Tuesday, October 14, 2025
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Geberit extends darts sponsorship

Roger Bisby
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Geberit extends darts sponsorship

Geberit, the sanitary products expert, has extended the sponsorship of darts champion Adrian Lewis for a further three years.

Ranked number three in the world, Adrian ‘Jackpot‘ Lewis will wear the Twyford logo on the front of his shirt for all matches played in the UK, with the Geberit logo on his shirt for matches played outside of the UK.

Adrian Lewis has established himself as one of the sport’s leading stars over the past decade since emerging as a teenage prodigy. Two times winner of the PDC World Championship, Adrian has also racked up titles including the UK Open 2014, the European Championship in 2013 and the World Cup of Darts in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

“Darts has become a hugely popular spectator sport in the UK, so much so that the World Darts Championship is the most watched non-football programme on the major sports channels,” comments Geberit Marketing Director Raffaela De Vittorio. “We are therefore delighted to be continuing our sponsorship of Adrian Lewis when his original contract with Twyford ends in May. We’ll be watching his efforts to claim the world title with interest and wish him all the best.”

www.geberit.co.uk

Scaffolding Firm Fined for Serious Fall

Roger Bisby
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Scaffolding Firm Fined for Serious Fall

Hemel Hempstead Scaffolding Limited has been fined after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he fell from the roof of a barn.

Stewart Thomas from Hemel Hempstead, 31 at the time of the incident, was carrying out scaffolding work in preparation for the installation of solar panels on a barn roof at Gaddesden Home Farm, Bridens Camp on Red Lion Lane on 25 July 2013.

St Albans Crown Court heard that father of one Mr Thomas was placing scaffold boards along the roof ridge when he fell through the fragile roof to the concrete floor eight metres below.

He suffered multiple injuries to his head and neck including a brain stem injury, a punctured lung, broken ribs and a lacerated liver. Mr Thomas is now unable to talk, move or feed himself and requires residential care.

Scaffolding Firm Fined

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Hemel Hempstead Scaffolding Limited had never provided a written method statement or risk assessment for this work.

Critically there were no fall protection measures in place, and there was also no appropriate supervision of inexperienced and trainee scaffolders on the site.

Hemel Hempstead Scaffolding Limited of Seymour Crescent, Hemel Hempstead pleaded guilty to breaching section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, 1974 and were fined £110,000 and ordered to pay £22,596 in costs.

After the hearing Stewart’s mother Karen Coffey said: “I have had to move from my home and family in Hemel Hempstead to Northamptonshire to be near Stewart.

“My other children find it very hard to see Stewart the way he is now, but along with my mother I visit every day. I have also taken a job nearby that keeps me close to Stewart but also gives me something else to concentrate on.

“My granddaughters are going to miss out so much on the things they would have done and learnt from Stewart.

“Since my son Stewart’s accident all our lives have been dramatically changed – hopefully we can try and move forward to make Stewart’s life as best we can with his family close by him.”

Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Stephen Manley said: “The company’s approach to health and safety was poor.

They failed to properly and safely plan the work they were contracted to carry out and failed to supervise inexperienced young workers. The particular works would have been unfamiliar to the team and so the lack of thorough supervision was lamentable.

“As a result of their failings a young father has been left being unable to communicate or look after himself and he will never be able to play with his young daughter.

When working at height, there is a high likelihood of serious injury or death if safe procedures are not put in place and adequate steps taken to ensure they are followed”.

More information on safe working on fragile roofs can be found here: www.hse.gov.uk

See more on safety failings with Skill Builder.

Checkatrade and Trustatrader commit to improve practices

Roger Bisby
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Checkatrade and Trustatrader commit to improve practices

After engaging constructively with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Checkatrade and Trustatrader have agreed to improve their practices. These improvements address concerns that were raised following a call for information by the CMA on online reviews and endorsements.

The CMA’s call for information highlighted a number of general concerns about the review sector, including the potential for some review websites’ practices to prevent some genuine negative reviews from being published, some review websites not checking reviews sufficiently rigorously, and important information not being brought to the attention of the users of some websites.

The operators of both sites have worked with the CMA in relation to their practices and have committed to making bespoke improvements in response to the specific concerns that were relevant to them in one or more of the following areas:

  • Ensuring that all genuine, relevant and lawful reviews are published. Checkatrade will make it clearer that, in line with its existing policy, if people would like their negative review to be published they can do so whether or not they would like further contact with the trader.
  • Ensuring that reviews received are checked properly as to whether they are genuine. Checkatrade and Trustatrader will build on their existing verification processes to strengthen their checks.
  • Ensuring that important information is brought to the attention of users. Checkatrade and Trustatrader will improve the information that is given to users about how reviews are collected, checked and published, building on their existing practices.

