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Saniflo has launched three new grease traps – SanigreaseT24, SanigreaseT and SanigreaseS – for the hospitality sector, hospitals and other professional kitchens to help minimise the issue of fatbergs in the nation’s sewers caused by fats, oils and grease (FOG) waste.

SanigreaseT24 is designed for mobile use. This small, lightweight (4kg) unit can be installed under one sink and is ideal for food trucks.

SanigreaseT sits on raised feet and is designed for cafes and restaurants serving up to 100 meals per service and which have 1 to 4 sinks. SanigreaseT features drain valves for quick and easy maintenance.

SanigreaseS is very easy to install, can fit through an internal door (773mm wide), is available with ventilation and drainage pipe and features an optional alarm. SanigreaseS is ideal for large, professional kitchens in hotels, hospitals, canteens and other mass catering venues that require larger grease traps with a sludge trap for recovering heavy materials.

Grease traps separate out FOG from water poured down the sink; catching it and collecting in in a separate tank whilst allowing the wastewater to discharge freely. Ideally a food filter will be plumbed between the sink and grease trap to stop any bits of food waste that haven’t been caught by a sink strainer – filtering them out before they reach the grease trap.

It is estimated that the UK spends some £200m a year cleaning out over half a million tons of FOG from sewers, yet apparently just 30% of the UK’s 400,000 commercial kitchens are served by some sort of FOG mitigation system. It’s perhaps not surprising that water companies are looking to advise and guide the hospitality sector on solutions that minimise the build-up food by-products. And it’s not just for the benefit of the water companies either – blocked pipes can cause bad smells, poor water run-off and flooding – unhygienic for a catering business, the local community and ultimately bad for the environment.

One issue is the lack of infrastructure in eating establishments whilst another is Britain’s Victorian sewer network, which simply isn’t fit to cope with drains clogged up with solidified liquids from the sector which often includes waste such as wet wipes. The two often go hand in hand. Wet wipes are used to clean up fat and grease and then flushed away rather than binned.

As a result, water companies are called out to clear tens of thousands of blockages each year often causing venues to temporarily close; losing revenue while the cause is investigated and appropriate action taken. Failure to dispose of FOG correctly can also ultimately lead to prosecution if any environmental laws have been breached.

The most obvious and effective way of reducing FOG-related problems is to prevent their discharge in the first place by installing a grease trap. Plumbers and installers have an opportunity to educate commercial catering customers on the benefits, as well as the regulations, whilst offering the solution. Given that many catering venues rely on lifting stations to discharge hot, soapy waste water it’s a relatively simple exercise to install or retro-fit a grease trap as an intermediary between the pump and the drain.

A common question is whether grease traps work effectively with dishwashers. They can, but the siting of the unit is then the key question. Hot temperatures generated by dishwashers can break down the waste water and the trap may fail to catch the FOG at the point of discharge; causing a blockage further down the pipe. However, placing the grease trap at a distance from the dishwasher will enable the water to cool sufficiently enabling the trap to capture FOG as the water solidifies. It is essential to look at the spec of each unit to work out the installation distances.

So, whilst grease traps are a legal requirement for businesses dealing with hot food, it is clear that many do not comply. This might be a lack of awareness of the law, the option and the installation process. Herein lies the opportunity for plumbers and installers.

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Humidity control specialist, Condair, is launching the Condair MC, a new in-duct evaporative humidifier and cooler. A single unit is capable of supplying up to 360kg/h of humidity and around 245kW of adiabatic cooling to an air handling unit (AHU) from less than 0.15kW of electrical energy.

The Condair MC consists of an evaporative module and hydraulic unit, which sits inside the AHU, and a control panel located outside. The evaporative module is a wall of corrugated glass fibre media cassettes, with stainless steel frames, through which the air flows. The hydraulic unit pumps water to the top of the evaporative module to wet the glass fibre media and humidify the air flowing through them.

