All posts by admin
Condair ISO 9001 Marks 30 Years’ Of Quality
Story
Condair, a leading provider of humidity control systems, has successfully achieved re-accreditation for the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), demonstrating its commitment to delivering superior products and services to its customers.
The ISO 9001 standard is a globally recognized certification that acknowledges companies for their quality management systems. Having first achieved this standard in 1994, this re-accreditation for Condair UK marks over 30 years of dedication to principles such as customer focus, leadership, process optimisation, continuous improvement, evidence-based decision making, and relationship management.
“Re-accreditation for ISO 9001 is a testament to the continuous effort and dedication of Condair’s team to deliver excellence in all aspects of our operations,” said Dave Marshall-George, UK & Ireland Sales Director of Condair Ltd. “In addition to holding ISO 9001 for more than 30 years, Condair is also accredited for ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management). Our long-term achievement of these standards shows our commitment to environmental sustainability and the health and safety of our employees. We are proud to hold these accreditations, as they reflect Condair’s commitment to our customers, employees and our wider corporate responsibility within the HVAC sector.”
Condair’s success in meeting these internationally recognized standards illustrate its position as a leader in the humidity control industry. With a focus on both customer satisfaction and social responsibility, the company strives to deliver innovative and environmentally friendly solutions while safeguarding the well-being of its employees.
Condair UK is part of the global Condair Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial humidity control and evaporative cooling solutions. The company provides high-quality products and services designed to improve productivity in industry, health and heritage preservation. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
View Condair's profile:
New Condair Podcast On Cleanroom Humidity
Story
Humidity control specialist, Condair, has released a new podcast on how to control humidity in cleanrooms. In this 10-minute interview, Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, explains how to manage air humidity in tightly controlled manufacturing or research environments.
Dave comments, “Cleanrooms are used in a huge variety of industries and are classified by the level of particulate matter that is permissible in the air. Alongside air purity, humidity can often have a dramatic impact on the success of any cleanroom operation. Humidity maybe controlled to combat static, eliminate moisture losses from sensitive materials, and prevent or encourage a reaction in a specific substance.
“However, providing the accurate humidity control needed for these sensitive environments can be a challenge. This short podcast gives a comprehensive overview, is ideal for anyone who is managing or designing cleanrooms and covers both humidification and dehumidification.” Dave concludes.
The podcast is available on www.condair.co.uk/podcast.
Podcasts are a great way for anyone to get an understanding on a topic whilst in their car or on their way to work. Condair now offers many of these bite-sized learning sessions across a range of humidity-related topics on the link above.
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
View Condair's profile:
New People At Condair
Story
Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, comments, “It’s wonderful to welcome such experienced professionals to the Condair team and they’ve really hit the ground running. Jordan has already made a significant impact in enhancing our sales management processes and has helped secure one of our largest ever orders, whilst Colin is now expertly overseeing our busiest period of install projects.”
Colin Turnbull, newly appointed Installation Manager at Condair, added “The technical expertise available at Condair is first class. From an engineering project perspective, working directly with the manufacturer makes getting to grips with the technical aspects of the products very easy. This really enables us to deliver the manufacturer’s expertise on-site.”
Condair is the UK’s largest specialist humidity control company with over 60 employees, delivering humidification, dehumidification and evaporative cooling across the UK and Ireland. Over half the team have been with the company for more than 10 years. This enables the organisation to provide an exceptionally high level of expertise to its customers, whilst also highlighting its commitment to creating a positive working environment for employees.
Globally the Condair Group has recently topped the 1,000-employee milestone, positioning it as the world’s leading dedicated manufacturer of humidity control systems and services. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
View Condair's profile:
New 10-Point Guide To Humidity Control In Cleanrooms
Story
The guide has been produced by experts in the field with experience spanning thousands of cleanroom humidity projects across research, manufacturing and preservation sectors. Using this knowledge, Condair has compiled the ten most pertinent topics that need to be considered by cleanroom designers, consultants, production and facility managers, when dealing with humidification or dehumidification.
Dave Marshall-George, UK & Ireland Sales Director at Condair, comments, “Presented in an easy-to-understand Q&A format, this guide is a great resource for anyone working in or with a cleanroom facility. It walks the reader through the initial design stages, product selection and sizing, energy considerations and maintenance requirements, across both humidifiers and dehumidifiers. Detailed information is given on humidity’s relationship with temperature and electrostatic, as well as how the very specific humidity levels cleanrooms so often need can be consistently achieved.”
