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A recently completed self-build project in Suffolk has, quite literally, rolled back the barriers of roof design and product specification. Dubbed ‘The Sliding House’, it has just received the Grand Designs ‘Best Home’ and ‘Best New Build’ awards. Key criteria for the judges were use of innovative thinking and inventive use of materials, so the combination of sliding design and use of Flag Soprema’s red Flagon SV Single Ply Membrane really stood out. The project showed that single ply membranes provide flexibility way beyond waterproofing flat roofs and the occasional waveform and barrel vault profiles. Flag Soprema’s Sales and Marketing Director Steve Greaves commented, “This shows how single ply can be used to combine aesthetics and sustainability. It is very rewarding to see our membrane featured in such a high profile award”

The 50 tonne sliding roof/wall design rolls back some 16 metres to enclose a courtyard space and uncover a double height greenhouse-style conservatory. The Flagon SV membrane in red, despite being underneath the larch cladding, is an important architectural element of the build, having been selected to colour match other aspects of the scheme. It is visible beneath the timber and has been used to dramatic effect at reveals such as windows and doors. When the roof is rolled forward to cover the conservatory and patio, the full extent of the single ply installation on the main body of the house can really be appreciated, with the red membrane in full view.

The roof takes approximately six minutes to roll back, the 104ft long ‘railway’ moving at 0.2 mph.

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Mitsubishi Electric has launched an SMS version of its unique M2M wireless air conditioning controller, to bring advanced air conditioning control and monitoring to handsets everywhere.

The Micro M2M controller builds on the success of the GPRS version, which has already been offering customers a relatively low-cost solution for both smaller premises that do not have Ethernet connections and larger corporations which cannot allow outside systems to link into their security networks and across firewalls.

“This Micro version provides even more cost benefits for sites where simple controls and monitoring are needed and it puts that control on your mobile phone,” explained Sebastien Desmottes, Product Marketing Liaison Manager.

Each Micro M2M can control up to eight indoor units at once and will cost under £400, which makes it much more accessible to a wider range of buildings.

Installation of the unit is the same as the popular Mini M2M system with the small box wired to the indoor units and able to send warning, performance and temperature data to a mobile phone.

Simple control functions such as turning the systems off or on and setting the temperature can also be sent back to the system via text.

Mitsubishi Electric has also made registering the system straightforward as is the range of basic control functions. The system will also send detailed fault reports so that engineers are aware of any problems immediately and can take appropriate parts and spares on their first visit to site, thereby improving the service to customers and cutting down on travel.

“With the massive growth in text as a form of communication and mobile phones as a means of accessing these messages, it seemed a logical step to develop a simpler version of what is already an easy to use system so that we can provide customers with control at their fingertips, wherever they are,” added Desmottes.

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Grasslin:Tower has been supplying quality heating controls for more than 30 years to worldwide manufacturers in both the electrical and heating industries. In recent years they have been seeing rapidly increasing sales through the merchants direct to installers and contractors, and through specifiers for housebuilders, local authorities and housing associations too, who recognise that these controls do exactly what they want – at a competitive price.

The range of products available includes central heating programmers, thermostats – including specially designed versions for underfloor heating systems – and timeswitches, and include both timeclock type controls and the latest RF (radio frequency) wireless controls – and everything in between. In addition they supply a range of twilight and staircase switches and a range of plug-in timeswitches too.

There has been a massive increase in the use of radio frequency controls to provide ‘wireless’ installation in the past couple of years in particular. Building Regulations Part P now requires certification of much of the electrical work carried out in a home – RF systems can be very attractive in this respect, and can minimise or obviate electrical work in a property by pretty much eliminating ‘hard wiring’ requirements.

There has been dramatic growth in the use of RF types of controls in the last two years. This is largely due to the combined effect of the implementation of Building Regulations Part L and Part P. There are two main groupings of RF controls on the market: those which operate at 433 MHz and those which operate at 868 MHz.

433 MHz has been licensed for low-power domestic controls for many years, and consequently this is a fairly busy RF band. Numerous devices, as well as heating controls, operate at this frequency, including garage door opening systems, baby alarms and door bells. Protection against cross-talk – when one system inadvertently controls a different system – is by coding, so that devices on a common frequency only recognise their legitimate ‘partner’, but there are quite a few 433 MHz RF systems which only have a limited number of codes – perhaps just 4 to 16 combinations.