Nisha Arora, CMA Senior Director, Consumer, said:  “Millions of people look at online reviews and endorsements before making buying decisions, and so it is crucial that review websites check and present reviews in a way that ensures consumers can trust them.

“Review sites play a critical role in giving consumers this valuable information and ensuring that consumers can trust the reviews they see. We welcome the constructive engagement we have had with the 5 review sites which will mean that people using them will have a more complete picture when reading reviews.

“The CMA’s action is part of a wider package of work aimed at improving practices in the online reviews and endorsements sector. As well as writing to the operators of other review websites for tradespeople and care home sites, we are issuing further advice and information to review sites across all sectors to remind them about their legal obligations. In addition, we have opened investigations into a number of companies involved in reviews and endorsements, and expect to make further announcements about these in the coming weeks.”

 

Product review: Base boots

Roger Bisby
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Product review: Base boots

Skill builder takes one small step for man as we try out a new footwear product from Base.

It seems to me that every time I try out a new pair of work boots or shoes they blow my socks off. I am talking metaphorically of course but the innovation that now goes into protective footwear means that we are constantly breaking new ground. It wasn’t always the case, a few years ago you really knew you were wearing steel toe caps. It was purgatory, as the day wore on your feet would begin to drag and if you weren’t careful you would find yourself not quite lifting your foot high enough and then of course you would trip. There is irony in a pair of safety boots that make it more likely you will fall over but it is the case with a great deal of footwear. When we pointed this out the health and safety guys wouldn’t believe us, they thought we were whingers looking for an excuse to return to trainers but I know loads of builders and roofers, in particular, who find it really difficult to work safely in the old style work-boots.

base boots review

Fortunately some manufacturers took a more positive view and responded to the call for lighter, more flexible footwear that still offered the required protection. This latest range from Base have been redesigned from the ground up to address every complaint in the book. The Italian styled boots and shoes are lightweight, flexible and breathable. Try them once and you won’t go back to the old style boot or shoe. The amazing level of impact cushioning in the sole and heel is achieved with tiny air bubbles injected into the polyurethane and it takes the shock when you walk. In terms of comfort the remind me very much of Doc Martin’s. This becomes even more apparent when you are carrying heavy weights because, ultimately all that extra weight ends up in your poor old feet.

The soles are also made more flexible by taking out the steel strip that so many safety boots have and replacing it with ballistic grade Kevlar. But it doesn’t stop there, the toe cap is also a major leap forward. It is a non-metallic composite material that it thinner and lighter than metal toe caps but still meets the impact and compression standards. If you happen to have your toe run over by the digger it should survive. I mean your toe not the digger but I don’t recommend this as a test and I certainly wasn’t about to try it. What I did do was wear these boots on site and off and after a week I can say that they aren’t going back. My only criticism is that they were hard to put the laces in. There are no metal eyelets so you have to use a wire nail to align the holes from the outer leather to the inner breathable liner. It is no big deal but I have been known to get through a pair of boot laces in three weeks so I hope that putting the next set of laces in is quicker and easier.

Would that small point put me off buying these boots? You must be joking, they are such a big step forward for safety footwear that, once tried, it is impossible to imagine settling for anything less. Remember that a lot of back problems come from poor support and impact from the feet so don’t treat them like a poor relation give your feet a treat, you won’t regret it.

Floor levelling compound

Dylan Garton
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Floor levelling compound

Saint-Gobain Weber‘s fibre-modified floor levelling compound is designed to offer fast and efficient renovation of existing floors, and floating floor construction, in domestic and commercial applications.

weber.floor 4310 fibre flow is a pump-applied screed formulated from special cements, aggregates, binders and chemical admixtures that can be applied at depths between 5 – 50mm. It is supplied as a casein-free pre-blended dry powder and is suitable for levelling concrete, lightweight concrete, wooden boards, existing tiles and under-floor heating systems.

weber.floor 4310 fibre flow can be covered after 1 – 3 weeks following installation, depending on layer thickness and drying conditions, with ceramic and terrazzo tiles, carpet, flexible floor coverings and parquet, and is suitable for heated and wooden floors.  The fibre-modified formulation improves durability and robustness.

After thorough cleaning, the substrate should be prepared with weber.floor 4716 primer to improve adhesion and prevent the formation of air bubbles.  For floating floors weber.floor 4945 fibre mesh is recommended.  Supplied in 25kg polythene-lined paper sacks the screed has a pot life of 20 minutes after adding water.  This high performance screed has low alkalinity and low emissions.

