PHPI heads to Northern Eire to tour Warmflow’s HQ & manufacturing facility in Lisburn, uncover extra concerning the firm’s roots and to try its newest heating options for the UK market and past.
Warmflow is a number one heating equipment producer with a portfolio of options spanning Liquid Gas Boilers, Heat Air Heaters, Floor Supply Warmth Pumps, Cylinders and Air Supply Warmth Pumps. Based mostly in Lisburn, Northern Eire at its 150,000 sq. foot facility, the corporate is well-known all through the area and is increasing throughout the UK. In truth, its attain goes proper world wide, with clients throughout Europe and as-far-a-field as Canada, New Zealand and the Falkland Islands.
The corporate can also be increasing nearer to house, with its GB facility, at the moment in Telford, quickly to get replaced because it strikes operations to Shrewsbury and a bigger website, all a part of a multi-million pound funding.
Heating focus
Established in 1968, as Castlereagh Sheet Steel, over its historical past the corporate has manufactured all the things from gun cupboards to metallic urinals, however for a while Warmflow has centered on heating home equipment and is especially identified for its oil boilers.
Seven years in the past the corporate fully redesigned its oil boiler introducing a brand new vary referred to as Agentis. Brian Beattie, Director of GB Gross sales and Advertising and marketing at Warmflow, stated: “After we re-launched the Agentis oil vary, it was fully a radical change, not simply an evolution, it’s fully totally different, the dimensions is totally different, the place the parts are is totally different, all the things about it’s totally different.”
The transfer delivered a sturdy equipment and decreased guarantee points considerably. Since then, the vary has been modified and improved. Warmflow consists of quite a few extra objects with the Agentis boiler that installers usually have to supply individually. Included is a filter, oil valves, strain lowering valve and shock arrestor. Throughout the Agentis vary there’s additionally a PRO model with additional choices. The strikes are designed to help installers as a lot as doable, lowering complexity and set up time.
Renewable future
With the market transferring towards Low Carbon Heating options the Agentis Liquid Gas vary could be run on HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), a renewable gas which can be utilized as a substitute to grease. Neil Rumbold, GB Renewables Supervisor at Warmflow described HVO as, “a game-changer”.
Nonetheless, to supply shoppers and installers a broad vary of renewable heating choices the corporate has additionally delivered to market each Floor Supply Warmth Pumps and Air Supply Warmth Pumps (ASHP), along with Warmth Pump Cylinders.
The corporate’s Zeno R290 ASHP is available in three sizes, 9, 15 and 22kW all of which absolutely modulate. The R290 refrigerant has a low World Warming Potential (GWP) of three and may warmth water as much as 75°C. It has a modern anthracite end and sound ranges as little as 41dB.
A serving to hand
Shifting to putting in Warmth Pumps could be a daunting prospect for some installers. To assist Warmflow has 10 coaching places throughout the UK to assist present installers with the required data.
Moreover, it offers its ‘Warmth Pump Help+’ programme, which makes use of an MCS umbrella scheme to assist installers ship a MCS accredited set up with out the should be MCS accredited. Brian Beattie famous: “the umbrella firm, working with us, will do system design, on-site help, onsite commissioning, holding [an installer’s] hand proper from begin to end.”
Take management
To assist installers fee, service and preserve its Zeno Warmth Pumps the corporate has developed Warmlink. By way of a SIM card, which has a five-year SIM plan and could be prolonged on the finish of the interval, Warmlink offers engineers with management of the warmth pump. Neil Rumbold famous: “You bought full operation of the warmth pump. It’s extra for the installer and our tech help reasonably than the top person.”
He continued: “There’s a learn solely setting, a service engineer setting and a senior service engineer setting. You’ll be able to have full distant diagnostics. So long as there’s energy to the unit you are able to do all the things from there.”
Utilizing the distant diagnostics, points or faults could be investigated previous to a help go to, saving time for installers, and particularly journey time which could be important problem in rural areas.
Scorching water
Supporting the corporate’s Warmth Pumps is the Nero vary of Warmth Pump Cylinders with sizes from 170L to 290L. The cylinders come pre-assembled, are made out of duplex chrome steel and are MCS compliant.
Nero Warmth Pump cylinders are barely totally different from another cylinders as they don’t have a coil. Neil Rumbold defined: “Usually you’d have a coil within the cylinder to provide the water temperature. We use a warmth exchanger on the aspect and a shunt pump. In order that pump strikes the entire physique of water and also you get actually quick restoration.”
Keep linked
To additional help installers the corporate additionally has a loyalty programme, Warmflow Join. Neil Rumbold defined the scheme, “helps to get merchandise registered, it prompts ensures, plus there are different goodies on there.”
He defined how one buyer lately received £200 vouchers for a well known espresso store. These had been cut up throughout quite a few playing cards and handed out to fitters throughout the corporate, who may then get ‘free’ espresso within the morning on the best way to a job.
Nicely positioned
With a brand new GB facility beneath improvement and a wide range of low-carbon heating home equipment, together with each floor supply and air supply warmth pumps, Warmflow is nicely positioned to help installers seeking to specify and match a spread of heating options.
Summing up Warmflow’s place Brian Beattie stated: “We’re continuously innovating and transferring our merchandise ahead. We solely use premium market main parts and we’ve an important gross sales help groups.”
Photos: Warmflow