Dave Marshall-George, UK & IRE Sales Manager at Condair, commented, “We are delighted to be adding the Condair MC to our evaporative humidifier range. With every kilogram of humidity provided by an evaporative humidifier around 0.68kW of adiabatic cooling is also achieved. This sustainable cooling technology presents great potential to reduce the carbon footprint of our built environment. We are seeing more and more air handling unit manufacturers and M&E consultants incorporating direct and indirect evaporative cooling strategies into their AHU designs. The new Condair MC incorporates many innovative hygiene, installation and operational features, making it an ideal solution for evaporative cooling or adiabatic humidification.”

Evaporative humidifiers can provide humidification during the winter to raise an indoor humidity level, as well as offer adiabatic cooling during the summer to economically cool an internal environment. The main advantage over other in-duct spray humidifiers is that evaporative units can operate on mains water, without the need for a filtered RO water supply. This greatly improves the water efficiency of the system. The benefit over in-duct electrical steam humidifiers is a reduction in energy cost. The energy required to evaporate the water can be taken from the airstream, if excess heat is available, or from cheaper gas-fired pre-heating.

The Condair MC incorporates robust glass-fibre evaporative media, which has a long operational lifetime and is impregnated with antimicrobial additives for hygienic operation. The evaporative media has been independently tested and found to be non-particle releasing, and Euro Class A2-S2-D0 (UL 900) flammability rated.

As with any adiabatic humidifier, hygiene control is paramount and the Condair MC has automated flush and drain cycles, to ensure the water in the system is fresh and hygienic. Any sustained period of non-operation will initiate a drain of the system to ensure water cannot stagnate. An optional submerged UV sterilisation system is available to kill micro-organisms in the water and further enhance hygienic operation.

The hydraulic module can incorporate up to three low energy, long-life pumps, with frictionless magnetic impellors that are almost silent in operation. The pumps provide water to the evaporative module in stages, allowing more accurate control over humidification than single stage systems. As the humidifier has multiple pumps, its energy consumption is proportionate to output. Electrical consumption ranges from just 74W, with only one pump operating, to 145W with three.

The Condair MC’s control panel provides PCB controlled operation of the humidifier, BMS connectivity via Modbus, as well as LED indication of operational status and fault diagnostics.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling technologies. Condair offers free expert advice and system design, as well as manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. The company operates globally with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe and North America, has Condair sales offices in 22 countries and international sales partners in more than 50 other regions.

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Specialist coatings manufacturer Bradite is doubling the appeal of its highly successful One Can Eggshell by releasing a Matt version of the water-based all-in-one primer and finish paint.

Offering the same full adhesion, anti-corrosive and stain-blocking qualities as its eggshell cousin, One Can Matt has been formulated using the same innovative technology but now offers a flat, matt finish for both internal and external use offering improved faster drying, application and durability.

One Can Matt launches at the beginning of March, two years after the launch of the original eggshell version.

Bradite National Sales Manager James Burton explains: “The introduction of this new offering provides the decorator with a greater opportunity to make use of the advantages of One Can. Its formulation provides all the benefits of One Can but with a flat matt finish. It is touch dry in just half an hour and re-coatable in one hour, meaning, if needed, three coats can be applied in a single day.”

One Can Matt was developed following customer feedback requesting a hard-wearing, scrubbable finish for a range of applications, from high traffic wall areas, masonry and internal trim and furniture, where a flat finish was preferred but all the advantages of One Can were maintained.

The paint combines a primer, undercoat and topcoat in just one tin and can be used as any one of these or all three. It is water-based, therefore has no smell, is stain locking and will help hide a wide range of blemishes including water, nicotine, rust or resin bleed.

It is ideal for priming difficult-to-paint surfaces both porous and non-porous including timber, ceramic tiles, glass, powder-coatings and many plastics including PVCu. It works as both an adhesion primer and sealer, is anti-corrosive and can be applied direct to both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

As with the Eggshell finish, One Can Matt can be brush, roller or spray applied and is available in a full range of BS, RAL and NCS colours.

