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‘Easy reference’ guide for Grasslin and Tower product ranges

Grasslin and Tower products are becoming increasingly sought after by heating engineers, plumbers, installers and electricians across the UK, and merchants and electrical wholesalers will be pleased to know that there’s a brand new, easy to use catalogue of the product ranges out – and available now.

Already the leading brand of heating controls in the UK – programmers, thermostats, time switches and general switches – courtesy of their wide usage by virtually every heating appliance OEM in this country, people working at ‘the sharp end’ of the heating and electrical business – both specifiers and installers – are increasingly turning to Grasslin and Tower products as they discover the quality and reliability factors built into these products, already recognised by major names in their industry.

Bryan Gates is sales and marketing director responsible for the Grasslin and Tower brands in the UK: “This new catalogue comes in a new easy to use and easy to update ‘mini ring binder’ format that has already been received very warmly by those needing to use it on a regular basis. It offers stockists and users of our product ranges very easy access to the products we offer along with prices and technical data they may need.”

Further information on the product ranges can be found by clicking on www.grasslin-controls.co.uk.

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Opening its doors to the public on 30th October 2008, Westfield London is set to become the largest shopping centre in Greater London at approximately 150,000 sq m. The £1.6bn landmark Westfield London regeneration project will accommodate some of the world’s finest brands and will house more than 265 specialty shops, over 40 places to dine, a 16-screen cinema, a health and beauty retreat and a gymnasium.

Dulux Trade, part of ICI Paints, the industry leading manufacturer of quality paint systems, is working closely with Westfield London on this exciting regeneration project. Through an innovative service package including products and support for the development, Dulux Trade is delivering sustainable and cost saving benefits to support Westfield’s project objectives.

Ralph Blacklaws of Commercial Constructions at Dulux Trade explains: “Our work with Westfield highlights our capabilities when operating on major construction projects in the UK. Westfield London provided a specific opportunity to develop an innovative service package to include the full range of Dulux Trade products as well as recycling provisions and the Dulux Trade Environmental Wash System. Our track record on quality products, added value support and industry leadership in sustainable solutions are all demonstrated on this project. This successful partnership is working on site and providing real benefits for the environment.”

Dulux Trade Diamond Quick Drying Eggshell is being used across all common areas of the project. This tough, durable, water-based paint incorporates Dulux Diamond technology, making it ten times more stain resistant than standard water-based eggshell finishes and ten times tougher than vinyl silks. Its quick drying formula and low odour compared to solvent based paints makes it ideal for use in high traffic areas where minimal disruption but maximum durability is required.

“The Diamond range helps to reduce maintenance cycles and associated costs due to its increased durability,” continues Ralph. “This, alongside the reduced VOC content of water-based paints, adds to the sustainability of the product and ultimately the development. This was vital for the Westfield London project.”

For a development of this size, maximising labour time spent on the job is a key consideration and Dulux Trade has ensured that paint stock and sundries are available on-site 24/7 via the manned on-site paint shop, a modular Dulux Decorator Centre (DDC). The DDC is also responsible for providing a dedicated team on-site at all times, supplying a full range of decorating products and services to the Westfield project. Having the benefit of fully trained staff on-site means Westfield is able to save time on the project through minimizing travel off-site.

In addition, by working closely with Westfield London, the sub-contractors using paint products are canvassed to ascertain their requirements. A delivery programme is then operated ensuring maximum use of “full load” deliveries to the store whenever possible. The deliveries that are made, are restricted to outside work hours, reducing site traffic and interruptions and avoiding impacting work progress.

This coordinated approach eliminates generating unnecessary carbon emissions caused by taking multiple deliveries from different contractors or travelling to different suppliers, saving an estimated 350,000 miles of travel.

Dulux Trade is also committed to recycling one hundred percent of its paint cans on the Westfield site. Blue branded collection bins are located around the site so that ground wastage is avoided. Dulux Trade estimates that 50,000 cans of paint will be used in this project, which if stacked together would reach a staggering 11.5km in length, highlighting how crucial this recycling scheme is to the development.