Professional applicators are invited to contact Weber for technical support and back up to ensure correct product specification and performance with on-site inspection, supervision and nationwide training.

www.netweber.co.uk

www.weber.ie

Bauder BioSOLAR combines photovoltaics with a green roof

Dylan Garton
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Bauder BioSOLAR combines photovoltaics with a green roof

Deciding between a green roof and photovoltaics (PV) has been a question faced by many over recent years when designing a flat roof; however these two technologies are no longer mutually exclusive with the introduction of Bauder BioSOLAR, which will be officially launched at this year’s Ecobuild.

A biosolar roof is the successful combination of biodiverse and extensive green roofs with photovoltaic systems, delivering a duality of technologies for environmental advantage and increased profitability. Although designed primarily for new build applications; the biosolar system can also be retrofitted on many existing roofs without the need for any structural modification to the building.

Biosolar roofs deliver all the benefits of green roofs and solar power in a synergy of technologies that maximises PV output and the footprint for the green roof.

A key feature of Bauder’s system is that the front edge of the polycrystalline PV panel is raised 300mm above the finished green roof level, allowing light and moisture to reach beneath the panels whilst ensuring the mature vegetation will not shade the panels and can be easily maintained.

The mixture of sunny, shaded and sheltered areas together with a variable depth of FLL compliant extensive substrate gives a matrix of different habitats that allow a broader range of plant species to thrive, and a rich foraging environment for bees and insects.

The PV mounting frame features a 100% recycled high-density polyethylene base board and consists of just three components – a quick fix angle support, profile module rail and module fixings – that make for an extremely quick and simple installation process.

With Bauder able to supply all of the waterproofing, green roof and PV elements it gives you total confidence that this energy efficient and cohesive solution is the right one for your project.

Ecobuild to run Construction Job Show

Dylan Garton
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Ecobuild to run Construction Job Show

In response to an industry-wide skills shortage, Ecobuild, the UK show dedicated to construction and energy, has launched a partnership with The Job Show, the nationwide recruitment and careers event, to create a construction-focused job show which will run alongside Ecobuild on the last day of the show, 10th March at ExCeL London.

The Construction Job Show has been designed to bring together employers of all sizes and disciplines with would-be employees.

For construction industry companies, the show gives them the opportunity to recruit their next generation of workers, ensuring they have the manpower – in terms of both capacity and competency – to meet growing, post-recession workloads and address any emerging skills shortages.

Jobseekers will be able to take in a wide variety of potential employment options and take their first steps to a career in fields as diverse as engineering and architecture, surveying to project management.

Martin Hurn, Ecobuild Event Director, said: “With The Construction Job Show we have responded to industry demand to provide a dedicated space that will go some way to addressing the current skills shortage affecting the construction industry. With the recent news from Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicting an additional 232,000 job roles being created over the next five years, we believe this skills gap will be a core topic being discussed on day three of Ecobuild, which has a conference programme dedicated to Next Generation.

“The industry is changing at a pace never experienced before and as such there’s never been a wider range of opportunities available for those looking to embark on a career in construction across a wide range of disciplines.”

The Construction Job Show will be held in the South Gallery Rooms on the last day of Ecobuild 2016 on Thursday 10th March.

Product review: Snickers Core Range

Roger Bisby
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Product review: Snickers Core Range
Snickers promises a hard wearing garment that’s easy on the pocket with the new Snickers Core Range but does it live up to its billing? Skill Builder takes a closer look.
If you are someone who has looked at Snickers trousers and decided that they are a bit beyond your budget you might just be stopped in your tracks by the new Snickers Core Range. They are popping up in builder’s merchants and tool outlets who otherwise would not have stocked the full Snickers range.
It cannot have escaped Snickers’ attention that its loyal and dedicated customers are going to view this entry level Core Range with suspicion and disdain and ask, ‘is it the real deal?’
Snickers gives a resounding ‘yes’ to that question telling us that the Core retains the core benefits of Snickers higher priced products but without all the the special features that are valued by trades such as plumbers and electricians. That said they have also been specifically designed for the heavier trades such as bricklayers and construction workers.
If, for example, you are a bricklayer you might not need so many pockets and reinforced Cordura panels but you want a hard wearing fabric that stands up to mortar which is notorious for rotting stitching.
No doubt the idea is also to provide an entry level product into the Snickers brand in the hope that those new customers might develop a taste for it. It is always easier to get people to trade up when they have made the initial decision to buy. It is a marketing strategy used by premium brands the world over. The Snickers idea is also to broaden the appeal of work-trousers in general and bring in trades that might not have considered the benefits of work-trousers. Will they succeed in luring those bricklayers and plasterers away from their ‘trackie bottoms’ into something more professional and fit for purpose? That remains to be seen but trades dealing with the public such as plumbers and electricians have long recognised the value of looking the part when they turn up on a job. A professional appearance not only builds customer confidence it also has a positive influence on the way you work.
Sniickers Core 12
To this end the Snickers Core Range works in conjunction with the new Generation Trouser range, available through specialist outlets, to encourage the building industry to become more professional, something we at Skill Builder have been talking about for years. Clothes maketh the man or the woman as the saying goes. I was reminded of this last year when I came across a lad who had bought two pairs of cheap work trousers out of the dump bin only to find that the zip failed on both pairs within a few weeks. He told me he would like to buy Snickers but couldn’t afford them.
I wondered at the time how many more cheap pairs he would buy before he decided to trade up. Maybe, just maybe, he will see the Snickers Core range hanging in his local merchant and step up to the plate. Personally I think there is a good chance of it happening because buying work-wear at a builders merchant, as opposed to a specialist work-wear outlet or tool distributor is always likely to be more of an impulse purchase. We sling a pair of trousers on the bill when we are buying materials for a big job and it is a painless purchase and gradually we raise our eyes from the dump bin to something better. At least some of us do. The others just buy safety pins in bulk.