The 868 MHz frequency was more recently released for low power RF controls, and consequently, there is less RF ‘traffic’ at that frequency because there are, for the time being, fewer producers of 868 MHz systems. Also the licensing protocol limits the transmission duty cycle to 1%. This means that for any given period, 99% of the time is transmission free – allowing any other systems to operate without any conflict. Code combinations of the more sophisticated controls also run into thousands or even tens of thousands. The combination of a less intensively used frequency, with 1% duty cycle, and a more secure coding technique, means that 868 MHz systems have a significantly higher immunity to interference or cross-talk from other systems.

There are factors that need consideration when specifying or locating RF controls within buildings. Conventional domestic structures – including most homes – present little or no problem to RF signals for these types of heating control systems. It is not unusual to have two, three or even four dividing walls or floors between transmitter and receiver without any problem. Radio waves move, or ‘propagate’ freely through open air, and will penetrate solid materials, but as they go through things, the signal strength will weaken. The signal strength cannot be increased because regulations define the maximum strength permissible, and with which such systems must conform. Also – depending on the material – radio waves can be deflected or simply stopped. In the same way that visible light is reflected by a mirror, so radio waves will also be reflected by the same mirror.

Consequently installers specifying and fitting RF controls should take into account the presence within buildings of steel re-inforcing materials within walls or floors, foil-backed plasterboard or loft insulation, metallised decorative wallcoverings, mirrors and large appliances with steel casings. These materials should have an impact on the siting of RF transmitters (Tx) and receivers (Rx). For instance, a solid wall surfaced in foil backed plasterboard between Tx and Rx is likely to prevent signals from getting through. Even if there are no metallic barriers, large volumes of construction material can still absorb some of the signal strength. This is particularly true if there is any natural stone in the structure – natural stone frequently exhibits ‘paramagnetic’ properties which increase the ‘opacity’ of such materials to RF. To their advantage however, radio waves at 868 or 433 MHz only require a small gap or opening of 10 – 20 cm respectively in order to get through. Alternatively the radio wave can reach its target by reflection, so that the direct line-of-sight route may be blocked, but the wave can bounce off a surface and thereby reach its target. Generally, through appropriate location of Tx and Rx, and reduction or removal of metallic and construction material barriers, the opportunity for the signal to be received can be maximised.

So RF controls are a great step forward in easy-to-fit, user-friendly controls for heating systems. Whilst there is still a tendancy for specifiers to plump for timeclock type heating controls – we Brits still find change and progress difficult at times – the eventual move towards RF controls seems inevitable and unstoppable!

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Mapei products were recently specified for the refurbishment of the Harley-Davidson Showrooms in Norwich and Guildford. Lind who recently took on the famous motorcycle franchise, required a system of products in order to install tiling to the wall and floor areas within the showrooms.

For the installation of tectonic anthracite solid porcelain tiles within the main showroom in Norwich, Mapei’s Mapeker Rapid-set Grey was specified by local installers Cristy’s Ceramics, Norwich. Mapeker Rapid-set is a fast setting adhesive suitable for fixing all types of ceramic, porcelain and stone tiles and mosaics to internal and external walls and floors. These were then grouted using Keracolor FF 113 Cement Grey one of 18 colours. The durable water and dirt repellent grout was the ideal choice for showrooms subject to significant foot traffic. In order to create a false brick wall effect, MapeGrip Plus, a non-slip adhesive with high initial grab and high bond strength, was used to install Travertine brick wall tiling. Joints finished with Keracolor FF 130 Jasmine.

To facilitate the flexibility of the timber substrate, on which the tiling within the Guildford showroom had to be installed, Keraquick Grey with Latex Plus additive was specified. When mixed these products achieve S2 Flexibility, suitable for the most deformable substrates. Cristy’s Ceramics then used Mapei’s flexible, fast-setting and drying, Ultracolor Plus 113 (Cement Grey) high performance grout, for joints up to 20mm, to install the tiling.

Mapei is the world’s largest manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and chemical products for building. With over 70 years experience, Mapei is a specialist in the production of quality products for the installation of all types of wall and floor coverings, and has a vast range of admixtures and repair products for concrete and building materials.

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A new range of enclosed moulded-case circuit-breakers in heavy duty sheet steel enclosures is announced by Eaton. Suitable for protection and control of large industrial and commercial loads, the range extends from 63A to 630A in single-pole, three-pole and four-pole variants. It includes versions with integral residual current protection.