Dulux Trade has also strategically placed its unique Environmental Wash Systems around the site to provide an environmentally responsible way of washing out painting tools, such as brushes, trays and rollers. The first of its kind in the UK, these systems convert waterborne paint washings into clear water and solid waste, allowing for easier and safer disposal. This has become an indispensable part of the Westfield project’s decorating clean-up process.

Gary Peck, Senior Procurement Manager for Westfield said: “We approached ICI Paints to come on board with Westfield to develop a Westfield London innovative package. At Westfield London we operate at the cutting edge of construction delivery, constantly looking for new ways to do things that can deliver tangible time and cost benefits. This is exactly what has been jointly developed with the ICI Paints team. The dedicated on-site service means installation Sub Contractors can save time and money, as there is an on-site paint shop with excellent communication lines along with upfront specification developments, which ensure the right products are being used.”

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EFFECTIVE, SIMPLE TO INSTALL AND WON’T DO MASSIVE DAMAGE TO THE BUDGET…

There’s an answer to limescale formation that is gaining fans across the world –but like so many good ideas, it started life here in the UK.

Straightforward to install, KAL-GUARD+ is an electrolytic scale inhibitor that delivers a water treatment process to manage limescale within a system. The unit incorporates a simple to use, yet sophisticated controller to match the level of water treatment to suit the local water hardness conditions, and in independent testing at Cranfield University has been shown to reduce limescale formation on heating surfaces by up to 80 percent.

WATERMATIC provides products to combat limescale and corrosion in commercial and industrial premises. As well as being ideal for use in the hospitality and leisure industries, KAL-GUARD+ is also successfully used in factories, nursing and care homes and government buildings across the UK and Europe. The company implements an ongoing research and development programme to create innovative solutions that fulfil the requirements of many organisations for low cost of ownership with minimum environmental impact.

WATERMATIC is the commercial division of Sentinel Performance Solutions Ltd. (www.sentinel-solutions.net). WATERMATIC satisfies the commercial and industrial needs of its customers by providing an environmentally friendly range of products designed to save both money and energy. None of the WATERMATIC products use chemicals or produce harmful waste products – but they do ensure clean, state of the art energy efficient systems.

WATERMATIC can provide lime-scale water treatment for up to eight-inch pipework. Potential savings can be identified to the customer as well as independent testing and usage reports provided. The knowledge and experience gained in thirty years of water treatment has helped to provide solutions for a diverse range of clients including, hospitals, airports, hotels, leisure facilities, nursing homes and many others.

Physical corrosion protection is also available as 'in-line' units effective against corrosion in steel and galvanised steel pipework as well as mixed metal systems.

Water is the very life-blood of a building and, like the real thing, it has to circulate effectively and perform efficiently. Corrosion and limescale all pose a threat to a building's water systems but with the appropriate preventative measures and/or treatment, water systems can provide optimum performance throughout their life.

There is now a raft of legislation relating to the performance of water systems, ranging from the Building Regulations promoting energy efficiency to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the Health & Safety legislation that imposes a Duty of Care on all building operators. In addition, any organisation that needs to control its overheads also needs to control its water systems. Corrosion reduces performance and leads to premature plant failure, and limescale reduces efficiency.

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Consort Claudgen’s new wireless controlled panel heaters offer the potential of great energy savings. Electricity consumed by the heaters is reduced by up to 75% as the set temperature is approached; thereby ensuring the room temperature is maintained as efficiently as possible. The discrete CZC1 controller can operate numerous heaters, is very easy to operate providing a 7-day timer, economy set-back and frost protection amongst other functions, all clearly seen on the digital screen. The contemporary styled heater range includes six heat outputs from 500W to 2kW, all available in dove white or stainless steel.

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MAPEI’s Mapedrain System includes a range of products for the installation and grouting of porphyry and stone paving slabs, a floor finish which is often subject to damage and deterioration from the elements, particularly surface water puddles, freeze/thaw cycles, efflorescence and the formation of grass and moss.