Award winning kneepad

Roger Bisby
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Award winning kneepad

A non-foam based, pocketed safety kneepad which maintains its maximum cushioning effect throughout consecutive or prolonged use, can help prevent up to six months down time through knee injury according to the product’s manufacturer.

The claim comes from Cliff Lockyer, CEO of Redbacks Cushioning, the Daventry, Northamptonshire based manufacturers of the UK designed, ‘Redbacks’ cushioning kneepad which won SATRA’s ‘Best Innovation in Occupational PPE Award’.

“It is vital to have the correct knee protection in the workplace in order to avoid long-term pain and discomfort and prevent expensive down time loss of earnings” says Lockyer.

there are currently over 104,000 annually registered knee replacement operations in the UK alone, 50% of which are accredited to occupational hazards

“Based on the fact that there are currently over 104,000 annually registered knee replacement operations in the UK alone, 50% of which are accredited to occupational hazards, in the next 10 years the total figure will exceed over a million people in the UK, many of whom will have damaged knees through inadequate protection whilst kneeling”.

“In addition to the unnecessary pain and suffering, both the employed and the self-employed risk losing their income through injury, and the prospect of litigation will be a real threat to employers for not providing the best possible safety measures for their employees”

Cushioning technology

The kneepad features a soft and flexible TPE (Thermo Plastic Elastomer) leaf-spring set within a unique honeycomb matrix. The ‘Redbacks Cushioning Technology’ is said to distribute body weight evenly, elevating the knees to relieve back pain and reduce pressure on knee, leg, ankle and foot joints, while minimising the risk of possible injury from sharp or penetrating objects.  For more information about Redbacks kneepads and to order visit www.redbackscushioning.com or email:sales@redbackscushioning.com or telephone: 01327 702104

Sparky paddle mixer review

Roger Bisby
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Sparky paddle mixer review

Roger Bisby takes a first look at the 240 V Paddle Mixer from  Sparky.

Sparky is a  power tool manufacturer from Bulgaria that also rebadges many of its products for other power tool companies. So if you see something very similar to this paddle mixer this could be because it is a Sparky tool in another colour and probably at a different price.

With paddle mixers you need a decent size motor. The motor in this tool is rated at just over 1000 watts depending on whether it is in 110 or 240 volts so that produces a lot of torque, hence the two handles. This is a bit smaller than some paddle mixers on the market in terms of wattage and I would suggest you would only want to mix a bag of Hardwall at a time.

I have heard of people burning the switches out on paddle mixers and being very scathing about this tool because it is low priced. A thousand watt motor is drawing a lot of current and if you continuously overload it and draw excess current through the switch it will cause it to heat up. There are three ways to avoid this. One is to put a big copper heat sink on the switch, the second is to use electronic protection to cut the motor off and the third is to rely on the operator using the tool with some sensitivity. The bottom line is that if you have a labourer who can’t learn the art of mixing gently and gradually by adding the powder a half bag at time you need to buy an expensive paddle mixer and by expensive I mean one costing twice as much as this one from Sparky.

If however you use this mixer intelligently it will stay the course and give you good service.

We have sent it out on site for some prolonged testing and will bring you an update in a couple of months.

Update

Six months down the line it is still going strong and, since the demise of Ian’s larger Bosch mixer he is using this for everything. We told him not to but he is knocking the life out of it.

To Google or not to Google? That is the Question

Roger Bisby
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To Google or not to Google? That is the Question

Some years ago I was working at a house and I discovered that a boiler flue that passed through a floor void had become detached and was leaking into the floor void. I told the householder and she said that both her daughters had once used that bedroom and had become ill. They went to the doctor and he started a process of eliminating allergies. They also noticed that when they went on holiday, the headaches, sickness and drowsiness disappeared. Eventually they suspected that it might be something in the room, though they had no idea what, and when they changed bedrooms they were fine. At no point did anyone suspect mild carbon monoxide poisoning or even think of carrying out a smoke test on the boiler flue. You can understand why because the doctor was presented with the two patients in his surgery and that was his starting and finishing point.