The circuit-breakers are Eaton’s Series G moulded-case circuit-breakers. These are designed for global applications and feature compact size, ease of installation, excellent performance and Kema-Keur certification to the international switchgear standard, IEC 60947-2. The enclosed versions are type-tested to IEC 60439-1.

Versions with residual current protection are suitable for applications requiring personal protection against electric shock or fire protection. They are also suitable for applications where long cable runs and/or high earth fault impedances demand residual current protection to satisfy the requirements of The Wiring Regulations, BS 7671.

The sensitivity is adjustable from 30mA to 10A. Adjustable time delay, from instantaneous to 1 second, is also offered, providing for discrimination with other residual current devices. The residual current devices also incorporate two alarm contacts as standard, one operating at 50% trip current and the other at 100%. Two LEDs indicate that power is ON and the earth leakage current is more than 50% of full trip current.

The enclosures are fabricated from 1.5mm industrial sheet steel, with a 2mm cover and epoxy polyester finish to resist the most arduous physical conditions. Environmental protection is IP3X. Most enclosures have gland plates and knockouts. Removable neutral links are provided for ease of commissioning.

The new enclosed MCCBs are type-tested by Kema to IEC 60439-1, Low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies, Part 1. The four smallest sizes – 63A, 80A, 100A and 125A – have a 25kA short-circuit rating (ICC) and are available in single-pole, three-pole and four-pole options. 160A, 200A and 250A units are available in three-pole and four-pole versions with a 40kA short-circuit rating while the largest, 400A and 630A units are also available in three-pole and four-pole versions with a 50kA short-circuit rating.

“The new enclosed MCCBs extend our existing range of circuit-breakers and MCCB panelboards and underline Eaton’s ability to offer both fuse and circuit-breaker solutions for industrial and commercial applications” says Mike Lawrence, product manager.

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Sikkens products have been recognised as environmentally responsible in a prestigious urban development in Scotland that has been designed as a testament to environmental and energy efficiency. Located on former derelict land at the edge of Hamilton town centre, the homes on Miller Street advocate how modern sustainable design can be achieved in a busy urban environment, and the inclusion of the Sikkens Cetol BL21 plus water-based coatings with their lower carbon footprint, fitted in with the overall design requirements. BL 21 plus offers a reduction in VOC emissions, due to the replacement of oil-based solvents with water, which also offers a quick drying solution, saving on time and associated costs.

The residential development comprises 26 units in four blocks and follows an inspirational design by Hypostyle Architects. Each of the four blocks has a thick, super insulated timber clad wall facing onto the main road and these have been protected using Sikkens Cetol BL21 plus wood coating. These huge clad walls act as a physical barrier against the outside conditions, which include the sometimes harsh Scottish climate and the noise pollution from the road. Due to their sheer size, they had to appear m/f…

aesthetically pleasing, a challenge easily met by the Cetol BL21 plus coating. “We used the Cetol BL21 plus on the Douglas Fir timber because of its appearance but also because of its environmental properties,” explains Steven Rae, project architect at Hypostyle. “The whole theme of the development is sustainability and the Sikkens product fitted neatly into the specification requirements.”

Innovative, environmentally friendly design techniques have been applied throughout the development, ensuring that the homes have minimal effect on the environment. “As timber is a highly sustainable construction material, we have made extensive use of it in the scheme and by protecting it with Cetol BL21 plus, we have been able to maintain the sustainable theme to the highest degree possible,” continues Mr Rae.

Sikkens Cetol BL21 plus is an alkyd/acrylic coating which absorbs into the timber surface, offering full protection against the damaging effects of sunlight and weathering, and allows the flexibility necessary for the natural movement of timber.

The design was chosen through a competition promoted by clients, Clyde Valley Housing Association in conjunction with Communities Scotland and Hamilton Ahead (South Lanarkshire Council). Miller Street utilises passive and active principles to ensure an environmentally friendly design ranging from thermal walls to solar panel technology, creating a sustainable community on a particularly tight urban site.

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Tapworks, the leading manufacturer and supplier of water softeners in the UK has launched a new ‘whole house’ water filter to filter mains water throughout the house. Water filters of different kinds are common in the UK, but most only affect one separate drinking water tap, installed in a kitchen attached to a small filter system that requires regular three to six monthly filter changes, or are small jug filters, which again require regular filter changes.

