Water Treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end use. The goal of all Water Treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the concentration of such contaminants so the water becomes fit for its desired use. One such us is cleaning and filter water within a central heating system in order to make the heating process more effective and efficient.

British Standard (BS7593) – Code of Practice for treatment of water in hot water central heating systems’. The purpose of BS7593 is to ensure awareness of potential problems, and of the remedies required to maintain efficiency and maximise the life of the hot water central heating system.

The standard also gives guidance on the preparation of the primary circuit of wet central heating systems prior to initial commissioning or re-commissioning following major remedial work and ongoing Water Treatment to ensure continued efficiency in operation. Although intended to cover domestic systems with up to 45kW heat output, it is recognised that their recommendations are also applicable to similar systems of higher heat output that require Water Treatment. We supply a wide range of Water Treatment products including:

• Inhibitor - Inhibitor is a general purpose treatment for total protection against limescale and corrosion in all types of indirect central heating systems, including those containing aluminium. Will extend the life of the system, and ensure maximum efficiency and minimum fuel usage. Once added, Inhibitor never needs to be replaced unless the system is drained down.
• Antifreeze - Antifreeze is a multipurpose inhibited antifreeze which is formulated to help give effective frost protection and control corrosion, limescale, boiler noise and hydrogen gasses in all types of indirect heating systems including those containing aluminium components. If minimum levels are maintained the Antifreeze ensures a permanent protection and does not need to be replaced.
• Heating Cleaner - At BHL our range of Heating Cleaner including boiler descaler, sludge remover and central heating cleaner from leading manufacturers including Fernox and Sentinel, helps keep your boiler working when you need it most, keeping you warm through the winter.
• Lime Scale Removal - Lime scale Removal is used for removing limescale from any type of water heater to restore its efficiency. It is safe to use with steel, stainless steel, cast iron, copper, brass, PVC, ABS rubber polythene and most plastic pipework. Limescale Removal is a powerful acid limescale remover and can dissolve up to 50% of its own weight of limescale, it is also corrosion inhibited.
• Boiler Noise - Boiler Noise is usually the result of limescale deposition within the heat exchanger of a boiler. This condition is worsened if magnetite is also present in the system, as this combines with the limescale to form a much harder deposit.
• Leak Sealer - Leaks in central heating water systems can result from external frost damage, dry solder joints, accidental perforation during maintenance or decoration, or internal corrosion.
• Disinfectant - Disinfection is necessary to protect against bacterial and micro-biological contamination in central heating and chilled water systems as well as underfloor heating and renewable applications. BHL offers a range of Disinfect products which are effective in penetrating and removing bio-films in the control of Legionella and Pseudomonas.
• Water Test Kit - Water Test Kits are a postal service for analysis of central heating system water which has been designed to provide the installer or system owner with rapid validation of correct cleaning, flushing and treatment with Inhibitor. It can be used during new system commissioning or during commissioning of existing systems after component replacement.
• Heating Filter - A Heating Filter is a proven high efficiency product designed to tackle all central heating systems, removing virtually 100% of suspended magnetic debris.
• Power Flushing - Power Flushing provides you with faster, easier cleaning for problematic, dirty heating systems, quickly helping restore optimum efficiency. Using Power Flushing with sludge remover can remove magnetite sludge clearly, safely, rapidly and efficiently from central heating systems.
• Scale Inhibitor - Scale Inhibitors feature a wide variety of products currently available for clamping, wrapping around or inserting into water pipes to inhibit water hardness scale. These can be magnetic, electrolytic or electronic devices and do not change the chemical composition of the water, although a physical change may take place.
• Polyphosphate - The Polyphosphate unit provides protection for domestic hot water systems from the effects of scale deposition. It works by proportionally blending a minute amount of Polyphosphate into the system water.
• Thermal Fluid - The term Thermal Fluid consists of two words; ‘thermal’ meaning heat, and ‘fluids’, which refers to liquids, gases and vapours. Pressure, volume and density all play an important role in Thermal Fluids. Temperature, flow rate, phase-change and chemical reactions may also be important in a thermal fluids context. There are two types of Thermal Fluid: Solar Fluid and Heat Pump Fluid
• Condensate Neutraliser - Condensate Neutraliser is an in-line unit containing a special media that will neutralise the acidic waste from condensing boilers. The flow of condensate through the unit is manipulated to achieve optimum contact with media ensuring effective neutralisation.

