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In an attempt to save more than £500 million over the next three years, the Metropolitan Police Authority has implemented a station refurbishment project to cut costs; good news for iron technology leader Saint-Gobain PAM UK, part of leading materials company Saint-Gobain, whose Ensign above ground drainage systems are being specified for much of the upgrade.

Ensign drainage systems were most notably used in the Brixton Police Station which recently underwent a multi-million pound, 27 cell extension and below ground car park refurbishment. The project was highly focused on fire safety, security and strength leading Anderson Green, the design engineer, to specify Ensign for the job. As the only drainage system tested to a kitemark approved to BS EN 877, it combines all the proven material properties of cast iron, which are unmatched in terms of fire resistance, acoustic qualities, strength, longevity and ensuring minimal maintenance is required once installed.

Nick Moore of Saint-Gobain PAM UK explains: “The Ensign cast iron system offers significant performance benefits over other materials and is widely regarded as the most versatile cast iron system on the market. It provides the complete drainage solution to the project’s needs.

“Our new, cost-effective grip collars were also used with the Ensign ductile iron couplings as an alternative solution to using more expensive, high-pressure couplings, which deliver increased rigidity in suspended installations while maintaining five bar pressure capability unrestrained.”

Ensign has also been specified for two other refurbishment projects at the Kingston and Wood Green police stations.

The main contractor for the project was Wates Construction, with SFI as the sub-contractor.

For further information about Ensign visit http://www.saint-gobain-pam.co.uk/soildrain.

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Two years of in-house design has come to fruition with the launch of Chelsom’s brand new 300 page lighting catalogue, Edition 23. With 40% of the collection being new, designers, specifiers and hoteliers will find a range of lighting that covers the hotel and leisure sectors from two star to six star levels. Based on Chelsom’s hard-earned reputation for design, quality and value, guestrooms, bathrooms, bars and public spaces are all catered for with an eclectic mix of product covering contemporary and traditional styles.

Managing Director Robert Chelsom who, with son Will, has designed most of the collection, says: “I believe many of our worldwide clients will appreciate the moves we have made into even sharper designs, higher quality levels and larger proportions for top end hotel suites and public spaces. In creating some of these more iconic products, we wanted to bring a sense of realism and value to the pricing. Designs whose prices have in the past restricted their use to public areas, will now fit perfectly into guestroom budgets.”

In response to feedback from surveys amongst Chelsom’s major client groups, Edition 23 is the first Chelsom catalogue to be fully available on-line. Specifiers can now view the full collection via the Website and easily download images for presentation use. All technical data is included and readily accessible.

To request a catalogue or view the collection on-line, please go to the website product page.

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Designed to complement the rising demand for wet-rooms and low shower trays, the Beam range of semi-frameless shower enclosures from Mira Showers – the UK’s leading manufacturer of showering products and accessories – combines both prestige styling and value for money. With an increased height of 1.9m from the top of the tray, the enclosures are not only consistent with contemporary bathroom design chic, but are also tall enough to obviate the obstruction possible when a traditional height enclosure is ‘dropped’ to the floor or set on a low tray.

The upmarket appearance has been achieved without compromising ease of installation as each wall profile is adjustable to up to 29mm, while the doors are supplied ‘un-handed’, meaning they are easily reversible for left and right hand opening. This means installers can deliver a clean, professional installation in a minimum of time and with minimum disruption.

Each enclosure is supplied with all the hallmarks of quality: a 10 year guarantee; power shower approval; and the chrome finish demanded by 90% of consumers wanting this type of product.

Combining contemporary styling with practicality and easy maintenance, Beam range of shower enclosures feature Easy-clean coated glass and semi-frameless side panels and includes models to suit every situation and taste with no fewer than eight different formats including: pivot doors, bifold doors, sliding doors, side panels, quadrants, pentagon, wetroom divider panels and walk-in.

Each door style features mechanisms to ensure trouble-free operation. Dual-roller bogies ensure smooth and consistent performance of sliding doors (including quadrants). Bi-fold models incorporate a planet gear mechanism that correctly aligns the door, while the adjustable ball catch used on the pivot door offers additional installation flexibility.