Whilst mains water in the UK is of excellent quality from a safety and ‘drinkability’ point of view, many people have issues with the treatment the water has had between the water supplier and home. In particular they tend to prefer water with no taste, or odour – with added chlorine the major problem perceived by many. In addition, people prefer any sediment that makes its way down the supply pipes to be completely removed as well before it makes its way into their home.

The new unit – which is the same size as Tapwork’s smallest ‘under drawer height’ softener – the Ultra 9 – is simple to install and even easier to maintain as it comes with a self cleaning filter that will last between five and eight years in a standard three or four bedroom home.

The new whole house water filter is relevant to homes across the UK as it’s not a water softener and is equally relevant to homes with both hard water and naturally soft water. Mains water – wherever it comes from – has additives and individual characteristics that some people find unpleasant and would prefer to ‘opt out of’ in their homes. This new product allows you to do this if you wish and because the filter life is as long as eight years, it’s effectively a ‘fit and forget’ appliance. Clearly it can be run in conjunction with a water softener in hard water areas, with the water entering the premises from the main, running through the softener and then the filter before making its way to the taps around the home.

As well as great tasting water from the tap, there are significant other lifestyle benefits to be enjoyed by having a whole house filter installed. Apart from stopping the need to ‘hump home’ huge bottles of bottled water – and the savings that will provide on the grocery bills – tea and coffee and other drinks will taste better, fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice and other foods cooked in water will taste far better, laundry will feel softer and fresher and bath times, cleaning teeth and washing hair will be more pleasurable as well.

Tapworks MD Mike Pickavance says the new central filter is a response to a market for a whole house filter that will take chlorine and other additives out of the mains water: “Much of the mains water delivered in the UK is hard water and our range of water softeners can effectively address this problem, as well as offering water saving and energy saving benefits as well. This new central water filter will remove many of the things that increasing numbers of households object to in their water supply ensuring that they get good quality water, but water that is delivered as they want it to be, right across the home. If you like, this unit will ‘polish’ their water supply making it even more pleasant to drink and use in the home.

“With a self cleaning carbon filter, it really is a ‘fit and forget’ appliance that will only need attention every five or six years – possibly longer for smaller homes using lower volumes of mains water. And at around £400, for the benefits it offers, it’s very affordable,” he says.

The new Tapworks ‘Whole House’ filter is available through builders and plumbers merchants now.

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When specifying a rooflight system, the Twinfix Multi-Link-Panel ticks all the boxes for sustainability. They consist of a powder coated aluminium frame glazed with virtually unbreakable multiwall polycarbonate, both of which can be recycled at the end of their life span.

25mm multiwall polycarbonate has a great light transmission and is opaque to infra red. This results in infra-red heat being retained inside a building, helping to cut down on energy usage/costs. Individual panels can span 4000mm at 1250mm centres, which means less glazing bars, more natural light ingress and reduced energy usage/costs

Quick to fit Multi-Link-Panels are also available in a Non-Fragile option, and are manufactured to size for individual projects.

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Sentinel’s exciting new domestic chemical water treatment dosing system – Rapid-Dose – launched towards the end of 2008, has really taken off in the New Year and is getting the ‘thumbs up’ from merchants and installers up and down the country that are recognising the time saving opportunities the product offers, along with the fact that it’s mess free and simple to use – put simply, it’s an installer’s dream!

And it’s the flexibility of the product which is proving most popular. Sentinel’s Paul Friend has been collating the initial response to the new product and he’s struck by the uniformity of the response – it’s a new product that shows that Sentinel has been listening to the installers out there!

“Feedback has been brilliant with installers liking the product and liking the application method. The connector sets have become sought after tools of the trade, with recognition already that they are quality connectors and that they will last,” he says. “And with many installers saying that rather than use a radiator dosing point connector and take it with them, they are leaving it in the radiator permanently to make dosing simple the next time they visit a home, there’s a recognition that selling the dosing point as part of the job offers an additional ‘value-added’ extra, a little additional profit and saves even more time.”

The connector sets are proving popular through the merchants, but you can buy the direct radiator dosing point and the filling loop dosing point separately and try them for size before deciding to buy the full connector set – so it’s a ‘try before you buy’ option that many installers have found useful.

Each can of Rapid-Dose contains the same quantity of active ingredient as a standard litre bottle of the equivalent product. The contents of the Rapid-Dose canister are under pressure, but the propellant is simply compressed air – so it’s an environmentally friendly product too – even the can, can be recycled!

