the electrical industry and its requirements.

Highly intuitive

Among the many benefits that helped to propel the MFT1700 testers to success in the awards are their ease and speed of use. All functions are clearly shown on the front panel and the operation of the instruments – including test selection and the connection of leads – is highly intuitive.

The digital display is complemented by an analogue arc, which allows many types of tests to be carried out more quickly and conveniently. The display also has two digital readouts. The primary readout shows the main parameter under test while the secondary display shows additional information, such as the test voltage or current.

Innovation switching

Innovation is also found in the earth loop impedance testing function. Unlike traditional multifunction testers, the new instruments support two-wire testing, which simplifies connection and makes testing possible at points like light switches where no neutral is available. The instruments offer both non-tripping tests for RCD-protected circuits, and high-current tests for circuits without RCD protection.

A further time saving innovation is automatic switching between connection terminals, which means that when loop tests are carried out with a mains plug, it is unnecessary to change connections during the test.

Increased capability

For RCD testing, the new instruments can be used with type A, AC and S RCDs. There is an option that tests type B, pure D.C. RDCs used on some PV systems. In addition to the standard ramp test, a new pass/fail ramp test has been introduced which saves time in applications where it is only necessary to show that the RCD trips between preset maximum and minimum limits.

An innovation that significantly increases the versatility of high-end instruments in the MFT1700 range is the incorporation of facilities for earth electrode testing. The high-end models also have facilities for testing three-phase RCDs and checking phase rotation. In addition, they are provided with rechargeable batteries that save money and ensure that users are never caught out by having no suitable batteries to hand.

Even safer

Safety has been given particular attention, and the instruments have a CAT IV 300 V rating in line with IEC 61010. In addition, built-in protection means that accidentally connecting an MFT1700 to a live circuit when carrying out an insulation or continuity check generates a warning but does not damage the instrument, even if the test has already been initiated.

Finally, the MFT1700 range includes models that have facilities for storing results for download via a wireless Bluetooth link to a PC, PDA or Smartphone running Megger’s PowerSuite software.

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Water softeners are far more common in the UK than at first glance they might appear. With so many homes across the UK built in hard water areas, whilst the majority simply put up with the hard water coming through their water mains, a significant minority currently have taken the sensible step of doing something about it and improving their lifestyle situation.

But despite the attempts to share the message that our American cousins have known for decades – a message that has seen literally millions and millions of softeners purchased and installed across the States – in the UK we’re really only just waking up to the news that installing a water softener will result in lower energy usage and – take a deep breath…..lower energy bills. 15% lower is common, 20% lower is not unreasonable.

At a time when energy bills are heading in one direction only, and sadly that’s up, any investment that a) pays for itself in around two years and b) continues to save you money for as long as you use it seems to be an investment worth looking at closely – and worth recommending to your customers if they live in hard water areas of the UK.

Not prepared to accept the feedback from US citizens alone, in typical US fashion they decided to do some research.

A major independent research study in the USA carried out a couple of years ago, concluded that water softeners are amongst the ‘very best’ household energy savers. The full report can be found at http://www.wqa.org/BattelleReport.

The study found that instantaneous gas water heaters – similar to combi boilers here in the UK – operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15 year lifetime. But the study found that tankless water heaters completely failed to function because of scale ‘plugging’ in the downstream plumbing after only 1.6 years of equivalent hot water use on 26 gpg (440 ppm) hard water. Softened water, the report says, saves 34% of costs compared to operating on 20gpg (340 ppm) and saves 47% compared to operation on 30 gpg (530 ppm) hard water. Considering that many places in the UK have mains water at 500 ppm and higher, this puts the scale of the problem – no pun intended – into stark context.

As a consequence of the study, the Water Quality Association – an independent body in the USA, is now promoting water softeners in the USA as ‘the best energy saving device you can buy’.

This report highlights that by installing a water softener, if you live in a hard water area of the UK you will be “conservatively saving up to 20% a year on your energy bills because of the reduced demand on electrical energy supply from a power station or gas combusted in the water heating equipment.”

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.

At the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs, the basic principles of softening water are pretty straightforward. 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.

As we’ve alluded to already, the most welcome benefit for householders in the current economic climate, 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. An impressive double whammy.

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 looking 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.

Water softeners offer the gateway to a better lifestyle for customers – softer skin, shinier hair, softer gentler washing, less cleaning around the house, lower bills on cleaning materials and vitally, to lower energy bills at a time when everyone is looking for savings on utility bills. And for installers they offer a green way to open a new business income stream in 2013.

Wake up to softened water in 2013 – simply a greener way to keep customers happy.