Water Treatment products are available to Buy online from BHL. We supply a wide range of Water Treatment products and online from leading manufacturers including; Fernox, Sentinel, Scalemaster and Liff.

Read more about Water Treatment here….

BHL’s parent company Bumford Heating Ltd have been working on a Solar PV Panel project, installing a kit that will in turn utilise tomorrow’s technology of Solar Energy. Throughout this project we have been monitoring the progression of it for the benefit of you, our customers, so that you can see the process of Solar Panel installation and can begin planning your savings today!

Bumford Heating Ltd are a Yorkshire based national plumbing and heating contractor. Based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire they have supplied and installed thousands of quality domestic and contract heating systems since being established in Sheffield in 1968. Bumford Heating Ltd are an independent family run business with a proud history and an exciting future.

Bumford Heating Ltd Solar Panel installers set about constructing the frame work and basis for the solar panels, without these, the system simply could not be placed onto the roof of the household.

The installation is nearly complete, however it is a shame about the typically British weather, however, Solar PV panels still generate energy even without sunlight which is definately a huge plus considering the weather in this image. Read more about the Solar Panels here to start saving money on your energy bills….

Solar Panels are a form of active solar power, a description that highlights how solar panels make use of the sun’s energy: solar panels harvest sunlight and exchange it to electricity. Solar Cells, or photovoltaic cells are arranged in a grid-like pattern on the surface of the solar panel, which collect sunlight through sunlight during daylight hours.

Solar energy originates in the depths of the sun. The Sun endures a continuous stream of thermonuclear explosions as hydrogen atoms are fused into helium atoms. We come across the resultant energy as radiation that hits the surface of the earth. Solar panels such as flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors, convert this solar radiation into useable electrical energy and store them in batteries for our use. Enough solar radiation strikes the earth every day to meet Earth’s energy requirements for an entire year. Solar panels help us harvest this energy and convert it into useable energy to meet the everyday needs of modern life as we know it today.

Solar panels are usually manufactured using crystalline silicon or the more expensive gallium arsenide, which is produced exclusively for use in photovoltaic solar cells. In direct sunlight at the surface of the equator, a maximally efficient photovoltaic cell about 1/5m in diameter creates a current of approximately 2 amps at 2 volts, however, as a result of the Earth’s atmosphere interference, terran solar panels will never perform as well as solar panels exposed directly to the sun’s rays (such as space-based panels on satellites).

Solar Kits are essential in the context of ever rising energy costs, climate change and changing legislation, the need for a heating and hot water technology that is future proof, cost effective and able to use an unlimited, sustainable source of energy is essential.

Every year the sun provides over 8000 times as much energy as we consume worldwide and in the UK alone we receive between 900 and 1200kWh of energy per metre square of land per year. On average, every home spends 20-25% of its combined annual energy bills on water heating. A well designed Solar Hot Water Kit can provide almost all the hot water for a home during the summer months and around 50-60% year round. This is why Solar Hot Water Kits are one of the most cost effective and environmentally friendly renewable energy solutions available, reducing fuel bills and building carbon dioxide emissions.

Whenever fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas are burnt, carbon dioxide is released. CO2 is the principal contributor to the green-house effect which is leading to long term climate change. However, a Solar Hot Water Kit can provide as much as 60% of a building’s annual hot water demand from renewable energy as building carbon emission can be significantly reduced. Using Solar Hot Water Kits means that running costs compared with traditional fossil fuelled water heating systems can be reduced. More significantly, using free energy from the environment future proofs the Solar Hot Water Kits against fossil fuels as they become ever more scarce and prices inevitably rise.