Mapedrain System combats these problems with products suited to installing highly permeably laying beds and a finished floor covering with excellent drainage properties.

Mapedrain System, safe, durable and easy to use includes Mapedrain Mortar for laying drainage beds to create a permeable, solid substrate suitable for bearing loads. Mapedrain EasyClean, a complementary product for application to the surface of porous floors, prior to grouting with products from the Mapedrain range in order to simplify the cleaning process. Mapedrain Binder, a solvent-free binder for drainage mortar and grout, Mapedrain 1K Grout a polybutadiene drainage grout for stone floors and Mapedrain 3K Grout, an epoxy resin-based drainage grout for stone floors, are all resistant to freezing and adverse weather conditions and are not subject to the formation of grass and mould. They also share good mechanical strength and excellent drainage properties. In addition Keracolor PPN has been developed specifically for grouting heavy duty floors and those subject to heavy traffic. Characterised by high wear resistance and high mechanical strength with practically zero water absorption.

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Herb specialist Scotherbs has moved into a new state-of-the-art facility in Longforgan, near Dundee, which features the latest environmental control technology from Mitsubishi Electric fitted with the expertise of Carlisle Refrigeration.

The purpose-built factory enables Scotherbs to increase production rates of the extensive range of fresh, washed and prepared culinary herbs, whilst housing all processes into one building with improved energy efficiency. The building has a large temperature controlled area, plus a high care area with filtered air to F9 En779 standard. Both areas take advantage of the heat recovery capabilities of the Mitsubishi Electric City Multi VRF system.

“The biggest advantage of City Multi is the fact that it can provide cooling down to a preset point, which meets with our production requirements to ensure our products are kept in peak condition during the manufacturing process,” said Fiona Lamotte, Managing Director of Scotherbs, which is Scotland’s premier grower of fresh culinary herbs.

“Adding in heat recovery means that we are able to offset energy use from different parts of the building to provide the ideal environment for both our staff and our products in the most sustainable way possible.”

Scotherbs has been growing and sourcing fresh, washed and chopped culinary herbs, leaves and salads for supermarkets, wholesalers, the catering trade and discerning consumers for over 20 years and is now one of the UK’s largest suppliers.

Carlisle Refrigeration installed PEFY-P140VMH-E ducted units served by a PUHY-P300YGM-A outdoor unit, with four Lossnay heat recovery units. In addition, five DX refrigeration systems were installed for the chill storage rooms, and Carlisle Refrigeration fitted ventilation serving the office areas and the full site electrical installation, and a wireless temperature monitoring system.

“The system really benefits from the inclusion of the Lossnay units, which are incredibly efficient at extracting heating or cooling energy from outgoing air,” explained Campbell Wark from Carlise Refrigeration. “This reduces the overall energy needed by the building’s systems which is important when you need to maintain such strict temperature control.”

Carlisle Refrigeration has been serving the refrigeration needs of its customers throughout the North of England and Scotland since 1973. It is a specialist in commercial, industrial and transport refrigeration and air conditioning solutions, with a 50-strong team of mobile engineers with fully equipped vehicles.

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Since 1998, the ‘City Centre Masterplan’ regeneration project has been transforming key public spaces in the city of Sheffield. The area along Howard Street and around Barkers Pool forms part of a spectacular walk, known as the ‘Gold Route’.

Urbis supplied 20 Thylia luminaires to light up Sheaf Square, 55 to re-light Norfolk Street and 30 to light the area around Barkers Pool. All the Thylias are fitted with 150W or 70W CDM-T lamps, which produce a soft white glow at night.

The Thylias are mainly mounted post-top, or on twin armed brackets depending on the optimal lighting solution. But when you reach Barkers Pool you will see the Thylias mounted on tri-headed columns to make the most of each column position. Urbis also supplied the sleek, black tapered columns for the scheme, which range in height from 6m to 10m.