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Building on the success of its pre-weathered PIGMENTO facade and roofing system colour range, VMZINC has launched PIGMENTO Brown. The ultimate colour selected achieved widespread endorsement from 350 architects who commented on 12 colour samples. PIGMENTO Brown provides a combination of durability and scratch resistance and though designed for projects of all types is particularly suited to those in rural environments. Whether used in new build or renovation projects, it can be used to complement a wide range of building envelope materials having a naturally grained surface texture which is evident through the colour in much the same way as timber grain shows through varnish.

PIGMENTO colours are not painted finishes, having been developed through use of modern chromate-free pigment technology which guarantees colour retention and stability. Other PIGMENTO colours include. red, green and blue.

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Klober Permo Air underlay has been used by self-builder Jacqui Wolfe in the construction of an oak frame home in Helsby Cheshire. The project will consist of several phases using materials from natural and sustainable sources and Passive House principles. The initial stages have comprised of an orangery, a Dutch barn garage and a studio and will be followed by the house, all with a backdrop provided by land owned by the National Trust. The Permo Air was used because it is 13% more breathable than any other underlay. It was also used in the middle of November and provided immediate waterproofing protection in a period of intensely bad weather.

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Water is the most precious commodity we have on this planet and there’s plenty of it. Sadly, less than 2% of what we have is fresh water.

We need it for the basic necessities of everyday life – we drink it, we need it to maintain good hygiene, it’s required for the manufacture of most of our food and for pretty much every key product in our everyday lives. There is no alternative

Here in the UK, as a result of global warming, we are seeing changes to rainfall patterns. We’re getting our rainfall less often, but in longer heavier bursts than before and as a result we have seen huge quantities of rainfall causing flooding as the rainwater infrastructure has been unable to cope with it, before those vast quantities of valuable water eventually disappears as run off, into rivers and out to sea.

Polypipe Building Products has launched a range of new solutions into the rainwater harvesting marketplace, targeted specifically at the domestic and residential market, in response to the growing acceptance that the time has come to stop using high quality drinking water to flush down the toilet, wash our cars and water the garden.

With forecasts suggesting that the south coast could be experiencing a Mediterranean climate by 2050 – some suggesting this could arrive much earlier – water could become a very expensive commodity and any help available from naturally occurring sources of water should be met with open arms. The UK’s position as an island, with prevailing winds for much of the time heading at us from the south west across the Atlantic Ocean – and a warm current into the bargain – does give us a number of benefits and Polypipe is one company that believes that preparing now, by conserving precious rainwater supplies, would not be a moment too soon to take rainwater harvesting seriously.

An amazing one third of all water used in the home gets flushed down the toilet – and in most homes, that’s drinking quality water. The roof on an average 4-bed family home captures more than 100,000 litres of rainwater each year – most of which currently goes down the drain and is wasted. When you think that a typical family uses 70,000 litres of water each year on flushing the toilet, clothes washing and outdoor use – watering the garden and cleaning cars, it simply makes sense to harvest it and use it and save on your water bills into the bargain. There are a selection of rainwater harvesting systems available from small ones that just provide for watering gardens and washing cars to larger systems that provide pumped supplies for use in the home alongside mains water.

Polypipe, the UK’s leading building products company, offers Rainstream – a range of rainwater harvesting options designed for everyone – with three straightforward options. Ideal for new build, for retrofit and already seeing major interest from the self-build marketplace, Rainstream is a very simple straightforward rainwater harvesting ‘package’. You can even see it on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0RnXF_5pM .

The Rainstream system is available as a gravity fed or a pressurised system. Within a gravity fed system, water is pumped from the Rainstream Tank to a header tank in the loft. The water is then fed to each appliance by gravity. Pressurised systems use a pump to feed water directly to the appliance or appliances on demand. The units come pre-assembled ready for installation – you can select from a wide range of tank sizes to meet your specific needs – and the rainwater harvested by the system goes through a three stage filtration process, down to 130 microns. Installation of a Rainstream system from Polypipe will reduce mains water usage by around 50% – a valuable saving particularly if you’re on a metered water supply. The control panel is small and neat and the only evidence that a house has a rainwater harvesting system on the property.

For more information click on to www.polypipe.com.

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Havells is a new name in the UK for low voltage circuit protection and control. The Company has launched an exciting new range of consumer units, which will shortly be followed by a whole raft of new products including Type A and Type B distribution boards and MCCB panelboards.

Many people will have heard of Havells Sylvania, which is well known in the lighting industry for its Sylvania, Concord and Lumiance branded products. What is not so well known is that in recent years it has supplied an estimated 50 million poles of circuit breakers as OEM products to leading UK electrical companies and that the parent company, Havells India Ltd., is a fast-growing global manufacturer of residential and commercial switchgear giving it a unique advantage when it comes to entering this highly competitive market.

