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Ancon has extended its technical services offering with the addition of webinars to complement a highly successful CPD-approved seminar programme of over 30 years. The first webinar available in the series is entitled The Correct Use of Wall Ties in Brick-to-Block Construction.

This webinar provides viewers with information on the various types of cavity wall restraints and their design considerations including how to limit heat/sound transfer. The webinars are delivered by Ancon technical staff who have considerable technical experience of applying seminar content in practice and in answering questions from both specifiers and contractors.

The webinars are available on demand from the ‘Resources’ section of the Ancon website here: www.ancon.co.uk/resources/webinars

For more information, please contact Ancon on 0114 275 5224 or email info@ancon.co.uk.

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Decorative specialists Armourcoat have provided the finishing touches to The Soak, a new bar and restaurant next to London’s Victoria Station with an all-day menu that is built around signature soaked flavours through fermenting, pickling, brining and steeping techniques.

With interior design devised by a partnership between creative agency CAB and interior design studio MAS, the grade II listed building retains many original features including a carved leaf design which is now incorporated into the bar interior.

Armourcoat’s Koncrete polished plaster finish is used to great effect on the bar front with recessed logo. Koncrete is an urban range of polished plaster colours and finishes designed for contemporary projects. The range offers a wealth of design options to achieve a distinctive modern look including distressed effects or recessed ‘shutter’ markings.

Outside the building, Armourcoat PPX has been used to repeat the restaurant logo design. PPX is a low maintenance, durable external limestone render system that can create stunning honed and textured stone like finishes for both new build and renovation projects.

Glh Design Team commented on the project, “We were delighted to work with Armourcoat on this project, and the use of polished plaster finishes to the entrance wall and bar front adds a modern twist to the design. The team at Armourcoat have enabled us to make an entrance with an impact and the rough textured finish on The Soak logo is such an impressive contrast to the smooth concrete of the finish on the wall.”

Photography: © Franklin & Franklin

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JS Air Curtains has expanded its team with the appointment of Loredana Groza as its new technical sales advisor.

Loredana will be providing support and assistance in all aspects of air curtain design, specification and installation to consultants, contractors and specifiers.

Commenting on the new appointment, Kerry Jones, UK and Ireland Sales Manager said, “We are delighted to welcome Loredana to the JS Air Curtains sales team. The company has experienced considerable growth in recent years and Loredana’s appointment will help us maintain the responsive technical assistance our customers rely on.”

Loredana, originally from Romania, has three degrees in Engineering, Environmental Science and Geology, from studying in Romania and Spain.

JS Air Curtains has been supplying a comprehensive and competitive range of air curtains for all commercial and industrial applications since 1999. The company offers professional advice on air curtain projects, system design, supply, service and after-sales support. More information is available at www.jsaircurtains.com.

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Precision Technology Supplies Ltd have recently added the Nordlock range of Stainless Steel Wedge locking washers to their ever expanding range of products. Famous for offering secure bolting solutions, Nordlock are specified in a wide variety of applications where secure locking is required. Now available from stock at www.pts-uk.com

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A recently published scientific study¹ by Yale University has shown that breathing air with a low humidity reduces our immune system’s capability to fight off flu infections. The research results showed that using humidifiers in the winter to increase the moisture content of air in occupied buildings, such as offices, schools and hospitals, is a potential strategy to reduce the seasonal impact of flu on society.

It is estimated that in the UK influenza causes six million working days to be lost every year, accounts for 400,000 GP consultations, 600 deaths directly and an estimated 10,000 further deaths from flu-related causes. Even though many scientific studies, such as the recent one from Yale, have shown the importance of humidity in relation to combatting flu, no legal requirement exists in the UK for public or commercial buildings to maintain a minimum indoor humidity level for health.

The Yale study, carried out in the laboratory of Dr Akiko Iwasaki, used mice that respond to flu in a similar way to humans. The mice were infected with flu and kept in either low humidity or mid-level humidity conditions. Their physical reactions to the flu virus were then examined, including weight loss, temperature changes, their ability to clear the virus from their respiratory system and heal resultant inflammation, and ultimately their mortality rate.

The scientists found that the mice kept in low humidity (10-20%RH) suffered a much worse disease course than the mice kept in mid-level humidity (50%RH). They suffered more rapid and greater weight loss, were unable to maintain a normal body temperature and experienced a higher mortality rate.