As with any central heating or domestic hot water system, regardless of it being either conventional or renewable, it is essential that several controls and accessories are used in order to achieve the optimum usage out of the whole system so that it runs efficiently.  The right controls will keep your home at the perfect temperature and save energy, which in the long term will save you money and reduce the impact you make on the environment. Key components of a Solar system are vital in the overall efficient operation of it, therefore, here at BHL we supply a wide variety of supplies for solar systems including; solar sensors, solar heat exchangers, solar pump stations and solar pipe.

Solar Cylinders are designed for use with a boiler to provide auxiliary hot water during periods of low solar gain. The lower coil or heater exchanger will be connected to the solar hot water system with the upper connecting to the central heating system. the Solar Panels transfer heat energy from sun light to a thermal fluid within the solar hot water system. When the thermal fluid is hotter than the water within the hot water cylinder a pump activates pumping the fluid throught the heat exchanger where the heat passes to the water, via conduction, heating your Domestic Hot Water.

As a result from all the required components of a solar heating system, BHL have provided a simple, stress-free solution by provide a comprehensive stock range of Solar Kits, Solar Hot Water Kits and Solar PV Kits. By purchasing one of these kits from our product range you will be up and ready to go and start saving massively on your annual heating bills, which you will notice straight from installation.

Solar Panels are available to Buy online from BHL. We supply a wide range of Solar Panels and Accessories online from leading manufacturers including; Kingspan Solar, Vaillant, Baxi and Dimplex.

Read more about Solar Panels here…..

In order for us at BHL to have up-to-date and relevant knowledge of the plumbing and heating industry to provide the customers with the correct and helpful assistance that they deserve, the sales team regularly partakes in product training sessions with leading manufacturers to get to grips and become hands on with the products that we are selling. In the past week, Smiths Environmental Products Ltd came to visit to introduce us to their range of fan convectors, in particularly their Ecovector range and Plinth Heaters.

Formed in 1991 Smiths Heater (Smiths Environmental Products Ltd) has grown to become the leading supplier of domestic and light commercial fan-assisted hydronic heat emitters. The complete product range is manufactured in-house in its specialist facilities in the UK.

Fan convectors, flame-effect fan convectors, natural convectors and fan-assisted electric heaters. Smiths Heater slowly have become the leading supplier of all these types of heat generators in the UK, including the revolutionary Ecovector range, Plinth Heaters and the Sterling wall-mounted fan convector. Energy is one of our most valuable resources, yet many of the appliances we use everyday are inefficient and use more energy than is absolutely necessary. Even if you are not yet fully convinced that reducing energy usage will help save the planet, it will certainly reduce your energy bills.

Here BHL’s Lee Camm, Neil, Pam and Chris brush up on the latest Smiths Heater products, including the Ecovector Plinth Heater.

If your are looking for energy efficiency and versatility in your heating, look no further than the Smiths Heater range of fan convectors, flame-effect fan convectors and natural convectors.

Smiths Ecovector is the next generation fan convector with elegant styling. The Smith’s Ecovector range includes the Smiths Ecovector Plinth Heater, Smiths Ecovector Low Level, Smiths Ecovector Vertical and Smiths Ecovector High Level. The Smiths Ecovector are very compact – half the width of an equivalent output standard radiator, and with water content only 5% that of an equivalent radiator. Fast, responsive, energy-efficient and very quiet in operation. Provides warmth from the floor upwards – the ideal heating pattern – but is more effective and energy efficient than either underfloor heating or conventional radiators. Manufactured in the UK using recyclable materials.