Having recognised that local market expertise is crucial to gain entry and credibility in the UK market, Havells has appointed a strong management team to handle its switchgear business under Curt Davenport, Managing Director Lighting & Switchgear. The team comprises Gino Stocchetti, Sales & Marketing Director; Mike Lawrence, UK Marketing Manager; Ray Turner, Regional Business Manager North; and Anant Savani, Regional Business Manager South. Together they represent over 100 years’ experience in the UK electrical business.

Marketing Manager, Mike Lawrence, stresses that the Havells range of products is designed to be UK-specific, concentrating on the particular requirements of the 17th Edition of The IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671:2008), the UK Building Regulations and other UK Regulations. They are manufactured to IEC, European and British standards and approved by leading test and approval authorities including Kema Keur.

The first product offering is the ‘Homesafe’ range of domestic consumer units and associated devices. The range extends from 6-way to 19-way designs with single, split-load and dual-RCD options. Reflecting Havells’ intention to meet specific requirements of the UK market, there is also an option which includes an MID-approved meter for landlord metering.

The consumer unit range will be followed by ‘Powersafe’ Type A and Type B distribution boards and MCCB panelboards. These are designed to satisfy the latest requirements for energy metering and surge protection. The distribution boards will include split-load units with two or three separate banks of MCBs and integral metering. Meters will provide true readings for each MCB group.

In partnership with Furse, the leading UK manufacturer of lightning protection systems, Havells will also be offering MCCB panelboards and distribution boards with standard surge protection kits integrated into the associated metering cableways. This solution eliminates installation variables with short connection leads and is better than the recommendations defined under section 535 of BS 7671 Revision 1.

Havells switchgear products received an enthusiastic response when previewed in September at Elex 2011 in Coventry. They will be shown again at Sandown Park, Esher (November 10-11). Leading distributors are already taking delivery of stocks.

“”We believe we know the UK market and have developed an innovative UK-specific product range that contractors will find competitively priced, reliable, easy to install and fully compliant with all major Regulations and recommendations in the United Kingdom”” says Mike Lawrence.

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Amtech, the market leading developer of software for the Building Services Industry, has brought together all its software and services under a single new brand.

The new Amtech brand encompasses familiar names from the industry including, Luckins, Estimation, National Engineering Specification (Nes) and AMTECH Power Software. The result is an end to end solution – from Specification Writing and Design through Estimating, and Procurement, to Inspection and Testing and Service Management. The solutions are designed for engineers and contractors of all sizes, from a company with decades of experience in supplying software and information services to the building services industry.

To coincide with the launch of the new brand, Amtech is also developing a major new Contractor Directory to help contractors gain more exposure and win more work. This new site will be launched in the New Year and will be provided as a free service to all M & E contractors.

To celebrate these significant milestones, Amtech has also announced a major free prize draw, giving contractors an opportunity to win a brand new Mercedes van, complete with sign writing and up to 5 years free servicing! In association with Mercedes-Benz and Intercounty Truck and Van Ltd.

All you need to do to enter is visit Amtech’s new website at www.amtech.co.uk and enter your details into the new Luckinslive.com Contractor Directory – it’s as simple as that!

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The rise and rise of the system filter in recent months has seen the introduction of several new units to the marketplace, most with fancy technical names and many appearing superficially to do the same thing in a differently shaped unit, relying heavily on magnets as the only active ingredient in the solution they offer.

First introduced as a belt and braces additional ‘maintenance’ unit to ‘mop up’ any remaining debris circulating in the system water after the system has been cleaned and inhibited, system filters have become very much a part of the required kit when replacing a boiler. Sadly, the impression given by some manufacturers is that a magnetic filter will do the whole job of keeping a system flowing effectively and efficiently. The real concern has to be that if there is the huge amount of magnetic debris you see attached to the magnets in some advertisements, the system clearly hasn’t been cleaned or inhibited properly. The filter is not a substitute for authentic water treatment as required by the Building Regulations Compliance Guide. A system filter needs to be part of the clean, protect and maintain regime that is what quality water treatment is all about.

Many thousands of filters installed on systems in the UK simply address the magnetic debris and whilst that’s half the problem solved, it’s also arguably half the problem ignored. The higher costs of all metal based products from around the world has not ignored the cost of magnets and the magnets included in some system filters have noticeably reduced in size in recent months, reducing their level of effectiveness, but this has not been alluded to in sales and marketing materials by the companies involved in this practice. It’s been necessary to keep the production costs of the units at or around the cost they were before the magnet costs escalated, but there is no mention of a reduction of magnetic field, strength or size on the packaging! Or any reduction in their levels of effectiveness, perish the thought!