I was reminded of this incident when talking to a close relative who had been to the doctor a number of times but didn’t seem to be getting any closer to the route of her problem. In such situations we are tempted to type in the symptoms and see what the ‘Great God Google’ can come up with. This prompted a discussion (argument) about the merits of doing your own research. Should you go to the doctor armed with theories picked up from the internet or should you sit quietly and rely on the skill and judgement of the doctor? More to the point if the doctor doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere should you give him/her a nudge in one particular direction? There is a risk here because you can seriously piss them off but what are you going to do, die out of politeness?

The problem is cultural, uncertainty equals weakness. People, particularly those in a position of power and influence, often pretend they have the answers. “Trust me I’m a doctor.” But nobody can hold all the information in their head or have enough experience to consider all the possibilities. So why do they pretend? It is pure ego. A friend of mine once told me that he makes no distinction between what is in his head and what is on Google and that, to me, is a more honest approach. It is not cheating to look the answer up. Yet I know plumbers who will not read the instruction manual in front of a customer because they believe it looks as if they don’t know what they are doing. Happily the smart phone is solving the problem for many. They can pretend they are checking emails while sneakily watching a quick video on how to remove that heat exchanger. So long as they remember to click on ‘Private Browsing’ their dirty little secret is safe.

Metabo KGS 18 LTX 216 Cordless Mitre Saw Review

Roger Bisby
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Metabo KGS 18 LTX 216 Cordless Mitre Saw Review

Roger Bisby has a look at Metabo’s new battery operated mitre table saw to see how it performs.

“Personally I have never needed the level of portability from a mitre saw that is provided by cordless technology, given the choice, I would always rather find a power supply and plug in to the mains and given the fact that you are paying a premium for that convenience and portability this saw you have to have a real need for such a tool. Given that all the major power tools companies have such an offering proves that there are enough of you out there who fit this customer profile.

“Before I look at the tool I must mention the Heavy Duty LI-ion battery which has undergone some changes lately to increase power and run time. Metabo says that this battery makes it possible to power high drain tools such as 9 inch angle grinders, chop saws and of course this sliding rail mitre saw.

“Metabo suggests that this cordless saw is equal to a mains powered machine. It certainly has the highest rpm I have come across on an 18 volt saw and I managed to get nearly 200 cuts out of it in 4 x 2 softwood.  The other point worth mentioning is that  all cordless saws  rely on a thin kerf blade which is almost an admission that despite the claims they won’t quite kick out the same level of sustained power that a mains powered machine will.

“Having said that this saw ran a lot longer than I expected. It would easily cope with all the cuts in a kitchen fit or an average room on a single battery and you get two batteries in the box so you could probably complete the best part of a second fix in a small house without having to go near a charger.

“The Metabo KGS 18 LTX 216 also beats its competitors on depth of cut (65mm) and width of cut (305mm) The no load speed is significantly higher at 4,200 rpm than other saws in its class but I have to ask how this speed is achieved? I am assuming that the gearing favours a high run speed rather than high torque.

“Despite the fact that Li-Ion has almost no drop off in power the saw did start to snatch and stall on the last few cuts presumably because the run speed slowed so it is best if you change the battery as soon as you detect any slowing down.

“The 45 pre-sets on the mitre and bevel can be over-ridden to give you a 47 degree cut and there is an easy to use depth stop with a guage for trenching and housing if you are making up your own door liners. The sliding rail allows you to do a generous 305 mm cut which should get you across a window board or door lining with ease.

“The inclusion of two safety release buttons means that the operator’s switch can be used either left or right handed which is a welcome feature. I don’t suppose there are many mitre saws out there that don’t have a laser but this saw also has a light which is very useful for precision bevelled mitre cuts.

“There are pull out supports to extend the table slightly and a removable clamp which could do with an inch more clearance on the right hand side to stop it clashing with the motor housing. I like the measuring guage on the rear fence and also on the depth stop.

“I started this review of the Metabo KGS 18 LTX 216 by saying that I have no real need of a cordless mitre saw but the battery technology and power of this machine has moved it closer to a mains powered unit than anyone would have thought possible a few years ago.  But why should consumers have to choose between those two? It  would be very easy to produce a mains powered 18 volt transformer that slides onto the battery docking point to make the saw, or any other tool on that platform, either mains powered or cordless.  Why that hasn’t happened is not hard to guess.”

Find out more about the Metabo LTX 216 Mitre Saw at www.metabo.com.