The pivot and bi-fold doors comprise a 6mm safety glass frameless door, use 4mm framed inline panels and are available in eight sizes from 760 to 1700mm. The sliding door model comes in two sizes – 1000 and 1200mm – with a 6mm safety glass frameless door.

The quadrant format features 5mm toughened safety glass and frameless centre opening doors fitted with a double roller to give a consistent slide movement and is available in four sizes: 800, 900, 1000 x 800, 1200 x 900mm. Two sizes of pentagon enclosures – 900 x 900 or 1200 x 900mm – can be assembled by combining pivot or bi-fold with pentagon panel pack of 4mm framed glass side panels.

Mira’s own ‘Slide & Lock’ system means there is no need to drill the frame, so adjustment is easy and simplifies installation. ‘Slide & Lock’ comprises a ‘square U’ wall channel profile that incorporates an innovative fixing mechanism that allows for a huge 29mm of adjustment on out-of-true walls. The shower panel is offered into the ‘U’ and – when square and level – is secured with a simple quarter-turn from an Allen key.

This same ‘Slide & Lock’ mechanism enables pivot doors to be hung accurately and quickly because it is incorporated into the pivot blocks. If the width of the wall channel needs to be extended, an 18mm filler kit is also available.

The semi-frameless 6mm safety glass side panels that are combined with pivot, bi-fold or sliding doors to create enclosures are supplied in four sizes: 700, 760, 800 and 900mm. A 400mm framed inline panel with 4mm safety glass is also available.

Featuring 8mm toughened safety glass and a square section bracing bar, the wetroom divider panels stand 1950mm high from top of tray and are supplied in four sizes: 800, 900, 1000 and 1200mm.

Manufactured using 5mm safety glass, the walk-in panels can be installed with or without a tray or with its own end panel to create a cubicle. Available in two sizes – 1400 and 1700mm – these panels stand 1900mm high from top of tray.

All Mira shower enclosures are built to last and all the designs have been rigorously tested. Doors are tested for 32,000 slam cycles – equivalent to 20 years use by a family of four showering daily. Similarly, every panel is tested to BSEN14428+A1 (2008) which represents the impact of being hit by a 20 stone person falling over.

Through developing the Beam range of shower enclosures Mira now offers the complete enclosure installation package. Compatible with Mira’s Flight shower trays – by far the most popular brand in the UK – the new Beam enclosures raise the bar in terms of affordable style, choice and ease of installation.

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Cromar PRO GRP is a cold-applied flat roof weatherproofing system which has been formulated using the latest glass fibre technology. It combines high impact and fire resistance and will withstand extreme temperature variation to provide a seamless, flexible, virtually maintenance-free finish. The high build, reinforced coating is easy to form around complex details and will withstand heavy foot traffic, even as part of a non-slip walkway. Standard sizes are 10 and 20kg for resin and topcoat, 1 and 5 litre for hardener and 5 and 15 litre for Acetone, with two weights of glass fibre reinforcement available – 450g/m2 and 600g/m2. Upstand, fillet and drip trim sections can be supplied together with fillets, moisture trap and simulated lead flashing. Trims are fixed using specially developed, gun-applied PRO GRP Trim Adhesive which comes in standard 310ml tubes. Fully trained contractors throughout the UK undertake projects of all size, with scope to offer a 25 year performance guarantee.

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Hard on the heels of Agile, Mira’s first ‘high design’ mixer shower launch of 2013; the company has now introduced the Adept built-in mixer range for new installations. Stylish, compact and easy to install, Adept delivers a contemporary aesthetic combined with a host of benefits and accessories that will appeal to the end-user, developer, installer and stockist alike.

To complement the range there is a choice of upmarket accessories that can be retro-fitted to meet individual tastes, enabling developers to offer buyers the chance to trade up. These accessories include an extra parking socket for the showerhead, soap holders and shower gel dispensers.

The range caters for all needs, whether it is the ecologically-conscious wanting to save water or those who aspire to enjoy a luxury shower under a deluge head, or who would like a simple, efficient shower. Customers can select from six models, all guaranteed for five years and featuring separate temperature and flow controls complete with large, long-life filters and replaceable cartridges for easy servicing.