Many magnetic based filters have been sold on the back of impressive sounding claims about the high ‘first pass’ rate of debris removal – with stunningly high rates of removal within the first hour reported by some manufacturers. However, perhaps a better measure of a filter’s performance is over the first 24 hours after installation. After 24 hours of operation, the vast majority of circulating debris should have been collected. Interestingly filters that are wholly reliant on a magnet, have their performance compromised as the magnetic field strength deteriorates due to the magnet itself becoming coated with the initial debris – a victim of their own success perhaps and a good reason to focus on the effect of the unit for the first hour! To maintain performance the magnet must be regularly cleaned – not just once a year.

Sentinel has just launched its brand new technology system filter – the Eliminator – which utilises ground breaking Quadra-CycloneTM Technology to rapidly remove all circulating debris – both magnetic and non-magnetic – from a central heating system. Powerful centrifugal forces spin the debris down whilst simultaneously forcing clean water up through the centre, ensuring superior separation and a quick and effective clean. It’s similar technology to a well known brand of vacuum cleaners, but this time the technology is used in a water based environment rather than one based on cyclonic air movement.

With limescale a key cause of boiler failure and heating system problems in hard water areas, a magnetic filter is ignoring a major cause of problems from non-magnetic circulating debris. As you would expect from Europe’s leading water treatment specialist, the Sentinel Eliminator doesn’t ignore this key issue, addressing it head on. It may be less of a problem by volume compared to magnetic debris, but it’s still a significant problem, nonetheless.

The Eliminator is the only new unit that offers new technology that actually works. Quadra-CycloneTM Technology offers four individual cyclones that each help separate the debris, drive it down to the collecting chamber at the base of the unit where four small but powerful magnets retain the magnetic debris – they are not there as the sole method of trapping the debris, simply to retain it whilst the now clean water is forced back up the centre of the cyclone and back into circulation. Unfortunately cyclonic action in other manufacturers units simply doesn’t deliver. In fact it tends to see the water recirculated in a way that en route, sees the water picking up debris that has been attracted to the magnet in the centre of the cyclone and recirculated as dirty water around the system – rather defeating the object.

It is clearly important to understand the way the filter you select works. If a customer asks the question, it is far more encouraging to be able to show them that the system filter you have installed does what it says on the can! It isn’t enough any more simply to utilise the system filter as a means of adding additional income to the bill. It has to be actively ensuring lower energy bills, generating lower emissions and using less energy as a result of its installation. And especially if you work in an area that suffers the rigours of hard water, you should be able to show that the filter you recommend removes both magnetic and non-magnetic debris.

When you select the system filters you want to include in the heating systems you work on, question them. Are they really doing what they should be doing to provide the best maintenance of that heating system, day in day out? Or are they just doing a sterling job for half an hour? Take a closer look and choose wisely. The new technology on offer from Sentinel is carefully designed and cleverly presented to offer the best solution to circulating debris in heating systems. Peace of mind for you and your customer and no call backs to systems you’ve installed. It all makes good common sense.

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The Wallis Building, which offers workspace for technology innovators and entrepreneuers in the former St Mary's School in Nottingham's Lace Market, has been refurbished with stunning new carpet tiles from Heckmondwike FB.

Developer Bildurn Properties was looking to create a contemporary and eyecatching environment and consulted with John Butler Contracts to recommend a durable yet aesthetically pleasing range of floorcoverings.

90m2 of Heckmondwike Array Fibre Bonded carpet tiles was chosen in attractive Lime, which was complemented by 15m2of Broadrib in Willow.

Array is the latest addition to Heckmondwike FB’s creative flooring range and is proving popular for both commercial and education environments. On this project, a stunning effect has been achieved by use of the Array tile with its striking lime green surface pattern throughout. This perfectly complements the Broadrib in Willow which was provided in contrasting stripes throughout the ground floor area.

Claire Menzies from Bildurn Properties said: “We really wanted to create a modern, high tech feel to the floor covering, as we are looking to attract IT and technology-based businesses to the centre. Heckmondwike had the most vibrant range of colours and we knew of the durability of their tiles as we have used them on other projects. We are really pleased with the result which has helped us to create a fresh, dynamic and appealing working environment for aspiring entrepreneurs.”

John Butler from John Butler Contracts who installed the carpet tiles, said: “We worked closely with Bildurn Properties to come up with an eyecatching concept for their flooring that would create a contemporary, high tech feel to this innovative workspace. The striking Array and complementary Broadrib tile work really well together and their durability and performance mean it will offer them very low maintenance, as well as many years of service.”

Heckmondwike FB’s Array and Broadrib carpet tiles are British-made and provide long term durability and performance.They offer excellent value for money and are supplied with a 10-year limited wear warranty and that means that they can be specified in complete confidence.

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