Dr Iwasaki commented, “What we found was that low humidity impairs the ability of the respiratory tract, lung and nose to get rid of the flu virus. In the airway cells, hair-like projections called cilia, are constantly moving inhaled particles along to get rid of them. However, in low humidity we found that this cilia movement, as well as particle removal, was impaired. This is particularly important for people who are very susceptible such as the very young infant or the older person over 65, as mortality from flu mostly occurs in this age group.”

The researchers also observed that low humidity reduces the ability of cells in the lungs, damaged by flu, to repair themselves. A third effect of low humidity identified in this study, was that infected cells stopped signalling for help from neighbouring cells. The ability to recruit additional immune cells to fight invading viruses or bacteria is an essential part of the body’s natural defence system, and is key to limiting disease from infections.

Commenting on the study, Dave Marshall-George, UK Sales Manager at humidity control specialist, Condair, said, “This study is yet further evidence for a regulatory minimum humidity level to be set for public places to reduce the impact of seasonal flu. It is relatively simple to maintain a healthy indoor humidity of 40-60%RH in public buildings using commercial humidification systems. However, unlike temperature, humidity is not easily perceivable by occupants. This results in building operators saving money by not installing, or even turning off, their humidifiers and allowing indoor humidity to drop dangerously low in the winter.”

Dave continues, “The problem is compounded by legislation that requires building operators to reduce energy consumption. Building owners and designers are forced to minimise building services to become more efficient. However, the result is necessary services, such as humidity control, are being sacrificed at the expense of occupant health. Given the massive impact that flu has on society, both on the economy and the health service, it is time the governing bodies took notice of the science and introduced minimum indoor humidity levels.”

Commenting on the results of the study, Dr Stephanie Taylor, Infection Control Consultant at Harvard Medical School and an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, said, “Dr. Iwasaki’s research shows that balanced humidification increases our overall immune defences and therefore can be applied to both viral and bacterial diseases, not limited to seasonal influenza. This study clearly shows the need to maintain indoor relative humidity at 40–60% in homes, schools, offices, hospitals, aeroplanes and all other occupied spaces.

“ASHRAE must recognize this excellent study as evidence to support a minimum RH level in occupied commercial buildings.” Dr Stephanie Taylor concludes.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidification and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair plc, 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.

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The new Kinedo Kinepsace range of elegant and discrete shower cubicles from Saniflo UK is designed to make fitting shower enclosures swift and easy, while delivering a high-quality product with a 10-year warranty. Available in four sizes, chrome profiles feature across the range with some versions also available in statement black or ‘on trend’ copper. Numerous configurations are possible including quadrant, recessed and corner options with pivot or sliding doors whilst fixed panels enable customisation for extra flexibility. At two metres high with 6mm or 8mm glass, some Kinespace enclosures feature an optional central frosted panel on the glass.

Cleaning and maintenance is also simple, thanks to the anti-limescale treated glass and the hinge, which creates a gap between the glass and the door opening, helps to ensure the Kinespace looks and stays pristine for longer. The hinge fitting also creates more space for a wider entry into the enclosure.

Installation is both quick and easy thanks to the innovative Kineclip. A really useful feature, the Kineclip holds the shower door in place enabling the installer to use both hands to screw the rest of the unit together. Assembly and adjustment of the profiles is also simple and can be achieved with just one turn of an Allen key!

Sizes range between 700 and 1200mm and for larger showers, an additional fixed panel can also be used. The additional fixed panel has 450mm pivot section and is available transparent or with a central frosted panel in sizes of 400 or 600mm. Three chrome support bar options are available.

A brand new Kinedo Shower Enclosure brochure is now available for download from www.kinedo.co.uk or hard copies can be sent by post by filling in the contact form online.

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The Sanipump from Saniflo is a submersible black water pump for use with bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms and is ideal for waste water and sewage disposal from underground pits and tanks. It can also be used for grey water when pumping away from a pit or flood water situation.

An easy product to install, the compact pump is delivered ready to use and can be quickly deployed in domestic and commercial applications where the maximum immersion depth requirement is 5m or less. The Sanipump is small on size and weight – just 13kgs – yet big on performance with a flow rate of up to 11 m³/hour and a maximum discharge height of 14m.The highly efficient and productive unit is powered by a 1500 watt automatic motor and activated by a float system. Waste can be discharged through 40 or 50mm pipework from a range of appliances including a toilet, basin, bath, shower, washing machine, dishwasher, sink and external drainage areas.