The range comprises the Adept BIV and BIV Eco, with 90mm multi-mode showerhead; the Adept BIR with a 200mm deluge shower head; the Adept BIR+ with a 250mm deluge shower head; the Adept BRD which has a 90mm multi-mode showerhead and a 200mm deluge head; and the Adept BRD+ which has a 110mm multi-mode showerhead and a 250mm deluge head. Both the Adept BIR+ and the Adept BRD+ are premium products that will be distributed through showroom channels.

Specifically developed to provide the integrated appearance of a built-in mixer, Mira Adept mixers are easier to install than most built-in valves thanks to features such as the miniature valve body with back-plate. The miniature valve means there is less digging out and the plastic backplate makes mounting the value onto the wall or stud work much easier.

All models come with the Magni-floTM system that gives up to three times more flow and are suitable for all systems apart from the Mira Adept BIV Eco which requires a minimum of 0.5 bar pressure because it features a water-saving regulator that cuts the flow to 6 litres/minute in order to meet the Code for Sustainable homes.

For greater flexibility when fitting, the valve can be adjusted to fit a depth of between 51mm and 70mm while some models feature adjustable fittings that enable installers to easily match the screw holes to the grout lines for a clean finish. The wall outlet – where the hose connects to a right-angled connector – is a push-fit connection to copper pipe and so provides a fast, simple and completely secure fixing.

Mira is the UK’s fifth largest investor in research and development because its goal is to bring innovation to the market with its new products – an approach amply demonstrated by the Adept shower range.

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VortX, the next generation of drainage solutions from iron technology leader Saint-Gobain PAM UK, part of leading materials group Saint-Gobain, includes a range of innovatively designed trapped gully bodies which are lighter in weight and easier to install than traditional trapped gully bodies.

A trapped gully is used to prevent foul air entering a building. The ‘P’ and ‘S’ traps, which accommodate horizontal and vertical water flow respectively, require less installation space – only 180mm borehole – delivering savings on installation and a more convenient and compact floor drainage solution.

The gully bodies are supplied with 110mm spigot outlets and three-plugged two-inch BSP inlets that incorporate flange design features, which can be installed with or without a standard clamp ring. Non-trapped gullies can be used with a ‘P’ trap installed in the drainage systems.

Mike Rawlings, Marketing Manager – Soil and Drain at Saint-Gobain PAM UK, commented: “The intelligently-designed ‘P’ and ‘S’ traps are lighter and smaller than traditional gully bodies, significantly improving the installation process for users.

“These innovative gully bodies are part of VortX, a new range of cast iron floor drainage products that complement and enhance our established Ensign and Timesaver cast iron systems for the commercial and construction market.. Designed in accordance with BS EN 1253:2004, the range comprises more than 60 components. Full flow rate information for all grating options are available on request.”

For further information on Saint-Gobain PAM UK’s VortX range, visit www.pam-vortx.co.uk.

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With the NHBC’s decision to make dry fixing mandatory, Klober’s new Uni-Click® Dry Verge Plus offers the ideal solution for both roofers and merchants. For house builders, its 260-350mm batten gauge means it can be used with all commonly used large and medium format concrete tiles manufactured in the UK. For Scottish contractors in particular it can also be used with Scotcem interlocking tiles. The Uni-Click Dry Verge Plus has a built-in drip tray, can be used for either new build or refurbishment on roofs from 12.5° to 90° and in conjunction with a wet or dry ridge system. It is available in brown, slate grey, terracotta and black with matching eaves closures, ridge closures and ridge end caps.

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Capable of providing accurate measurements up to 10 TΩ for 5 kV versions and 20 TΩ for 10 kV versions and having facilities for IR, IR(t), PI, DAR, DD, SV and ramp tests, Megger’s new high-voltage insulation resistance testers (IRTs) offer exceptional versatility in a compact, rugged and light unit that weighs little more than half as much as its predecessors.

• Small, light and sophisticated
• PI, DAR, DD, SV and ramp test
• Improved productivity – operate from line power/mains if battery dead
• Li ion battery – extended capacity, rapid charge
• Advanced memory with time/date stamp
• CATIV 600 V safety rating

Improved productivity

The new instruments also provide enhanced productivity – they can be used from an AC source even when their internal rechargeable battery is fully discharged – and they are capable of delivering dependable results even in noisy electrical environments, such as electricity substations, with noise levels up to 3 mA.

