Sometimes the simplest things make the biggest splash and a new Drain Water Heat Recovery gadget called the ‘Power-Pipe’ is doing just that.

Using a cylinder of copper coils that wrap around drainpipes and outlets, the device traps heat from outgoing water and transfers it to incoming water, heating it up before the hot water tank kicks in.

Developed by Waterloobased RenewAbility Energy in Canada, the device is being hailed as a major addition to smart energy use.

In fact an independent study by Natural Resources Canada showed that the copper coils reduced the energy in natural gas water heating by up to 35%-a cost saving of roughly $200 per year there.

And apart from extending the life of a hot water tank because it subsidizes the heating of water, it’s also estimated the Power-Pipe can reduce around one ton of greenhouse gas emissions per household.

The device has been an instant hit and is already sold in Canada, the US and Europe, with plans to release it in Australia and Asia.

Lots of mainstream building companies have been quick to offer it in new homes in Canada and the US because it is not only easy to install, but helps toward meeting residential energy rating systems in both countries.

Learn more about it at www.renewability.com

Is Your Plumber The Best Medicine?

With major diseases like Swine Flu on the rise, there’s new interest in how our plumbing may help stop the spread of infection.

Breakdowns in plumbing and drainage systems have in fact been linked to the outbreaks of Swine Flu in Mexico, the SARS virus in China, and Foot & Mouth in the UK in just the last few years.

While these have often occurred in commercial operations, the vulnerability of domestic plumbing from cross-connections and backflow are also of concern.

In the US recent figures there showed that 30 percent of water borne illness were caused by contamination in the distribution systems, with more than half due directly to cross-connections and backflow.

Old systems, plumbing not up to modern standards, leaks and amateur home renovations are seen as the major cause.

The improvement in home plumbing and drainage is often cited as the most powerful reason that death, and illness rates from water related disease fell so dramatically in the 20th Century.

“Work done to the right standards by licensed plumbers is such an important message to get out there,” John Fennell from the Copper Development Centre Australia said.

“It’s such a simple and effective line of defense against disease, but it’s often ignored. Of course putting in systems that stay reliable and don’t leak like copper is also important.”

According to Mr Fennell copper pipes could also have a secret hygienic weapon given science keeps proving that copper actively fights bacteria and viruses like Swine Flu.

“Better plumbing has proven to be one of the best passive ways to prevent illness and it now looks like copper is an added barrier,” John Fennell said.

Solar Copper Keeps It Nice

While solar energy may be the hot new trend, all those panels on the roof turn some people off, but one company thinks it has the answer.

Finnish based Luvata has developed the Nordic Solar System to turn any home into one vast sun harvester. By using patinated copper on the ooutside, with a hidden solar thermal energy system on the underside, all the heat transfer takes place behind the buildings’ copper envelope.

The company, which has office all around the world including Singapore, Thailand, China and Malaysia, says the product has struck a chord with architects who often want a solar solution that doesn’t impact their designs.

The Luvata Nordic Solar system is compatible with any of Luvata’s prefabricated copper panels, profiles and cassettes and is available in a wide variety of colours-from patinated green copper to shades of blue and brown.

“Patination on copper significantly increases the solar energy capture when compared with natural copper,” a company spokesman said. “It’s an excellent choice when customers want a solar thermal solution without foregoing aesthetics.”

The performance of the Nordic Solar system is based on the natural properties of copper-excellent thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and long life cycle.

The Nordic Solar System is tailor-made to meet the architect’s exact specifications of a building. The system offers a high degree of prefabrication for quick and easy installation, which can be critical in meeting tight construction schedules.

More detail at www.luvata.com

Built In Fire Prevention

With most of north-eastern Australia once again facing a tough summer, home fire sprinkler systems-particularly in copper-are looking like money well spent.

In fact it’s a market that’s expected to grow rapidly in the next few years. The US made sprinklers mandatory in new homes in 2008, a move that many in the building and fire services industries would like to see echoed here.

Some steps have already been taken to push the market along locally. Just last year Standards Australia, the country’s top standards agency, agreed that plumbers could now install home fire sprinklers and use the domestic water supply to do it.