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To help electrical contractors carry out tests safely and conveniently, Megger is now offering a choice of fused test leads for instruments in its contractor range. Users can choose between leads with a 10A fuse, or GS38-compliant leads with a 500mA fuse.

Fused test leads significantly reduce the hazards associated with short circuits via the instrument test leads which may occur during testing. They must, however, always be used in conjunction with appropriate working practices as using test leads where the fuse has ruptured allows instruments to indicate that circuits are dead when they are actually live.

In many applications, GS38 leads with a 500mA fuse are preferred but, since fuses of this rating have an appreciable resistance, they are unsuitable for use during loop testing on live systems and a 500mA fuse may rupture when carrying out high current tripping loop tests. In addition, a lead with a replaceable 500mA fuse can introduce variability into the test result. This is usually insignificant, but may be a problem when accurate earth loop impedance values are needed.

Test leads with 10A fuses, while not covered by GS38, avoid these problems while still providing adequate protection against short-circuit faults. By providing contractors with this option, Megger allows them to enjoy enhanced safety, even when carrying out tests where leads with 500mA fuses are unsuitable.

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Loading and unloading equipment specialists, Thorworld Industries Ltd has published its new 2008/9 product range catalogue, packed full of materials handling solutions for specifiers, buyers and users of loading bay equipment, accessories and safety aids.

Included in the 44-page full-colour catalogue are details of its enhanced selection of mobile yard ramps – ideal for the fast and efficient loading and unloading of vehicle trailers and containers by fork truck, particularly where there is no raised loading dock.

The updated ramps range now includes Standard, Deluxe and Super Deluxe (light, medium and heavy duty) models, with selected versions in 7, 10, 12 and 15 tonne capacities and available in lengths from 11 to 12.2 metres.

A ramp rental facility is also provided through Thorworld's RentARamp operation, with a sale or return option, and the catalogue includes some of the important points to consider when selecting a ramp.

For loading and unloading cages or pallets from trucks, where there is no loading dock or perhaps insufficient space for a yard ramp, is the mobile Truckloada, available in three capacities, and the Dockloada scissor lift platform which can be installed inside or outside a building.

Also featured in this latest catalogue are products to bridge and seal the gap between the truck and loading dock, including dock plates & boards, dock levellers, seals and shelters.

There are details of a wide range of Thorworld accessories and safety aids including safety mirrors, wheel risers, loading bay ladders, vehicle wheel chocks, traffic lights, trailer safety locks, locking key boxes, vehicle wheel locks, safety signs, dock lights, dock safety guards, duck bumpers, trailer landing leg and below-ground bumper supports, and bumper selections.

As well as multipurpose and wheelchair access ramps, there are restraint and protection products including sleeping policemen and speed stoppers, vehicle restraints, safety bollards, wheel guides and alignment curbs, flexi safety barriers, racking protector brackets, column protectors, paper roll protectors, protector pads and stabiliser plates.

Thorworld is firmly established as a leading, one-stop, single source supplier to the loading bay and materials handling sectors, and is recognised as both a leader and innovator in the provision of quality engineered equipment.

BSI registered with ISO 9002 accreditation since 1992, as well as CE mark certification, it was one of the first companies in the industry to achieve the ISO 9001:2002 international quality management standard.

It has numerous prestige customers in distribution, logistics, transport, retail, food and drink manufacturing and the service industries.

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Mitsubishi Electric has continued its advance into the heating market with an innovative new product that offers any building with air conditioning the potential for free hot water up to 70°C.

The PWFY City Multi water heater uses advanced heat pump technology to transfer excess heat from a VRF system to offer buildings a constant supply of hot water. The new unit comes in two versions which deliver water temperatures of either 70°C or 45°C and builds on the groundwork of Mitsubishi Electric’s successful PQFY system launched two years ago.

“This is the first of its type in the air conditioning industry and is another example of how we can capitalise on the heat recovery potential of VRF systems to provide incredible energy efficiency within a building’s services,” commented Product Marketing Manager, Philip Ord.