How to: Franke Laser LSX651 sink installation

Roger Bisby
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How to: Franke Laser LSX651 sink installation

The Franke Laser LSX651 has a super slim low-profile edge that beds down onto the worktop to produce a sink that is virtually flush. This will keep the customers happy, but what’s in it for the installer?

Franke claims that their clipless sink, which has a patented spring clamp in the sides, is 10 times faster to fit. Despite being given the brief to test out the time saving element of the Franke Laser I am not even going to go there. Fitting a sink is not the sort of job you should rush. Having cut the masons mitre ready for the next run of worktop the last thing I wanted was to make an error on the cut-out so I took plenty of time and double checked every measurement. There are plenty of kitchen fitters out there who would do this in their sleep but I am always slightly nervous when cutting out worktops, one tiny slip up can cost you well over a £100 so why not take a little extra time to make sure it is right.

I began cutting the aperture in situ but when I realised that I was going to cut the rail of the carcass for no good reason (because the drainer sits within a 40mm worktop) I took the whole thing outside onto a set of trestles. The 1½ bowl model is a tight fit in a 600 base unit so you always need to measure carefully.

The sink uses a unique fitting system of barbs which grip the side of the cut-out so you have to make sure the cut-out is accurate. There is only a 10mm lip so don’t whatever you do stray over the pencil line. You also need to make sure the cut-out is plumb. Probably a better bet it to use a ½ inch twin flute router. Any trouble I have had with cut-outs is always caused by using bimetal blades. I gave up using these ages ago on this sort of job because they have a mind of their own and meander like mad through a deep cut. I now use the old fashioned stiff blade. It is better to break a blade or two than to have it waving in and out on the bottom of the cut.

The verdict

The Franke Laser is a good looking sink and not having to tighten clips up and fiddle around getting them past the rail edges is a major leap forward. I like the idea and, yes, it does save time but I used that time making the cut-out perfect because the 10mm lip scared me a bit. So long as you draw around the template and leave the line you will be fine.

www.franke.com

BSS adds pump range

Dylan Garton
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BSS adds pump range

BSS, the heating and pipeline product distributer, has added a selection of quiet, reliable and robust Salamander pumps to its product range.

Whether mains- or gravity-fed, for individual items or for a whole system; the new range provides pumps to boost water pressures for both light commercial and domestic installations.

Products on offer include: HomeBoost Mains Water Pump; ESP Super Boost Packs; CT Force Pumps: and the CT Xtra Shower Pump. The entire range can be provided next day delivery.

The HomeBoost pump
The HomeBoost pump is suitable for a low mains flow supply, especially in multiple occupancy buildings. The product can be fitted directly onto the incoming mains and improves water pressure and flow either directly or indirectly via a combi boiler or mains pressure fed heating system. Where flow is between 1.5 litres per minute (lpm) and 12lpm, it will automatically intervene to increase this flow up to 12lpm.

The product offers a solution for larger housing estates or flats where the mains supply is poor, maybe only at certain times of the day or in top floor flats.

ESP Super Boost Packs
ESP Super Boost Packs are single-ended pumps designed to boost water flows to a single installation such as a combi boiler, electric shower or water heater, multiple showers or washing machines.

CT Force pumps
Designed for gravity-fed installations, CT Force pumps are available in positive head or universal (suitable for positive or negative heads) and can be single- or twin-ended to boost hot or cold water supplies, or both.

CT Xtra Shower Pumps
CT Xtra Shower Pumps, designed for positive head, gravity-fed installations are also WRAS-approved. Available as single- or twin-ended, the pumps will boost either the hot and cold water supplies or both, to thermostatic or manual shower mixer valves and a wide range of shower types and heads.

www.bssindustrial.co.uk

Worker falls through roof light

Dylan Garton
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Worker falls through roof light

A scaffolding company based in Dorset has been fined for safety failings following an incident where an employee fell through a roof light.

Weymouth Magistrates’ Court heard how Weller Scaffolding Limited of Dorset had been contracted to erect access scaffold and perimeter handrails around the roof of a small industrial unit at East Road, Bridport.

An employee of Weller Scaffolding accessed the roof which was constructed of asbestos cement with intermittent roof lights when he fell through one of the roof lights. He suffered three fractures to his face, breaks in his left arm and wrist and dislocated fingers.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the incident which occurred on 17 July 2014 was due to the work not being properly planned, or appropriately supervised which led to it being unsafe.

Weller Scaffolding Limited of Westway Business Park, Dottery Road, Bridport, Dorset, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £10,000 with £5,628 costs.

For more information on scaffolding visit: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/scaffoldinginfo.htm

Product review: Thermal Economics – Isosonic Dekfloor 30

Dylan Garton
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Product review: Thermal Economics – Isosonic Dekfloor 30

Roger Bisby takes a walk across some Isosonic Dekfloor 30 from Thermal Economics as it is being installed in a refurbishment project.