Its use, says James Burton, means less paint, less time, less waste, and more profit.

www.bradite.com

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School and college authorities that need to improve the learning environment while enhancing their green credentials are turning to leading steel window manufacturer Crittall which has a suite of products to upgrade both external appearance and interior comfort.

The education sector has a massive investment in its built environment and, despite the temporary dislocation caused by the pandemic, remains eager to find ways to keep control of costs and bear down on excessive energy consumption as things eventually return of normal.

Crittall offers a range of windows that are finding favour with the most prestigious educational establishments, in some cases presenting a fresh, modern aesthetic, in others replacing worn out fenestration that replicates a heritage appearance while greatly enhancing thermal performance.

And moving to the inside of the building a range of internal screens can provide for a lighter, more welcoming interior with no compromise to acoustic, security and safety requirements.

Popular among school and college authorities is the highly successful Corporate W20 window with its slender but strong frames. For example, a programme of maintenance and energy efficiency improvement at the University of Sussex has involved the installation of W20 profiles throughout the Falmer campus, outside Brighton. The windows have been installed in four buildings across the site, replacing the Crittall originals dating from when the university was first created in the early 1960s. Two of the refurbished buildings were Grade 2* listed.

At Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Corporate W20 windows were installed in a modernist, concrete-framed accommodation block, also Grade 2 listed. Meanwhile at the Levine Building at Trinity College, Oxford, the T60 advanced thermally-broken windows have been specified. This profile can mount double or triple glazing to deal with harsher weather conditions and is suited to either new-build or replacement in listed buildings or conservation areas to meet the exacting requirements of local planning authorities.

Greatly improved thermal performance but with a like-for-like appearance was demanded by planners in the north London borough of Enfield when a special school, Durants, decided to expand into an existing classroom block on a nearby site. Original 1950s single glazed steel windows were replaced with new double-glazed thermally-broken steel windows that exactly mimicked the appearance of the originals. Overall U value for the completed project is 1.8 W/m2K based on a glass centre pane value of 1.0 W/m2K. The double glazing incorporates toughened low E glass and an 18mm argon filled cavity.

Alternatively, the MW40 profile can be specified where superior air, wind or water resistance and greater sound attenuation are required. Offering the same high quality appearance as the W20 range the MW40 profile can accept glass up to twice the thickness as its stable mate. Either double, or even triple, glazing up to 32mm thick can be installed with a consequent higher level of thermal or sound insulation.

Yet this is achieved while retaining the same slender steel profile for which Crittall products are renowned thereby ensuring maximum light ingress.

In addition to exterior steel windows and doors with their slim profiles Crittall’s InnerVision glazed interior screens ensure a seamless transfer of increased levels of natural daylight throughout the building reaching even the most remote working areas.

Solid partitions dividing workspaces can be replaced with glass and the performance of glazed interior screens can be further tailored to fine-tune
levels of acoustic insulation, light transmission, thermal insulation and natural ventilation control to suit individual client’s requirements.

Crittall’s InnerVision range of glazed internal fixed screens and doors can now be specified for fire rated applications. The steel framed system is compliant with BS476 Part 22 providing 30 minutes (FD30) integrity fire resistance. The profiles match the Corporate W20 exterior window range in appearance and can be supplied as fixed screens, with single or double leaf-hinged doors.

‘Steel windows will out-perform other window materials in terms of longevity – evidenced by many that can still be seen in iconic buildings today’ states Russell Ager, Crittall managing director.

‘The low life cycle cost compared with other window materials, combined with the robustness and material selection to further reduce the burden of maintenance, properly maintained steel windows are expected to last the lifetime of a building’

He continued ‘maintenance is very straightforward with just periodic inspection and cleaning required’

Contact the Crittall commercial specification team on 01376 530800 for further details or visit www.crittall-windows.co.uk.

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Decorative specialist Armourcoat have launched a new natural clay lime plaster range. Clime plasters are designed to improve the quality of living and working interiors and to minimize the impact of wall finishing products on the environment.

