PLUMBING & DRAINAGE
RECORD SALES FOR P&H
T
otal year-on-year value sales through plumbing and heating merchants were 9.0% up on November 2020. That’s according to the Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index (PHMI), which also found that like-for-like sales a day, which take into account the extra trading day in November 2021, were up 4.1% up against the same month in 2020. Compared to November 2019, a pre- pandemic year, total value sales for November 2021 were up 6.1% with one more trading day this year. Like-for-like sales were 1.3% higher. Month-on-month sales were also positive, with November up 9.1% compared to October with one more trading day in November. Like- for-like sales, which take the number of trading days into account, were up 4.1%. Value sales in the three months September to November 2021 were 2.4% higher than the same three months in 2020, with no difference in trading days.
Compared to the same three months in 2019, September to November 2021 sales were up 1.7%, with no difference in trading days. Total quarterly sales for September to November 2021 were 15.5% higher than the preceding three months (June to August), with one more trading day in the most recent period. Like-for-like sales were up 13.7%. Year to date, in the 11 months January to November 2021, total value sales through specialist plumbing and heating merchants were 19.9% higher than the same period last year, with two less trading days this year. Values sales were also up 2.5% on the same 11 months in 2019, again with two less trading days. Like-for- like sales were 21.0% higher than 2020, and 3.4% up on 2019.
Sales in the last 12 months (December 2020 to November 2021) were 18.7% ahead of December 2019 to November 2020, with no difference in trading days.
Mike Rigby, CEO of MRA Research, which produces the report comments: “The heating season has well and truly arrived for British plumbing and heating merchants, with the latest figures revealing the industry has had its best month since the PHMI started in January 2019.
www.phmi.co.uk.
22
MARSH LAUNCHES PHOSPHATE AND AMMONIA REDUCTION UNIT
MERCHANTS November saw a huge rise in plumbing & heating sales through merchants.
The Gem-APS from off-mains drainage specialists Marsh Industries reduces phosphates, ammonia and BOD levels to meet the most stringent consent standards, providing surety for end-users and specifiers.
The aerated precipitation system treats effluent discharge in a controlled process involving small doses of chemical and oxygen that can then be discharged to a watercourse, ditch or drainage field.
Tested to EN12566-7-Annex A for up to 50PE, the Gem-APS is a tertiary treatment plant that can be installed at the outlet end of new or existing sewage treatment plants. Initial test results at the PIA notified Test Centre, Aachen, were: Phosphate NH4-N BOD
0.9mg/l 0.4mg/l 2.0mg/l
Marsh Managing Director, Steve Boyer, who oversaw the testing procedures said “It is almost a given notion that our products have a positive effect on the environment, however over the past year we have received increasing demand from all sectors asking us for
independently verified testing of our products that demonstrates their environmental impact. The Gem-APS provides end-users and specifiers additional confidence in our range of environmentally sensitive waste water solutions.”
Gem-APS plants can be supplied in larger sizes (additional sizing was submitted as part of the EN12566-7 testing process) and can be regulated to reduce phosphate levels further if required.
Marsh offers commissioning and servicing of the Gem-APS. It is strongly advised this service is used when setting up the unit.
www.marshindustries.co.uk
PIPE SEALS OFFICIALLY MANDATED IN NEW PART L OF THE BUILDING REGULATIONS
Changes to Part L of the Building Regulations came into force in December 2021, with a period of adaptation for the industry until June 2022. The changes to Part L were designed to help the UK meet its Net Zero targets and the new regulations now specify the need for pipe seals and grommets on pipe penetrations.
“The days of sealing around pipes with messy or porous mixtures and chemicals are now over,” says Alex Lever, Director of PipeSnug. “Pipe seals have been mandated for a reason; to prevent warm air escaping a home and also to keep cold air out, where brickwork or the fabric of the building has been removed to allow pipework or other services in. This is a big change for those installing pipework.”
Fitted in seconds, PipeSnug provides an all-in-one solution which meets Part L’s requirement to seal around pipework inside and outside a building, without the need for sealant, mortar or expensive air sealing tape. Before PipeSnug, holes around pipes would normally be sealed by mixing mortar or applying sealant (both of which can weather, perish and crack) which takes a lot of time and the results do not always look good. This method does not produce the best energy efficient seal and means that the penetrations are liable to water and insect ingress too. The new Part L has now tackled these issues, at a stroke enhancing the energy efficiency of our new homes, not to mention giving a cleaner, more professional finish around pipework. PipeSnug and FlueSnug form an airtight seal against the wall where pipes enter and exit a building. Because they do not require any mortar to be mixed or sealant to be squeezed, they not only save plumbers time, money and mess, but they also keep warmth in and energy costs down for homeowners.
PipeSnug is available in 32mm and 40mm for solvent-weld waste pipes and fit a 52mm core drilled hole. The 110mm version fits a 152mm core drilled hole and fits all push-fit and solvent weld soil pipe fittings. The soil and waste versions are available in black, white and grey. They can also be installed at height, without the need for ladders or scaffolding.
www.pipesnug.co.uk
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 2022
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