Sentinel Rapid-Dose is available off the merchant’s shelves in the familiar X100 central heating inhibitor and protector, X200 noise reducer, X400 system sludge remover and cleaner and the popular and highly effective Leak Sealer – that can be used to dose any indirect central heating system in seconds.

Rapid-Dose’s novel system is designed to make the addition of water treatment chemicals quick and easy, soon restoring system efficiency to older systems and maintaining the efficiency of new ones, minimising CO2 emissions in the process.

To apply Sentinel Rapid-Dose into a heating system, you simply need one of the easy-to-use re-usable connector kits available from merchants across the country – either a Filling Loop Adaptor, a Radiator Dosing Point Kit or a Vent Pin Adaptor Set. You can also purchase a Universal Dosing Tool Kit which includes all these individual options if you prefer.

Case Study:
Wales & West Housing Association Specifies Sentinel Rapid Dose

And Sentinel’s Rapid Dose continues to gain more and more converts, as increasing numbers of organisations specify it for the homes under their control.

The latest to do so is Wales & West Housing Association with more than 9,000 properties in management providing homes for well over 25,000 people in the Principality. The Association has offices in Cardiff in South Wales and Flint in North Wales from where it manages its operation and the on-going maintenance of its properties. The partnership that has transformed their heating system maintenance procedure involves the use of the Sentinel product, contractors P H Jones and suppliers Grahams and Curzons, for whom Area Contracts Manager John Chicken has been instrumental in seeing the switch to Sentinel Rapid-Dose for the Association.

Tim Mann, Senior Manager for M&E Contracts at the Association, has a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying and is a qualified heating engineer, and he says he and his team have become increasingly aware of the need for correct water treatment in the heating systems in their homes. He was introduced to Sentinel’s Rapid-Dose system originally by John and Lee Pritchard from contractors PH Jones, and is sold on the concept and the process: “Getting it right may seem like a small job – and frankly it is – but it’s so important. By doing the job properly we can save significantly on the maintenance of the heating systems in our tenants’ homes and reduce call outs to faulty heating systems by up to half every year. For this reason we decided to seek out the best, simplest and quickest way to apply water treatment products to our heating systems so there was absolutely no excuse for not doing the job as it should be done.

“After looking at a selection of options we decided that Sentinel’s Rapid Dose offered us exactly what we were looking for – a high quality product that was quick to apply to a system – around 30 seconds is all it takes – and one that is easy to use as well – you simply have to screw the can of Rapid Dose into the radiator valve and it does the rest for you!”

Sentinel’s Paul Friend says he was confident that the Association would go with Rapid Dose within minutes of introducing it to them: “You could see their eyes open wide when they had the cans and the adaptors in their hands. After we had shown them how the system worked and how quick and mess free it was to use, there didn’t seem to be anything else in the running!”

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Further extensive news coverage in the national press suggests that the continuing fight against healthcare associated infections, HCAI, such as MRSA, in our healthcare environments is far from won. In conjunction with BioCote®, Crabtree, have developed a range of anti-microbial electrical switches and socket outlets utilizing silver, which help to reduce cross contamination. Trials carried out at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust have shown the technology to be exceptionally effective.

The Crabtree accessories contain silver, a natural antimicrobial, with a high efficacy against bacteria, mould and fungi. When micro-organisms come into contact with the silver, their ability to reproduce is inhibited and they die.

The environmental trial compared two out-patient wards in the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, one containing furniture and equipment treated with BioCote® technology including Crabtree electrical accessories and one containing standard, untreated items. Results from the trials showed that the facility at Heartlands using the protected products had 95.8% less bacteria present in the environment, than the standard ward.

These initial indications show that using anti-microbial products in a hospital environment can lead to a reduction in bacterial colonisation, resulting in a more hygienic environment for patients. With fewer bacteria in the environment, it is logical that the risks of cross contamination are reduced and consequently the risks of patients being infected with “superbugs” such as MRSA are reduced.

With NHS Trusts facing increased pressure from The Healthcare Commission to improve hygiene standards, these and other BioCote® protected products can complement cleaning and hand hygiene practices by lowering bacteria counts in hygiene-conscious environments.

During the manufacture of these accessories, Crabtree use a silver additive, developed by BioCote®. Continued quality control testing has confirmed bacteria are inhibited 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. However, the technology should not be used to replace cleaning. Once impregnated with the silver ion technology, the accessories maintain an active concentration of ions on the surface preventing any bacterial growth for the life expectancy of the product.

For further information about Crabtree contact Electrium Sales on 01543 455000.

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