Modern building regulations call for ultra-energy efficient, air tight premises and this, coupled with legislation on air quality and the temperatures that staff can be allowed to work within mean that air conditioning is a fact of life in almost all of our commercial buildings.

“With advances in VRF technology we can now offer incredibly efficient heat pump systems that can balance the delicate requirements of staff comfort with the need to offset the heat produced by the myriad of computer and other electrical equipment that are now an essential part of business,” added Ord.

However, even with the most modern equipment available today, there is a limit to the amount of heat recovery that can be used in this way.

The UK has a temperate climate that is ideal for heat recovery but even with the very best design, it is simply not possible to completely balance a system in an optimum way all of the time.

“That means there is further potential for heat recovery and this is where the thinking behind our new PWFY water heating units came from,” explained Ord. “What we have tried to do is look at where there are other needs for a heating load within a building and see where the excess energy from heat recovery can be used. Hot water is therefore an obvious target and we have designed a product that can even work with off-the-shelf water cylinders to provide customers with added functionality, ease and convenience.”

Figures from Defra’s Market Transformation Programme (2006) show that the provision of heating and hot water accounts for over 50% of energy consumption in non-domestic buildings. Initial modelling from the Defra study of gas and oil-fired water heating boilers and warm air and radiant systems resulted in annual carbon emissions of 10.8 MtC.

The model also shows that there is a link between gas boiler efficiency and age ranging from 50% efficiency for a pre-1979 gas boiler to 81% for boilers from 2007 onward. Providing hot water through the heat recovery process of heat pumps can offer average COPs of 4+ or efficiency levels of 400% in comparison.

“It is difficult to find accurate figures of the size of the commercial boiler market but even if the general inefficiencies of the national grid are taken into account, it is obvious that something delivering a performance of 400%+ is going to give you a better carbon reduction performance and a much more efficient delivery system than something working at 81%,” explained Ord.

Linking a heat pump water heater to an outdoor thermostat means it can be made to work either once the ambient outdoor temperature rises above 15°C or during the night, using off-peak electricity and the partial load efficiencies of a modern VRF system. At 15°C and above, most buildings will start to require some level of cooling, so heat can be recovered and this energy can be diverted to provide hot water.

Below that temperature, any system will have more of heating requirement and any heat recovery in the system will need to be utilised to ensure that the air conditioning system is operating as efficiently as possible.

In spring and autumn, there will always be some days where heat recovery is not used for hot water and others where the cooling demand means that it can be used, but if all VRF air conditioning systems were optimised in this way, we could completely replace the need for carbon-based water heating systems. Just think what that could do for the energy efficiency levels of the country – and the energy bills of hard pressed businesses!

In winter, when it is unlikely to get much above 15°C during the day, then systems will not divert any of the heat recovery to heat water and will use the water heated during the night when there is little requirement from the air conditioning system. This will still give a very efficient average COP of 3 or higher.

The flagship PWFY HWS-BU model offers a completely new design that delivers 70°C in heating. The single model works with a YHM-R2 City Multi air conditioning system and has dimensions of 300 (W) x 450 (D) x 800 (H) to also offer plant room saving capabilities. The unit has two plate heat exchangers to offer a max/min water flow rate of 0.6 – 2.15 m3/h. COPs will average 4 or higher although this will be dependent on the loading of heating / cooling / hot water.

The heat pump boiler uses the vapour compression cycle of the air conditioning system to raise the water temperature, instead of simply discharging any excess heat from the refrigerant to the air as in a conventional split type air conditioner.

“This effectively provides free hot water and is far more fuel efficient than other systems of water heating, helping to reduce running costs,” added Ord. “It is also around four times better than the most efficient type of conventional gas boiler on a kW / kW basis, leading to a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions.”

The PWFY-AU has been launched as an addition to the current PQFY and offers 45°C in heating and 5°C in cooling. There are 2 models in the range a 12.5kW and a 25kW offering average COPs of 3.5 – 4.3. The AU models have a single plate heat exchanger with the same dimensions as the BU unit.

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