Wrapping your pipes

Specification of the correct thermal insulation for pipes and ducts is essential to ensure heating and cooling systems perform effectively.  Shaun Byrne of SIG explains some of the issues that need to be considered - and why it is wise to seek expert advice.  

Free flowing water

Steve Munn, Managing Director at Hevasure, explores some of the common problems picked up by real-time monitoring technology and explains why early detection of problems and timely intervention can save huge amounts of money and hassle. 

Life Cycle Cost

Given the global rise in energy costs, there has never been a better time to review and assess the efficiency of your pumping systems – whatever their size, complexity or indeed sphere of operation.

Anthony Corbett

Anthony Corbett, Product Applications Engineer at Geberit and a technical representative of the British Plastics Federation - Pipes Group, explores the benefits for installers and building managers.

Plumbing design

Lee Halstead, Technical Sales Engineer at RWC, explains why push-fit technologies and product innovation play a vital part in delivering faster, safer valve installations that withstand the tests of time.

Sam Burgess

Sam Burgess, Water Reuse Manager at SDS, says wasting water should be as socially unacceptable as blowing smoke in the face of a baby. That was the urgent appeal of Environment Agency Chief Executive Sir James Bevan in his famous “jaws of death” speech back in 20191

Drinking Water

Building Services consultants and other water equipment specifiers are encouraged to get fully up-to-speed with the Water Supply (Water Fittings Regulations 1999) with particular focus on the requirement of Regulation 4.

Rob Lee

Split bands are traditional heavy duty pipe fixing brackets that have been used in the construction industry for many years. They are simplistic pipe clamps constructed of two pieces of formed metal, secured in two places with nuts and bolts.

underfloor in tall buildings

Matthew Miller, National Specification Manager, Underfloor Climate Management (UFCM) discusses how to achieve embodied carbon reduction targets through materials, energy efficiency and product efficiency.

Vanni Vignoli

As Europump concludes its Annual Meetings and Joint Conference with CEIR and Pneurop in Brussels, Vanni Vignoli, President of Europump, the European Pump Association, looks at the EU’s roadmap for industrial support.

Mapress

Offering quicker and safer installation, press-fit technology is proving to be a best practice solution for external gas supply pipework on high rise residential properties. Antony Corbett, Product Applications Engineer at Geberit, explores the benefits.

Kooltherm

The University of Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB) is breaking new ground in building design. The £33m facility has been constructed with a cutting-edge offsite approach featuring Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts.

Viega

Viega has opened the doors to its ‘LONDON’ space in the Building Centre, providing a central location for showcasing products and interacting directly with visitors. 

Image 1 - BSRIA data

Eschewing chemical additives in closed loop water treatment for a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative has long been accepted on the continent. Now, with the recognition of VDI2035 in CIBSE’s revised Code of Practice on Heat Networks (CP1 (2020)), it would seem the UK is finally catching up.

Eon Britvic packaged plantroom

Grooved-end mechanical piping systems reduce the mechanical room footprint, enhance system performance and save time and cost on installation, says Shaun Hughes of Victaulic.

Preassembly

Adam Cafer, Advantage Technical Manager from Polypipe Building Services draws on preassembly’s benefits to articulate why it is here to stay.

Boiling Water

Incidents of scalding caused by hot water are on the rise, but there are easy ways to minimise this risk, including tempering valves and thermostatic mixing valves. Here, Richard Bateman of RWC UK looks at the issues and the solutions, giving tips about correct installation and maintenance.

Offsite assembly

Preassembly is on the rise in the construction industry. Its growing popularity doesn’t come as a surprise given the benefits it has to offer including consistent quality, greater flexibility and customisation, and less waste onsite. Preassembly is making everything simple, offering specifiers, contractors, installers and architects a solution that is driving efficiency across a project’s supply chain.

Upton House

Barrie Welsh of Hamworthy Heating looks at different pump options with the pros and cons of each.

Data Centre

As demand for increasingly dense racks and compute-heavy workloads rises within data centres, could this lead to a wholesale shift in preference from air-to-liquid-based cooling systems? Victaulic's Don Mitchell discusses the case for liquid cooling in data centres and suggests  installation is set to become commonplace in the years to come.

Buildings

Making space for tall buildings

22 September, 2021

The construction of office and apartment blocks in UK cities may have stalled during the pandemic but, as the sector rebounds, a new era of ‘hybrid working’ means new office builds will have to create more internal space while apartments may be designed with home-working in mind. Jonathan Greenwood explains.

man in glasses

There has been concern about the skills shortage for years. What needs to be addressed to accommodate the industry’s growth and the significant changes expected in the next decade?

Frank Ennenbach

Despite the UK's departure from the European Union, the British Pump Manufacturers’ Association (BPMA) will retain its membership of Europump, the European Association of Pump Manufacturers

Anthony Corbett

Antony Corbett, Product Manager at Geberit, looks at the challenges facing building services engineers during the material selection process and why multi-layered piping is proving to be a popular choice for the supply of heating and potable water.

James House

A former office building in York is benefiting from thermally efficient pipe technology for heating and hot water from Flexenergy.

Megapress in action

BSRIA testing shows installation speeds up to 79%  faster. 