Condair’s 10-point guide to humidity control in cleanrooms is free to downloaded from www.condair.co.uk/cleanroom.
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
View Condair's profile:
Stelrad Joins Future Homes Hub
Story
The Future Homes Hub was established by the homebuilding industry and the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities, just over two years ago as the central mechanism to guide the sector through the roadmap for change. A core purpose of the Hub is also to help provide central capacity to support SMEs through this period of change.
“The Hub’s detailed programme of work, reflects the sustainability priorities of the sector. These currently include the Future Homes Standard and wider changes to building regulations, embodied and whole life carbon, biodiversity net gain and nature, water efficiency and SUDS and sustainability in planning. In each of these areas we are helping to determine the long-term roadmap, positively shape the policy agenda and are developing and sharing information on the technical solutions and specifications. Given that our suppliers have a critical role in driving the innovation necessary to deliver on these changes it is imperative that we work together.”
Stelrad’s Finance Director Jamie Foulstone says: “I feel that it is imperative that we as a business have an input to this organisation and contribute to it and to the aims it has as we head towards net zero by 2050. It is far better to operate from within these organisations and know our voice will be heard by the new build sector than to sit on the outside and hope our voice will be heard if we shout loudly enough. Membership of this Hub will enable us to work in partnership on the core priorities, gain access to shared information on the Hub’s platform and gain recognition as a partner and access to newsletters, webinars and events where we can make a valid contribution. We will be attending the second annual conference on 4th December this year at the QEII Conference Centre in London.”
View Stelrad's profile:
New Condair RS Steam Humidifier
Story
Condair is launching an updated version of its most popular steam humidifier, the Condair RS. As well as a new outer case design, the resistive steam humidifier now incorporates the latest internet-connected technology that allows remote monitoring and troubleshooting by the manufacturer.
Dave Marshall-George, UK & Ireland Sales Director at Condair, comments, “The Condair RS has long been the industry-leading resistive steam humidifier, with its unique scale collector tank allowing easy removal of limescale from the system. Now with Internet-of-Things connectivity, it once again pushes the boundaries of steam humidifier technology. Customers now have the option to have the manufacturer remotely monitor their humidifier’s performance via the Condair Cloud.
“This cutting-edge technology gives customers the peace-of-mind that their humidity control is constantly being managed with the expertise only the manufacturer can provide. With this IoT option, Condair can now support its customers every step of the way, from initial system design, manufacture, supply and install, all the way through to every-day operation and routine servicing.” Dave concludes.
A new touchscreen user interface on the Condair RS operates like a smartphone, in that users can navigate through clear icon-based menus with scroll, slide and press functionality. As well as intuitive control over operation, the controller offers historic performance and settings reporting, service history, error reporting and an Excel-based download to USB function.
Alongside these new features, the Condair RS still incorporates its unique scale management system that has made it so popular. A removeable tank sits underneath the boiling chamber, collecting the scale as it detaches from the heating elements during normal operation. In-house maintenance staff can routinely drain the system and empty the scale from this tank, without opening the main unit housing. This significantly prolongs the periods between major service visits and prevents on-site drainage problems from chunks of scale being sent to drain.
Other innovative features include a “cold-water pool” that prevents any blockages around the water inlet or drain outlet. The boiling chamber has a twin-wall design with the water inlet and drain outlet being situated in an area between these walls. The temperature of this area is kept low enough to prevent scale formation, thus eliminating any possibility of plumbing blockages due to limescale.
The Condair RS range offers comprehensive capacities with sizes to suit any project. Small single cylinder units start with a maximum output of 5kg/h, with double-cylinder models and master/slave configurations offering up to 160kg/h. Steam humidification can be delivered to a duct via a steam lance, as well as directly to a room with a top-mounted or remotely located blower pack.
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
View Condair's profile:
Stelrad Radiators Selected For 300 Year Old Property With Heat Pumps – Overcoming Wattle And Daub Wall Construction!
Story
Leading UK radiator manufacturer Stelrad Radiators has recently supplied eleven radiators for a residential refurbishment project on the South Downs. Nothing particularly strange in that you might say until you find out a little bit more about the property and the challenges it posed for the company undertaking the refurbishment.