Armourcoat are regarded as a pioneer in creating stunning and original environmentally friendly decorative products. Naturally sustainable, Clime clay lime plasters incorporate abundant raw earth materials such as unfired clay, marble, limestone and hydraulic lime. The plaster range is cement and VOC free, biodegradable and recyclable.

Clime plasters create healthy interiors, with beautiful finishes in tune with nature and engaging traditional decorative skills. Combining the benefits of natural products with modern and artisan techniques, Armourcoat Clime offers a whole new experience in decoration for the business and the home, but one that has its roots in history.

Armourcoat Clime clay lime plasters are available in two standard finishes: Clime Matte and Clime Stone.
Clime Matte creates a finely textured, subtle finish which radiates the natural material used. Clime Stone includes crushed marble to create a heavier texture, suitable for large areas where a more dramatic finish is desired. Both finishes are available in 15 colours and are suitable for internal areas. Custom colours and finishing techniques are also possible including banding, layering and pearlescent washes.

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Humidity control specialist, Condair, is presenting a webinar on Dehumidification and Drying Psychrometrics on the 3rd March at 11am. Dave Marshall-George, UK Sales Manager at Condair plc, will be leading the 45 minute session.

Attendees will learn how desiccant and condensing dehumidifiers work, the psychrometrics of drying, best practise in product selection and how to correctly size a dehumidifier for any project.

The presentation has been CIBSE-approved, so attendees will gain CIBSE CPD points. This accreditation also means the webinar has been independently verified to be unbiased, up-to-date and technically accurate.

To learn more and register for the session visit www.condair.co.uk/webinars.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, serving commercial, industrial and heritage sectors. 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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Altitude training specialist, Altipeak™, has selected Condair humidifiers to control the humidity in their innovative new Altipeak™ Mobile Altitude Pod. The six-man, environmentally controlled training chamber can simulate any climate worldwide, enabling athletes to train under the atmospheric conditions they will ultimately be competing in.

Noel O’Brien, founder and CEO of Altipeak™ International Holdings Ltd, commented, “The Altipeak™ Mobile Altitude Pod was initially designed to assist athletes acclimatise for the Tokyo Olympics, where it could potentially be 35°C and up to 90% relative humidity. Our chambers can monitor and control oxygen and CO2 levels, as well as temperature and humidity. In hot and humid conditions, our body’s maximum rate of oxygen consumption can be reduced by over 12%. Being able to train at the appropriate humidity level is a vital part of the preparation process for athletic success.”

Noel continued, “So it was very important to us that the humidity control system in our mobile training chamber was responsive and accurate, as well as being easy to use. We selected the Condair EL steam humidifier, as it offered us the humidity outputs and control level we needed and has a built-in touch screen controller, which makes operation really simple.”

Damien Power, Condair’s Area Sales Manager for Ireland, commented, “It’s a delight to be working with Noel and the team at Altipeak™, providing the humidification systems for their innovative new training pods. We’re very happy to think that our humidifiers are playing their part in helping athletes around the world achieve their peak performance and go for gold, wherever they may be competing.”

The mobile training pods are built using standard 20ft shipping containers, so are easy to transport and deliver anywhere in the world. They have plug and play service connections and even incorporate Amazon Alexa controls, making them ideal for setting up in sports clubs or training grounds. As well as design and manufacture of specialist training chambers, Altipeak™ International also offer simulated altitude training to people of all fitness levels at their two facilities in Dublin. Training at high altitude conditions has several benefits, including increased lung capacity, increased lactic acid threshold and making muscles more efficient at extracting oxygen from the blood.

The Condair EL steam humidifier being used by Altipeak™, can deliver humidity either directly to a room or to an air handling unit or duct. It is available in capacities from 5 to 180kg/hr and incorporates steam cylinders that last up to three times longer that similar competitive models before they need to be replaced, due to advanced water quality management.

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