That move cut the cost of installing stand-alone systems by about $4,000, which the agency called the “most reliable method of fire protection available” when it released standard AS 2118.5-2008.

Each year there are around 10,000 residential fires in Australia, causing more than 1,500 injuries and 70 deaths-with an accidental house fire starting every 28 minutes.  

Strangely enough fire sprinklers have been common in commercial spaces for some time, but the move into the residential market has been slow despite the risk of fire being much higher.

In the US the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition suggests that price is no longer an issue, estimating that they add only 1 to 1.5 percent of the total building costs and help to cut insurance premiums.

Of course there are all sorts of systems out there, but copper has sparked more interest of late here in Australia given how some of them performed in the recent Victorian bushfires.

For a start copper's resistance to corrosion means less build up inside tubes and so there’s no need to oversize them to compensate for diminished flow capacity as there is with say steel.

With superior flow, system designers can incorporate several economies that help keep costs down, including a reduction in cross and feed main sizing, and an increase in the permitted number of sprinklers.

Copper, unlike plastics, also does not deteriorate and so water-carrying capacity remains effective throughout the life of the system under normal and extreme environmental conditions, such as wide temperature ranges and fire itself.

A fan of copper

“Copper’s for keeps” is a phrase that plumber and TAFE teacher, Grant Stewart, uses to sum up the benefits of copper.

“You’ll get 50 years out of it at the very least. I have worked in places in the world where I have seen screwing gauge copper that is 100 years old. Unlike plastic tube, with copper tube you can always extend it or solder something over it regardless of its size.”

There would be few that would question Grant’s judgement when it comes to all things plumbing. Having won a bronze medal for plumbing at the International WorldSkills competition in Switzerland in 1997, Grant has lent his expertise to subsequent WorldSkills competitions.

This year he mentored NSW apprentice, Tyson Knight, to victory as a silver medallist in the recent WorldSkills International competition in Canada – it was the first time an Australian had taken out a medal in plumbing since Grant’s win in 1997.

Taking a break from his six-year teaching job at TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus, Grant is currently travelling around Australia in a caravan, picking up odd plumbing jobs and teaching stints as he goes.

When we spoke to Grant he was in Darwin, lecturing at the university after having been on the road for 18 months.
“I’m teaching the gas module at the moment”, he says “so it’s copper all the way”.

He admits that not all plumbers share his enthusiasm for copper, and many of the apprentices he teaches have only ever worked with plastic.

“I have noticed with a lot of my students that don’t know how to use pair of benders, which was the first thing I learnt as a 16-year-old plumbing apprentice. I really concentrate on teaching these skills and I tell my students that if there is an opportunity for them to use copper on the job, they should get in and have a go – knowing how to work with copper is an invaluable skill they will use again and again in the future.”

“I’m doing a job on the weekend with hot and cold pipes, and I am going to use copper. I told the client “copper’s for keeps!”

Colour your Kitchen

Copper’s germ fighting reputation could see copper become the next trend in plumbing fixtures for kitchens and bathrooms.

There’s a growing interest in copper sinks, taps, bench tops and range hoods, as the word spreads about copper’s ability to kill bacteria.

Copper’s antimicrobial benefit is a key reason for choosing it over stainless steel. While bacteria can survive on stainless steel sink or taps for several days, the same cannot be said for copper, which generates compounds that instantly kill bacteria.

With copper plumbing fixtures in your kitchen and bathroom, the germs won’t build up and become a health hazard.
One of Australia’s largest suppliers of architectural copper finishes, Copperform Australia says they’re seeing a rise in people choosing copper for kitchens.

“We’re getting consumers starting to choose copper for bench tops and range hoods in their kitchens”, Nick Stewart from Copperform Australia said.

“Customers seem to be attracted to both the long life qualities of copper and alloys, and the visual statement it makes.”

This visual statement isoften referred to in terms of ‘natural beauty’ and ‘warmth’, a reference to the reddish browns and gold hues that characterise copper.

Since copper matures with age, your copper sink or kitchen range hood will look even better a few years after it is installed. This greenish film or patina – that forms on copper with exposure to moisture and air – adds to the uniqueness of the look.

Check out sites like coppersink.com and ebay.com.au for leads on copper plumbing fixtures for the kitchen and bathroom.