Sound insulation can be a tricky business, things that work well in the laboratory may fair less well on site. There are so many things that can undo all that design work, a nail, a screw or a badly filled service duct. Even a tiny air gap is enough to let the sound through so it is essential that the installer understands what they are trying to achieve and that the devil is always in the detail. Fortunately in the case of Thermal Economics the company has a wealth of experience and a team of good technical sales people who will guide you through the products and process.

I went out to meet one of them on a conversion project in the Midlands to see the installation of  Isosonic Dekfloor 30. The product comprises a 22mm t&g chipboard with a resilient rubber sheet that is bonded to the underside of the board. From the builders point of view the boards are glued and laid like any other chipboard floating floor. It is essential that no fixings are used and that a gap of 20mm  is left around the edge. This must  be filled with acoustic foam before the floor coverings and skirtings are fitted. The skirting boards must be fixed clear of the decking on an Iso edge 6/75 strip to prevent sound transmission into the wall.

Not your typical refurbishment
The job I went to see was perhaps not your typical refurbishment. The building is just over 200 years old and the evidence of countless changes of use was everywhere. It has stood empty for seven years but  is now about to see a new lease of life as luxury flats. In some ways it would have been quicker and easier to remove all those old floor joists and start again but shelling out a 200 year old building can often lead to problems with structural stability so leaving those huge timbers that were built into wall sockets is no bad thing. They have also done all the moving and shrinking they are ever going to do so why go through all that again.

However the problem for the builders was the floor was 70mm higher at one end of the building than the other and it went up and down a bit so they had to find the high spot and work from there using a laser level to mark and scribe the new build up laths on every single joist.  It was a demanding task but they achieved it with considerable speed and success. I am not sure how it would have worked out without a good laser but they deserved a bit of help from modern technology.

It is important that the floor has minimal deflection so getting those joists nice and level was key to success. The rubber back has far more compressive strength than PUR foam backed boards so you wouldn’t expect to see the floor bed in or settle over years. Interestingly that increased resilience doesn’t lead to sound transmission because the make up of the rubber is granular so impact noises are absorbed in a very localised area rather than across the sheet.

Efficient installation
By comparison the laying of the  Isosonic Dekfloor 30 was a piece of cake; the builders said it provided real time and cost savings over some of the multi component systems  they have use where you have to build the layers up. Apart from the fact that the rubber backing blunted the circular saw blades a little more rapidly there was really nothing else to distinguish it from ordinary floor deck. The only thing I noticed is that the rubber backing prevents it from sliding so instead of being able to kick it in as you would normally with chipboard sliding on joists they had to give it a hefty whack. It would have helped to have a couple of knocking blocks to protect the t&g.

The joints are glued in the usual manner to prevent any squeaks and also prevent airborne sound coming through. The fact that they were using existing joists meant that the board ends didn’t land on the joist. In an ordinary floor you might have trimmed them back and butted the board ends but the T&G has to be maintained. The usual practice is to build in a couple of noggings to take the board ends but as this deck was being over laid with some Gypsum board and underfloor heating topped off with some engineered oak there was no chance of those board ends receiving a point load. The very fact that they are using hardwood floors in an apartment is a testimony to the effectiveness of the system. In many flats it is a condition of the lease that you have carpets which is a tacit admission that the sound insulation isn’t that effective.

Another difference with this refurbishment was that the ceilings were very high so there was ample room beneath the first floor for a suspended ceiling, in-filled with Rockwool, In a more typical build you would suspend the ceiling directly below the joist using Isonic cleats. These have resilient rubber pads to reduce sound transmission.

Once the boards were down I had a chance to jump up and down on them and there was absolutely no detectable deflection. The  builder then had to walk some hefty steel beams across the newly laid floor and unbeknown to them I sneaked into the flat below to see what was happening on the underside of the decking. It was proof that even with a 6oo kg  steel being walked across the floor there was no noticeable compression or deflection. I can’t imagine a more extreme test but of course we have to bear in mind that these huge old joists were set at 400 centres. If they had been at 600 it could have been a different story but a 22mm board is always better than an 18mm.

www.thermal-economics.co.uk

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Hedgehog Easy Air Wedge review

Dylan Garton
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Hedgehog Easy Air Wedge review

Roger Bisby looks at the benefits of investing in an inflatable wedge which has been designed to make fixing and levelling easier.

We have looked at pump up bags fairly recently but these are called Hedgehog Easy Air Wedge from easy innovations and have a subtle difference that you can’t see from looking at them. The secret feature is a piece of stiff plastic inside the bag. This allows you to slide the bag into a very narrow gap and then, by operating the little hand pump,  you can increase the gap. They were originally a locksmiths (and thieves) tools for forcing a gap in a door. Back in the day when you flicked a button to get into a car you could open a gap in the door and slip in your wire coat hanger. Before you accuse me of corrupting the nation’s youth this is no secret on the streets and a brick through the side window is now the preferred method.