Three new testers

Megger’s new IRTs are available in three versions. The MIT515 5 kV insulation resistance tester is an entry-level 5 kV test set which offers insulation resistance (IR), timed insulation resistance (IR(t)), dielectric absorption ratio (DAR) and polarisation index (PI) test modes.

The MIT525 5 kV insulation resistance tester, which is also a 5 kV unit, adds facilities for dielectric discharge (DD), step voltage (SV) and ramp diagnostic testing, as well as a large-capacity internal memory for storing time and date stamped test results, which can subsequently recalled to the display or downloaded to a PC via the instrument’s electrically isolated USB interface. Real-time output of results during tests is also supported. The MIT1025 10 kV insulation resistance tester offers the same facilities as the MIT525, but is a 10 kV unit.

The MIT515 and MIT525 allow tests to be carried out at five pre-defined voltages from 250 V to 5 kV, while the MIT1025 provides pre-defined test voltages from 500 V to 10 kV. All models allow an additional user-defined ‘lock’ voltage to be set, a specific voltage range to facilitate repetitive measurements to guard against excessive test voltages being applied to sensitive equipment.

Fast charge battery

Equally suitable for mains or battery operation, Megger’s new IRTs incorporate a user-replaceable rechargeable li-ion battery, which is automatically recharged when the instrument is connected to a mains supply. Discharged batteries take less than 2.5 hours to fully recharge and, when fully charged, they provide up to 6 hours of testing at 5 kV and up to 4.5 hours at 10 kV.

Improved features

Other key features common to all of Megger’s new high-voltage IRTs include a large liquid crystal display with automatic backlight, a dedicated voltmeter function covering the range 30 V to 660 V, and a CAT IV 600 V safety rating in line with IEC 61010.

The instruments are supplied as standard with test leads and clips, and a user guide on CD-ROM. Additionally, for the MIT525 and MIT1025, a USB cable is provided together with a copy of the Megger PowerDB lite software package, which is a convenient and versatile tool for storing, analysing and reporting test results.

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SAVING A FREE, VITAL COMMODITY – IT’S COMMON SENSE

There’s not much that comes for free in life, but in the UK we are lucky that there is something we get a lot of, that costs us nothing. Sadly we take it for granted most of the time, even bad mouth it, so much of it is wasted.

Water is the most precious commodity we have on this planet and there’s plenty of it. But 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.

With forecasts suggesting that the south coast could be experiencing a Mediterranean climate by 2050, 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 conserving precious rainwater supplies clearly makes sense. ‘Now’ 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 can capture 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.

And like most good ideas it’s not new. Rainwater harvesting as we understand it today, was first practised seriously in about 300BC in Baluchistan – present day Pakistan and Afghanistan! Even earlier in a way, in ancient Egypt. In some parts of India, rainwater harvesting is compulsory – every home in Tamil Nadu has to have a rainwater harvesting system. China and Brazil are the leading rooftop rainwater harvesting nations today and as usual, rainwater harvesting has been practised extensively across Europe, before we in the UK arrived at it a little late in our history. But we are beginning to embrace the technology wholeheartedly now, as parts of the UK – East Anglia in particular, are becoming extremely dry with reducing amounts of rainfall over the year.

It’s clearly far easier to install a rainwater harvesting system in a new build property than to retrofit one to an existing property with all the existing below ground infrastructure although that isn’t stopping many people from adding a rainwater harvestings system to an existing property – it just means making a bit more effort and a bit more thought to find the right location for tanks and pipework. Selfbuilders are increasingly incorporating rainwater harvesting systems to their dream homes and we are seeing significantly more systems fitted to social housing developments – reuse of rainwater contributing to the targets for the Code for Sustainable Homes. It seems here in the UK we’ve woken up to the possibilities of rainwater harvesting a little late in the day but now we have, we’re taking the concept to our hearts.

