Polypipe Ventilation Achieves Hat Trick Success at Coveted Product Awards
Sunday 28th June 2015
For the third time, Polypipe Ventilation is delighted to have been successful at the Housebuilder Product Awards 2015, this year winning the coveted Best Services Product award with its Domus Radial Duct System. The winners were announced at a ceremony which took place at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham on 25th June, where Domus Radial (patents pending) was recognised as outstanding by the judges for its highly innovative design that delivers increased air flow, easier installation and commissioning and a quieter whole house system.
Polypipe Ventilation has been recognised at the Housebuilder Product Awards every year since 2013, winning the Best Services Product award in 2013 with its Silavent Green Line HRX Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) range and achieving Highly Commended status in 2014 with the Domus Thermal duct insulation solution.
Neil Tilsley, Managing Director of Polypipe Ventilation, commented, “We are thrilled to have been recognised at these prestigious awards for the third year in a row, and to achieve first place in the Best Services Product category for the second time. These achievements are testament to the company’s dedication to developing truly innovative, specifiable solutions which not only deliver high performance and energy efficiency, but also really push the boundaries of design to enable simpler design as well as quicker, straightforward and hassle-free installation to benefit both housebuilders and homeowners.“
Domus Radial is specifically designed for use with whole house centralised ventilation appliances, including Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) systems. The system was first introduced by Polypipe Ventilation as a versatile alternative to traditional branch-based ducting systems, however after being tested by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) for inclusion within the Product Characteristics Database (previously SAP Appendix Q), Domus Radial was not only found to be equivalent to traditional rigid ducting in smaller builds but actually to exceed the performance in properties with four or more wet rooms / kitchen.
The Domus Radial system has been designed to allow each room vent to be fixed directly to an inlet/outlet plenum with optional twin duct connections. The plenum is served by a single or tandem duct run which connects securely to a manifold, acting as an air distribution hub. The manifold is then directly linked to a centralised appliance – this being either a MVHR or MEV unit.
An optional integral flow control device enables the inlet/outlet plenum to be connected directly to a stylish grille, taking away the need for a room-mounted adjustable air valve and giving designers the opportunity to match interior décor schemes. This clever design also allows for single fix commissioning to be carried out in advance of construction of the finished ceiling; providing peace of mind that the required air flow rates will be achieved while the duct system is still accessible. Another advantage is that the flow control device cannot be easily tampered with after commissioning, which could negatively impact system performance.
Domus Radial’s 125mm deep slim-line manifold is ideal for installation between joists or in tight spaces. The smaller manifold size also allows for greater choice on location, removing the need to place the manifold adjacent to the centralised MVHR or MEV appliance.
Polypipe Ventilation has a well deserved reputation for designing and manufacturing high quality ventilation systems, backed up by excellent technical support. Polypipe Ventilation is well placed to offer immediate, practical solutions to Building Regulations Parts F & L. The company continues to provide differentiated solutions in the private and social housing sectors, transforming the way developers, specifiers, installers, home owners and distributors meet emerging environmental standards. For further information, please call 03443 715523 or email vent.marketing@polypipe.com.
ENDS
Editor’s Note: Testimonials
Mill Meadow Eco-Homes is a luxury, self-catering, eco lodge holiday development in Somerset. The properties are built using a traditional Scandinavian log house system. Flycatcher, the latest Mill Meadow property in development, has been installed with a Polypipe Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) appliance ducted using a Domus Radial System.
Chris Heayns, Managing Director of Mill Meadow: “we decided to use MVHR as the homes are very air tight, so it didn’t make sense cutting holes in the walls and inserting trickle vents. However, one of the issues we had was that the wood in these lodges continually moves, which could be a problem for rigid ducting. That’s why we were particularly keen on Polypipe’s Domus Radial duct system as its duct is flexible and will move with the house. It is also simple to install, which was an added bonus.”
IBD Distribution, a sustainable energy solutions provider and long term Polypipe customer, recommended the Domus Radial Duct System for a two bedroom house in Ringwood, Hampshire. The house is constructed from a relatively compact timber frame with high insulation and I-Beams that restrict the use of traditional ‘branch’ ducting.
Darren Johnson, Technical Director of IBD: “After our first Radial installation our initial thoughts were very positive. We can confirm at least a 50% labour saving on traditional MVHR [Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery] duct installations. We like the kit – it was very easy to install, with no tech screws, tape or silicon sealant required, apart from those used with the rigid duct located between the manifolds and HR units”.
Other benefits identified by Darren include low parts inventory and reduced storage of stock, simpler deployment logistics and overall ease of system installation requiring less technically skilled labour.
Darren continues “we will most definitely be using the Domus Radial Duct System again. It is now our proposed offering for houses under 275m2.”