Two models are available – the first has a macerator pump with high performance robust cutting blades to prevent clogging and the second version features Vortex technology that can pump away waste without the need to macerate. Both have thermal overload protection as standard.

For more information please visit www.saniflo.co.uk

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Sentinel, leading manufacturer of water treatment products for heating and hot water systems, has announced the launch of its Corrosion Monitor SCU for commercial applications.

Using cutting-edge technology to provide simple advance warning of system corrosion, Sentinel’s Corrosion Monitor SCU will give users greater control over a common and expensive problem.
It uses intelligent sensor technology to measure the real-time corrosion rate within the heating system and raises an alarm when corrosion exceeds acceptable levels, allowing for immediate action to prevent expensive component and system failures. The product is simple to install on new and existing systems and includes free dashboard software for in-depth analysis.

Commercial boiler manufacturers recognise the damaging effects of corrosion, with warranties sometimes becoming invalid if damage has been caused by poor water treatment. When Sentinel Corrosion Monitor SCU is partnered with Sentinel’s range of commercial chemical water treatment, system owners and managers can be assured their asset has received the best possible care.

To enquire about this product and find out more visit the link below
www.sentinelprotects.com/corrosion-monitor

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The Condair ME evaporative humidifier is providing adiabatic cooling in an innovative indirect cooling system from EDPAC at the Cork Internet Exchange (CIX) in Ireland. EDPAC’s indirect air-to-air evaporative cooling system will be maintaining the temperature across CIX’s data halls without using any chillers and with 75% less energy than a traditionally cooled data centre.

The installation of the new low energy cooling system was part of a €6M extension at the family–owned 2,800sqm data centre, partly funded by the Excellence in Energy Efficient Design (EXEED) programme.

The EDPAC air handling system cools without chillers by creating two airstreams; one internal and one external. The internal airstream circulates air to and from the data halls and the external airstream draws in, then vents, ambient outside air. Both airstreams pass through a series of heat exchangers to transfer cool thermal energy from the external to the internal airstream, without either physically mixing.

In order to boost the cooling capacity of the system, and keep the data halls at 24°C all year round, evaporative cooling is used to reduce the temperature of the external airstream below that of the ambient outdoor air. A series of Condair ME evaporative humidifiers are located in the walls around a penthouse ventilation area, created across the top storey of the building. As air is drawn into the building through louvres, it passes through these Condair MEs, before entering the penthouse ventilation area where the EDPAC AHUs are located.

The Condair ME consists of an evaporative matrix section, which sits across a duct, and a hydraulic module that continually pumps water up to the top of the matrix to keep it moist. As air travels through the Condair ME’s wet matrix, it absorbs water and is cooled by several degrees.

Noel Lynch, managing director at EDPAC, comments, “By reducing the temperature of the outside air entering the penthouse ventilation area with the Condair MEs, the air being drawn into the external airstream of the air handling units is significantly cooler than the outside air. This enables the indirect cooling system to maintain the desired data hall temperature of 24°C, even in the hottest months of the year.”

Noel continues, “The complementary technologies of air-to-air heat exchange and humidifier-based evaporative cooling is a considerable improvement to existing indirect data centre cooling systems. The strategy offers very low energy climate control while being easy to manage, as it doesn’t have a wet spray section with the onerous administrative obligations that this can place on a building operator.”

Four AHU modules, each delivering up to 400kW of cooling, have been installed above the data halls at CIX, alongside four Condair ME evaporative humidifiers. While the outside Cork weather remains below 21°C, air-to-air cooling alone is sufficient to maintain the required data hall condition. When the outdoor temperature rises above this, the Condair MEs operate to provide up to 300kW of cooling to each AHU.

Donal Deering, energy consultant at Smart Power, the Dublin-based energy consultancy that worked on the project, commented, “The expected electrical demand across the year is just 12kW per 400kW AHU module, including the electrical consumption of the Condair ME evaporative humidifiers. Typical PUE values across Irish data centres is 1.5-1.7 but the use of adiabatic cooling at CIX will lower the facility’s overall PUE to less than 1.4. The energy savings are expected to be 75% of that which would otherwise be used in a traditionally cooled data centre.”

Donal concludes, “The CIX evaporative cooling project is an exciting, innovative project and credit must go to Jerry Sweeney, Chief Executive at CIX, and Noel Lynch at EDPAC for their pioneering efforts.”

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 offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares.

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