Here in the UK the majority of rainwater harvesting systems are still specified by architects or developers as part of the plans for a new property, and the contractors are left to find the system that suits the property best. There are two types of rainwater harvesting system available in the UK from the main suppliers. They are available as gravity fed or pressurised systems. Within a gravity fed system, water is pumped from the usually underground collection tank to a header tank in the loft of the property the system serves. The water is then fed to each appliance by gravity. Pressurised systems use a pump to feed water directly to the appliance or appliances in the property on demand. In the main, the RWH 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 usually three stage filtration process, down to around 130 microns. Installation of a rainwater harvesting system will typically reduce mains water usage by around 50% – a valuable saving particularly if you’re on a metered water supply. The control panel is usually small and neat and it’s the only outward evidence that a house has a rainwater harvesting system on the property.

Polypipe Building Products has recently launched a new range of solutions into the rainwater harvesting marketplace, targeted specifically at the residential market and an ideal additional product for installer to get to grips with, offering them an additional potential income stream. It’s been launched in response to the growing acceptance that the time has come to stop using high quality drinking water to quite literally flush down the toilet.

Polypipe offers Rainstream – a range of rainwater harvesting options designed for everyone. 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 – just type in Polypipe Rainstream in the search bar!

….and Polypipe helps local college to get to grips with Rainwater harvesting…

And as part of the plan to support rainwater harvesting in the UK, Polypipe Building Products has responded to a request for some of the equipment it manufactures locally to help a local college to teach apprentices on a heating and plumbing course, run from Doncaster College in the town.

Polypipe has supplied a rainwater harvesting set up through builders merchants Crosslings, that will allow students on the course to understand how rainwater harvesting works. Ian Kennedy is the Programme Co-ordinator for Construction and the Built Environment at Doncaster College: “The partnership we have developed with Polypipe helps us a lot and in this case the equipment will help us with one of the modules on a course run by JTL Training here. Rainwater harvesting has been built into the curriculum reflecting its increasing importance.”

For more information click on to www.polypipe.com/building-products.

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The owners of Oxford’s latest boutique hotel have ensured that the bathrooms at meet the highest aesthetic standards by installing showering equipment from Mira Showers, the UK’s leading manufacturer of showering products and accessories, and its commercial division, Rada.

The Bocardo, named after the city’s medieval prison, will be a 10-room hotel above Jamie Oliver’s restaurant, in George Street is being developed by city hotelier Rajinder Pal – who also owns The Tree Hotel in Iffley and the Marlborough House Hotel in Woodstock Road, Oxford, as well as another hotel near High Wycombe – together with his business partner Hardeep Gidda.

Mr Pal said: “We had the option of just cleaning up the existing premises but we decided to do it using quality materials. It is a perfect location, the demand is there and we are investing for the future.”

The products fitted include Rada V12 shower and diverter range, Mira Flight Trays and Mira enclosures. “We chose these products because we know from experience that they’re reliable and good value for money while providing the ‘wow’ factor that we need for this sort of upmarket hotel where quality and appearance is all-important,” Mr Pal commented.

The V12 features Rada’s ground-breaking InsutechTM safe-to-touch technology, which reduces the temperature of the hot inlet so there is no risk of accidental scalding while safe hot water is delivered consistently through the TMV3-approved thermostatic mixing valve.

The Mira Flight shower trays are manufactured from hard-wearing acrylic resin stone are extremely light – 20% lighter than similar products made from acrylic capped resin stone. They incorporate the BioCote® finish which not only reduces bacteria and mould by up to 99% but also protects against discolouration. Unlike other forms of protection BioCote® will never wear off or wash away.

The shower trays are complemented by the range of shower enclosures that include pivot, bi-fold and sliding doors and were designed with retrofitting projects such as the Bocardo in mind so the accent is very much on ‘installability’ – with adjustment available on each wall profile – providing an enclosure solution that’s easy to fit, delivers a cleaner, more professional installation and improves productivity and/ or profitability on site.

Designed along simple yet strong lines, doors and panels can be combined to give up to 16 different enclosure styles: from extended alcove enclosures to more compact arrangements for en suite situations.

Quality is integral to all Mira shower enclosures, and the enclosure range is no different. Doors are tested for 32,000 slam cycles – equivalent to 20 years use by a family of four showering daily. Similarly, every panel tested to BSEN14428+A1 (2008) which represents the impact of being hit by a falling 20 stone person.

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