The secret feature is a piece of stiff plastic inside the bag. This allows you to slide the bag into a very narrow gap and then, by operating the little hand pump,  you can increase the gap.

Now the use for Air Wedges is generally more law abiding; window fitters use them for centring a window and they are also useful for carpenters putting in door liners. I used them recently to lift a bi-fold sliding door that had dropped slightly on its hinges. The amount of weight they will lift is remarkable and you can lift or shift by tiny fractions  so you get exactly the right adjustment. We are talking precision here which is unusual in the building industry.

The bags are available in singles as well as sets of four and the price is very competitive even though they are very well made and tough as old boots.  If you have looked at these bags in the past and not been sure if you need them then the lower price may change your mind. Quite honestly once you have them they make so many jobs quicker and easier that they pay  you back almost daily. Gone are the days when you have to stick a pry bar in against that new hardwood frame and risk damaging it.

www.easyinnovations.co.uk/products/easy-air-wedge

panasonic action 050

Construction Company Guilty of Bricklayer’s Death

Dylan Garton
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Construction Company Guilty of Bricklayer’s Death

A Cheshire construction company has been prosecuted following a fatal accident in 2011 at a site in Wimslow.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Edgemere Projects Ltd of Tarporley, Cheshire, was the main contractor at a construction site in Wilmslow.

On the 7th January 2011, Andrew Dytiche aged 23, sustained fatal crush injuries when a pack of bricks fell on him.

An HSE investigation found that the storage of materials was poorly organised and pallets used to store and move bricks around the site were also in poor condition.

Edgemere Projects Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) & 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £97,500 with £300,000 costs.

HSE Principal Inspector Neil Jamieson said: “This was a tragic accident which could have been prevented had the company ensured that materials on the site were stored and stacked safely”.

See more information at the HSE.

See more on safety failings with Skill Builder.

Cuts almost anything

Dylan Garton
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0
Cuts almost anything

Husqvarna has introduced the  VARI-CUTTM blade, a cost efficient premium diamond blade designed to cut almost anything a general contractor comes across on a workday including pipe, steel rebar, bricks, blocks and concrete slabs.

No need to switch blades

The versatile, fast and durable diamond blade is launched as a universal blade, combining a wide application window with fast cutting speed and good life.

The blade combines different segment types: 10mm Turbo segments for increased cutting speed and 10mm straight segments for increased tool life.

VARI-CUT series

VARI-CUTTM is also designed with safety in mind. The blade complies with the European Safety Standard EN13236. Additionally, VARI-CUTTM is equipped with a perforated core that allows optimal cooling of the blade, and with angled gullets, designed in such a way that they protect the blade against cracks. This makes the blade suitable for both dry and wet cutting applications.

The VARI-CUT series consists of:

• Husqvarna VARI-CUT: For optimal cutting performance in most construction materials.

• Husqvarna VARI-CUT Turbo: For optimal cutting performance in harder construction materials like granite or hard concrete.

• Husqvarna VARI-CUT Plus: For optimal cutting performance in abrasive construction materials like abrasive blocks and asphalt.

Read the Skill Builder review of the Husqvarna VARI-CUTTM blade.

www.husqvarna.com

Dunlop releases rapid-drying filler

Dylan Garton
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0
Dunlop releases rapid-drying filler

Dunlop has launched a brand new rapid-drying filler as an addition to its Pro Décor range.

Now available at builders and decorators merchants across the country, Rapid Rescue Repair Filler, with Hydroloc is suitable for quick fix or emergency repairs.

Available in 1kg bags, the rapid-drying filler helps decorators sort out the multitude of problems often faced before applying paint or wallpaper without having to wait hour or days to complete a job.

Fully dry and hard in 90 minutes, whatever the temperature or conditions, Rapid Rescue is useful for filling chases, cracks around doors and coving, large cracks and holes. It can be used internally or externally, on the majority of backgrounds from plasterboard to concrete steps, to reliably fill and repair damage up to 50mm deep.

Hydroloc technology

Rapid Rescue contains Hydroloc technology which works by using the mix water as part of a chemical reaction to dry the filler instead of relying on water evaporation. This means that the product dries quickly and evenly regardless of thickness. After 20 minutes the product starts to begin its hardening process and can be easily cut or carved – useful for repairing a missing piece of skirting board.

Once dry and hard, the rapid-drying filler can be sanded down, but you can also simply smooth it over with a damp sponge to achieve a perfect finish due to its super-fine formulation.

www.dunloptrade.com

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