Smiths fan convectors require connection to a ‘wet’ central heating system and an electrical connection to run the fan. Hot water from the central heating system passes through the heat exchanger transferring its heat to the aluminium fins. Cooler air is drawn in by the fan and heated as it passes over the heat exchanger before being expelled gently back into the room. This gives a more even temperature and will heat a room in much less time than a traditional panel radiator. On average in domestic applications, the Smiths fan convectors use less than 2p (worth) of electricity per day.

However, even though the new range is available online at BHL, we still supply the traditional and original fan convectors from Smiths Heaters including; Sureline, Award, Skyline and Caspian.

Read more about Smiths Heaters here…..

For more than 135 years, Vaillant has been setting the standards in the heating market, creating products that have revolutionised the industry, from water heaters in the early 1900′s, to pioneering the ‘combination’ boiler over 35 years ago. Today, Vaillant are as proud to be leading the way in renewable technologies, developing systems which utilise sustainable sources of energy. This enables you to enjoy simple, healthy and energy saving solutions for your heating, cooling and hot water needs.

As one of Europe’s leading heating technology manufacturer, ‘thinking ahead’ is a culture which is embraced throughout Vaillant. Their products feature high energy efficiency ratings and low emissions, and come with an enviable reputation for performance, quality and reliability. Vaillant’s constant drive to provide leading levels of customer service and training support, helps to demonstate why customers recommend Vaillant and BHL.

Vaillant Boilers are leading manufacturers of gas fired domestic and commercial central heating boilers including Vaillant Combi Boilers and Vaillant Condensing Boilers in the UK. Vaillant manufacture a wide range of gas boilers for the home including Vaillant Combi Boilers and Vaillant Heating Boilers. Vaillants range of gas boilers include an impressive range of combination boilers such as the Vaillant ecoTEC Pro, Vaillant ecoTEC Plus and the Vaillant ecoTEC Exclusive. Vaillant also produce the Vaillant ecoTEC Plus System Boiler and the Vaillant ecoTEC Plus heating boiler. Vaillant offers a wide range of Boiler Controls. Vaillant Programmable heating controls provide a comfortable living environment within your home and help to minimize domestic heating bills.

Vaillant’s latest range of stainless steel unvented cylinders gives you the option of a broad range of capacities from 125 litres up to 310 litres. Whichever Vaillant Cylinder you choose, you can be sure of the quality and performance that you expect from Vaillant. In addition, a high recovery heating coil and superb reheat times being best in class make uniSTOR the only choice in unvented cylinders.

Renewable energy is the term used to describe energy flows that occur naturally and continuously in the environment, such as energy from the wind, waves or tides. The origin of the majority of these sources can be traced back to either the sun (energy from the sun helps to drive the earth’s weather patterns) or the gravitational effects of the sun and the moon. This means that these sources are essentially inexhaustible, where the radiation from the sun can be collected by Vaillant solar panels which include; auroTHERM VFK, auroTHERM VTK and auroTHERM Plus.

The key issue is how to extract this energy as effectively as possible and convert it into more useful forms of energy. This can range from directly using the energy from the sun to heat water to using mechanical devices, such as wind turbines, to convert the kinetic energy in the wind to electrical energy. Vaillant Solar provides various solar systems, designed to supply various needs. Vaillant Solar domestic water systems can generate between 50-70% of your hot water using radiation from the sun.

Today, Vaillant are as proud to be leading the way in renewable technologies, developing systems which utilise sustainable sources of energy. Vaillant’s constant drive to provide leading levels of customer service and training support, helps to demonstate why customers recommend Vaillant and BHL. Vaillant Heat Pumps are manufactured in two different types:

Ground Source Heat Pump – Vaillant ground source heat pumps collect energy in the earth or in the air and use it to heat water in a cylinder for distribution to taps, appliances and radiators. They can also cool the house in the summer. These Vaillant Heat Pumps contain the most advanced technology available for home heating, hot water and cooling. Due to the fact that the earth itself ‘stores’ energy, it is an extremely reliable and constant energy source, it creates no harmful emissions and uses a very small amount of electricity to drive the pumps themselves.