Viega Smart Pressgun

Viega's new models incorporate intelligent connectivity that enables them to link wirelessly to a smartphone and provide enhanced functionality, such as information on battery levels, current pressings and number of pressings remaining before the maintenance interval is reached.

Viega Prevista

Viega Prevista WC suites now comply with the Regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations of 1999 and have achieved certifications with WRAS and KIWA (KUKreg4).

Portaflow

A New Micronics, PORTAFLOW range with the latest ultrasonic flow measurement technology and Hydronic Liquid Flow Energy Measurement and a comprehensive data logging facility for the PF333 version.

ART 22 PRS Valve

Valves are an often-overlooked part of a building services system.

The FCZ-H range of fan coils announced by Aermec addresses hygiene concerns by sanitising indoor air using ultraviolet (UV) light. 

An update on the annual meetings of the European Pump Industry body, held online this year.

BPMA

BPMA relaunches Careers website and CV database.

Viega

Viega’s Megapress and Profipress piping systems have been used on the extensive refurbishment of the Bertrand Russell Tower at the University of Essex’s Colchester Campus.

Grant Phipps

Grant Phipps has joined the company as Managing Director, Rapid Locking System Europe

BPMA

The BPMA recently carried out a survey amongst members to help better understand how it can help and encourage companies to attract and retain more women engineers.

BPMA

The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) – the organisation which represents the business interests of UK and Irish suppliers of liquid pumps and related pumping equipment - has refreshed and relaunched two of its dedicated skills development websites.

sprinkler systems, fire prevention, Mark Bradley, Xylem UK

Smart fire prevention

01 October, 2018

Whether accidental or intentional, fires damage more than just the structure of a building. They can wipe out millions of pounds worth of stock, destroy homes and the treasured possessions within them, damage hardearned reputations, pollute the surrounding environment and, in the most serious of cases, cost lives.

bacteria, BSRIA's Guide BG 560/2013: Water treatment for closed heating and cooling systems, corrosion, Guardian Water Treatment, monitoring, water sampling

Has sampling had its day?

01 October, 2018

It may go against the grain, but I believe sole reliance on sampling as diagnostic practice is outmoded. The reason for this view is that these days there are more innovative and comprehensive ways to pick up the problems that lead to corrosion, allowing building managers to have better control of their water systems and quickly react to changes in condition, before bigger problems take hold.

Trimming the waste

01 October, 2018

Today’s HVAC system components are highlyefficient, but the key to overall system efficiency lies in designing specifically to exploit the part-load conditions under which the equipment will operate throughout its lifetime.

David Keys, WRAS, contamination, water regulations, double check valves, Albion Valves UK

TIME TO DOUBLE CHECK

01 October, 2018

Trying to keep up-to-date with the ebb and flow of regulations that occur in the water industry is a challenge, and keeping abreast of the shifting sands of byelaw amendments and legal revisions can be a full time job.

Grundfos, Glynn Williams, MEES, EPC, pumps

Pumping up energy ratings

06 February, 2018

MEES will put building services in focus as owners look for energy savings. Glynn Williams explains why pumps could be a good place to start when looking for better performance.

Albion Valves, Paul Wightman, piped services, pressure independent control valve, PICV, variable volume

Find the best fit

06 February, 2018

When it comes to great building design, space for piped services is usually not even on the list of priority areas. Yet tight space for services can lead to challenges when it comes to operation and maintenance. Paul Wightman considers how to achieve more with less space.

Chris Shelton, water treatment, maintenance, Sentinel Commercial

Planned shutdowns represent the ideal opportunity to protect commercial heating systems from the otherwise inevitable and highly damaging effects of corrosion and limescale. Chris Shelton explains how to deliver this potentially boiler-saving approach.

packaged, off-site, packaged sets, booster, Glynn Williams, Grundfos

As regulations and market requirements change, the industry must change too. Glynn Williams explains why modular systems offer the solution to many industry challenges.

Dave Lancaster, hotel pipework, plumbing, modular, pre-fabricated, Uponor

Dave Lancaster discusses why hotel pipework specification should prioritise both the guest experience and the hotel’s operational considerations, including speed of installation, risk and cost.

Uponor

Uponor’s advanced Thermally Active Building Systems (TABS) has been installed to provide heating and cooling throughout a new 3,500m2 headquarters building currently under construction for electrical wholesaler, City Electrical Factors (CEF), in Durham.

When a major London teaching hospital suffered a significant boiler breakdown, the challenge was how to deliver and install a new boiler quickly. Andrews Sykes Boiler Hire came up with the perfect solution – portable electric boilers.

Pete Mills, heat networks, district heating, Bosch Commercial and Industrial

With no two heat networks ever the same, well-planned design and installation are crucial to ensuring a system performs to its potential. Pete Mills explains the top considerations for consultants embarking on a district heating project.

BEAMA

The British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association (BEAMA) has raised its concerns over hot water after a guest was badly scalded at a hotel earlier this year.




modbs tv logo

Manufacturer helps equip skills centre

Ideal Heating has helped to equip a new £500,000 green energy centre in Merseyside which is seeking to attract fresh talent into the heating industry.

Acoustic solutions suite with easy access to services at University of Birmingham

A suite of ceiling and wall acoustic solutions have been specified for The University of Birmingham’s new landmark Molecular Sciences building, which will provide a hub for research and academic work.