Enter Michael Paini and his company Option Energy Solutions, based in Steyning near Brighton. He was called out to look at a 300-year old property by soon to become customers – a retired couple with two daughters away at university. They needed a reliable hot water system, able to cope with a high hot water demand and they needed to be able to heat their home efficiently at a comfortable temperature for the whole day.
This is where the challenge gets interesting. The walls were of a wattle and daub construction with alterations made inside the property that made heat loss calculations a theoretical test – one might say, a lottery. Michael found a study by Cardiff University where they published U-Values for old buildings and using this he recalculated with the alterations to modify the U-Value of this specific property. He did this for a number of different fabric types because the property had been altered throughout the years. This was challenging to say the least, but doing so accurately was fundamental to making the project work.
With the help of Heat Geeks new room scan technology, the heat loss was calculated as 12.9kW – right at the limit of a domestic heat pump’s output. The numbers had to be correct and a full heating system design was begun. At the request of the customer the radiators were sized to be optimised at 43 degrees C. Eleven of the thirteen radiators were replaced and the existing underfloor heating was left connected all as a single open loop zone with no buffer. Ther radiators were a mix of K3 and K2 Stelrad Compact radiators, the K3’s designed specifically to work well with low temperature renewable heat pump driven heating systems and providing three panels and three sets of fins to ‘up’ the metal surface area and heat generated by around 50% for a similar radiator footprint as a standard K2. These radiators have proved popular up and down the country in heat pump installations – in new build homes and in retrofit heating systems where the original boiler driven system has been replaced by a heat pump solution.
Other challenges in this 300 year old home included the wall thicknesses for pipework runs. Running large pipes through the property’s timber structure wasn’t an option, so the domestic hot water tank was relocated from towards the centre of the property to the rear utility room and Michael used a system he called ‘split the house’ to upsize the heating pipework. He located the centre point of the heating system pipework, split the system into two halves and installed a new circuit to supply half the load. This was crucial because the only route for the pipes was through a gap between a steel and a joist – and 32mm was the maximum that would fit!
How did the new system perform? Well shortly after installation January brought a cold snap with several days of sub-zero temperatures. The customer reported flawless performance, perfectly stable indoor temperatures at a January efficiency level of 550%. The family is confident their energy consumption backs this up.
Over to Michael to explain some of the detail: “This is probably one of if not the biggest success story I’ve had in my career in the heating industry,” says a rightly proud Michael Paini. “We used a Vaillant Arotherm Plus 12 kW air source heat pump alongside a Vaillant Unistor DHW cylinder and Sensocomfort controller and Sensonet internet control. The radiators I chose were 500mm high Stelrad Compacts – chosen as the windowsill heights in the property limited us to anything higher – and they look very good in the property as well as perform well and provide the levels of comfort heating needed in an elderly property of this type. All in all we were delighted with the components of the system we chose and they operate excellently together. It’s been a major success story for us as a business and them as a family.
“The family being owners of solar panels, and a home battery, meant replacing the old LPG boiler with an electric heat pump was the final step in the customer’s eco home journey. The potential for harnessing these technologies in tandem with one another for maximum benefit was enormous. David – the owner – took a keen interest here because of his dual electricity tariff rates were 30p/kWh peak and 7.5p/kWh off-peak.
“In the winter, when his solar panels aren’t producing enough to charge the battery, he has been using his off-peak rate to heat the hot water cylinder for the day and then charge the battery. He also puts some additional heat into the property toward the end of the off-peak period. When the property cools, the heating then comes on powered by the battery.
“His COP as measured by the Vaillant controller was over 4 for Dec and 5.5 for Jan. This meant that David could heat his house from as little as 1.36p/kWh throughout off-peak periods, and during peak periods until his battery is depleted. This cost will come down further in future months and will be zero when the solar panels are contributing. It’s an astonishing saving compared to their old fossil fuel system, and in David’s words, they are ‘very warm’. The heat throughout the property courtesy of the Stelrad radiators is consistent too.
“The end result of this project is that amazing results in both comfort and efficiency can be delivered by heat pumps to old houses provided the design is correct. The best design is achieved with consideration given at all steps of the project, from heat loss calculation that is, custom U-Values – through to challenges on-site such as pipe sizing calculations to split the house, and stakeholders should be included in this process optimising design flow temp with the customer’s investment.