Air to Air Heat Pumps – Vaillant Heat Pump systems can efficiently heat the room during the winter and as an added benefit, also provide cooling during the summer. This means you can enjoy a climate controlled environment all year round. advanced filter solutions also bring good news for allergy sufferers with the air to air Vaillant Heat Pump system cleaning the air as it circulates in the room. And, due to it’s high efficiency in heating mode, it is more environmentally friendly than many conventional heating systems.

Read more about Vaillant here…..

The BHL team recently visited EcoBuild 2010 at Earls Court, London. The exhibition was massive with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors.

EcoBuild displays the latest energy efficiency and renewables products and materials from the leading manufacturers within the building industry. Many manufacturers use the exhibition as an opportunity to launch new and innovative products.

We wanted to see the Plumbing and Heating stands and be the first to learn about some of the new and exciting developments within the industry. It was also interesting to see all the other disciplines within the construction industry on display.

Worcester Bosch, as you would expect from one of the UK’s leading heating manufacturers had a large and impressive stand displaying their wide range of products including Worcester Bosch Boilers, Worcester Bosch Heat Pumps and Worcester Bosch Solar.

EcoBuild 2010 featured over 1000 exhibitors displaying a wide range of products and materials including Boilers, Solar Panels, Flooring, Green Walls and Wind Turbines

Kingspan had a large presence at EcoBuild and displayed a wide range of their products including Range Tribune Cylinders and Albion Ultrasteel Cylinders.

The Guardian’s Architecture and Design correspondent Jonathan Glancey in the EcoBuild 2010 Arena Lecture.

The New Albion Aerocyl Unvented Hot Water Cylinder and Aerocyl Buffer Tank on display for one of the first times.

The impressive Remeha (Broag) range of Avanta Boilers on display and showing off their build quality and use of top quality parts.

Glow-worm Clearly Heat Pumps on display at EcoBuild.

Worcester Bosch Underfloor Heating System which as the sticker suggests is new for 2010.

EcoBuild’s most impressive structure was Cityscape, an imposing 8 metre high cube clad in the very latest living wall technology.

Ideal Heating displayed a wide range of products including the Ideal Gas Boiler and Stelrad Radiator range. Ideal also sported their new corporate logo.

Baxi Ecogen, from Baxi is a combined heat and power appliance (CHP) generates electrical power and useful heat from the single source. The model displayed above explains it all. Baxi also displayed the Zenex built GasSaver, which I discussed in a previous blog post, Save Money with a Boiler Gas Saver.

Be sure to read our blog in the coming weeks when we will report on our findings in more detail including further details of the exciting Glow-worm Clearly Hybrid, which, according to Glow-worm is the first totally practical hybrid renewables solution that looks after the earth and your pocket.

We at BHL are always trying to keep abreast of the latest developments happening within the plumbing and heating industry.  The buzz word at the moment is renewables – and there has been tremendous growth and interest in renewable technologies recently.

BHL will be visiting this years EcoBuild 2010 at Earls Court, London. EcoBuild is the country’s largest exhibition for the sustainable building sector and it offers the opportunity to view the latest energy saving and renewable products including Solar Water Heating Panels, Solar PV Panels, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Water Harvesting and High Efficiency Condensing Boilers, as well as developments in sustainable design, construction and the build enviroment.

All the leading names from the industry will be displaying their latest products at the conference including Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Glow-Worm, Baxi, Grundfos, Bristan, Biasi, Ideal Boilers, Pegler Yorkshire and Cistermiser.

Amongst the manufacturers displaying new lines at EcoBuild is Worcester Bosch who will showcase a selection of new products, including  the new Worcester Greenfloor underfloor heating system as well as the Worcester Micro CHP unit – which is due for release in 2011. Worcester are also launching MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) which will be displayed as part of a model house.

To find out about our visit to EcoBuild and the products we discovered, be sure to follow our blog in the next few weeks.