All in all an impressive case study for an impressive installation.
View Stelrad's profile:
David Chisnall Joins Condair As Area Sales Manager
Story
Condair has appointed David Chisnall as its new Area Sales Manager for the north of England. David joins Condair with over 25 years’ experience in the HVAC sector, having worked in air filtration and AHU manufacturing sectors.
Dave Marshall-George, Condair’s UK & Ireland Sales Director, comments, “It’s great to have David join the Condair team. He brings a wealth of experience with him, and I’m delighted that he’s now representing Condair in this important sales area covering Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and some of the surrounding areas.”
David commented, “I’m greatly looking forward to getting to know Condair’s customers and supporting them with their humidity control needs. I’m very happy to be joining the market-leader in the humidity control sector. It’s amazing how many different industries Condair works across, for both humidification and dehumidification, and I’m keen to start engaging with our partners across contractors, consultants, OEMs and end-user clients.”
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
View Condair's profile:
New Addition To ECO-LOGIC Electronic Controller Range
Story
Main features and benefits of the new ECO-200 Controller Range:
The new ECO-200 range of electronic controllers have been designed to be modular, allowing a mix of different types of touch and non-touch control sensors, switches, relays and solenoid valves. Solenoids and relays of different AC / DC voltages can be used.
The controller can be used, for example, for sanitary ware control in bathrooms to control a basin tap for hot and cold water, a shower and WC. Versions can be supplied to control two bathrooms from one controller.
Due to the modular design of the controller it can be used not only for the ECO-LOGIC range of products for new projects, but to control other makes of sanitary ware control systems were spares are no longer available, which is ideal for maintenance and refurbishment work.
Used with the ECO-LOGIC extra low voltage 6V DC bistable solenoid valves, together with the ECO-LOGIC non-touch sensors, the system provides substantial energy and maintenance cost savings together with a very high standard of Health and Safety for the user and maintenance staff.
The ECO-LOGIC range of electronic controls have now been in the market for in excess of 30 years and therefore we have a wealth of experience of product use in all market sectors in regards to maintenance and life time product operation.
All the ECO-LOGIC range of products are designed and manufactured in the UK.
View ECO-LOGIC UK's profile:
Stelrad Announces First Sale Of Green Steel Compact Radiator
Story
Leading radiator manufacturer Stelrad Radiators has announced its first sale of the brand-new Stelrad Series range. Purchased online, the radiator – the first of many – was picked at the National Distribution Centre and despatched just days after new Stelrad Green Compact went on sale. The purchaser has reported that the selection was driven by a desire to be more eco-friendly and that he was happy to pay a little bit more for a product that will contribute towards lower CO₂ in the atmosphere.
Tata Steel is supplying UK made 90% Carbon Lite steel to Stelrad within the radiator market, so that Stelrad customers can choose a Stelrad Green Compact radiator range that contributes directly to a reduction in atmospheric CO₂ today and accelerates decarbonisation in the future.
Tata Steel is a UK leading strip steel manufacturer with steelmaking facilities in Port Talbot in South Wales. The steel comes with a certificate from DNV – Det Norske Veritas to prove the steel has 90% lower embodied CO₂ emissions. The process for producing the steel is called Optemis® Carbon Lite.
All revenues generated by the process are reinvested to fund additional projects, thereby generating further CO₂ savings to be verified by DNV and speeding up decarbonisation efforts within the UK.
Stelrad’s head of marketing is Chris Harvey: “Whilst largely symbolic, the first sale of any new product is encouraging, and we hope signals the start of an exciting new programme of sales as more and more people wake up to the opportunity to enjoy green steel radiators in their developments and buildings up and down the UK.
“This is an exciting step for us to take towards greener manufacturing and fits in perfectly with our Group’s sustainability policy. The new Stelrad Green Series comprises of 60 horizontal models from our Stelrad Green Compact range. The concept is already being well received by many of our customers who are keen to see more sustainable products being utilised in their homes and buildings. As well as the reduction in carbon emissions, no plastic is being used for the outer packaging either further increasing the sustainability claims of the product range – and of course, a radiator is 100% recyclable.”
To find out more about this exciting new range and the new partnership with Tata Steel, head for www.stelrad.com.