ELCO Heating Solutions welcomes new UK Sales Manager

Stuart Turner has been appointed as National Sales Manager for ELCO Heating Solutions. Having worked in the commercial heating industry for over 35 years, he has a wealth of experience and knowledge in all aspects of the sector.

Stuart – who took up his role at the start of 2019 – has joined the company from commercial boiler manufacturer Hamworthy Heating, where he held the role of National Sales Manager since 2008.

In his new role, Stuart will be responsible for growing market share and developing new business for ELCO with consultants, contractors and installers throughout the UK. With a sharp focus on training and customer care, he is confident of making major inroads with the ELCO brand, as he explained: “I’m incredibly excited by the opportunities available for the company over the coming years. Our portfolio of products is already really strong, but we also have many new developments in the pipeline, which are sure to make a big impression over the coming years.”

He continued: “The UK commercial boiler market is a competitive one, but there are very few companies that can offer the full service available from ELCO. So, for me, it’s a new challenge and a great opportunity to help expand the business over the coming years, and I’m confident we can deliver significant growth while developing customer relationships up and down the country.”

Outside of work, Stuart is a keen motorsport enthusiast who enjoys track days on both two and four wheels. He also likes to regularly skydive and getting out on the water in his kayak.

For more information about ELCO Heating Solutions, please visit: www.elco.co.uk
You can follow ELCO on Twitter @elco_uk or connect on LinkedIn
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Futurebuild 2019 – launchpad of an exciting new venture

Closer collaboration between RCM, SPSenvirowall and SPS Facades will see the sister companies jointly exhibiting at Futurebuild 2019 at London’s ExCel on 5th -7th March on stand D72.

Futurebuild 2019 was chosen as the ideal venue to announce the greater integration between RCM, SPSenvirowall and SPS Facades. All three companies are part of the Benx group.

Futurebuild, which is held at ExCel, London on 5th – 7th March is the evolution of Ecobuild. The show is a unique destination for visitors to gain unrivalled insights and hands-on experience around the latest innovations, products and materials.

Following on from last years’ successful event, RCM has decided to once again showcase its portfolio of building boards, facades, airtightness solutions and complete through wall solutions; this time joined by SPSenvirowall and SPS Facades.

SPS Facades

By working closer together the three companies will open up a joint portfolio of high-quality innovative products and services meeting the needs of different sectors across the construction industry. Customers will be able to choose from a vast array of products for the building envelope.

To celebrate this new and exciting venture, a brand new shared 50sqm exhibition stand has been specially commissioned. The eye-catching stand will showcase 360-degree interactive displays from both RCM and SPS, comprising a selection of their joint portfolio materials. A certified 120-minute fire-rated through wall solution will also be on display.

Visitors will be able to inspect these displays to get a better idea of how different products integrate with each other to form a solution.

Dynamic Cladding, offered exclusively by SPS Facades and RCM’s popular Supertech Weatherboard cladding will also be featured, highlighting some of the great choice of façade options available.

As part of product development for 2019 RCM will introduce a number of products including a cassette system and aluminium planking at the show.

SPSenvirowall will showcase its new Cavity System 1 & Cavity System 2. Cavity systems are extensively used on lightweight framed structures to create a void between the cladding and the sheathed framed structure. SPSenvirowall’s CS systems 1 & 2 are the next generation of this solution. Cavity System 2 with flexible brick slips has recently been awarded a KIWA BDA certificate, achieving the EU reaction to fire rating of A2 – s1, d0.

SPSenvirowall

“RCM are very much looking forward to exhibiting at Futurebuild 2019. These are exciting times for RCM and our sister companies SPSenvirowall and SPS Facades. Our closer integration will benefit our customers by being able to offer a much greater choice of solutions. As our products are compatible with each other, the range of services we will be able to offer will greatly reduce the complexity of the customer’s supply chain.

Another great advantage of this collaboration is the ability to offer combined logistics, utilising nationwide depots, allowing for just-in-time deliveries, thereby gaining greater flexibility.

We look forward to the show and the chance to welcome visitors to our stand D72”.   (Ian Quinton, Managing Director, RCM)

“SPSenvirowall and SPS Facades are pleased to be exhibiting alongside sister company RCM at Futurebuild 2019. We will be showcasing our range of external wall insulation products, including a new range of class A fire rated products with render and brick finishes that meet all the requirements of the revised building regulations”.   (Mitch Gee – Commercial Director, SPSenvirowall)

For further information please visit our website www.buildingboards.co.uk
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Excellence in unity at The Heath School with Kingspan

Kingspan Kooltherm K103 Floorboard has been installed as part of a new, three-storey block at The Heath School – helping to bring existing specialisms together under one roof.

The building, designed by Ryder, was constructed to accommodate up to 1,050 pupils and 200 sixth form students. By replacing the old structure with state-of-the-art, climate-controlled classrooms and improved facilities, the school could aim to raise their OFSTED rating to ‘Truly Exceptional’. 1,720 m2 of Kingspan Kooltherm K103 Floorboard was specified for the ground floor with a further 605 m2 of Kingspan Thermapitch TP10 installed within the roof construction to help the school towards its target of a BREEAM rating ‘Very Good’.

Gareth Callen, Partner at Ryder, discussed the specification:

“It was essential that building materials were tried and tested in addition to having excellent thermal performance and the Kingspan Insulation products met these requirements. The Kingspan Insulation products helped us to minimise the building’s energy consumption.”

The school was planned using passive design features that could be successfully implemented within budget. Kingspan Kooltherm K103 Floorboard has a thermal conductivity of just 0.018 W/m·K across all thicknesses, making it the most thermally efficient insulation products commonly used. This allowed room heights to be maximised without compromising the fabric performance of the building. Both Kingspan Insulation products installed on the building have been assigned a Green Guide Rating of A+, contributing towards the award of credits within the BREEAM assessments.

The Kingspan insulation boards were delivered to site ready to install and were also easy to handle, which meant little disruption to the parts of the school still operating during construction. The lightweight fibre-free core is non-deleterious, and the boards can be cut to size with a sharp knife or fine-toothed saw, making it quick to fit. This allowed the contractors to mitigate some of the concerns of residents who were worried about access constraints and traffic build-ups in an already busy area.

All Kingspan Kooltherm, Therma and KoolDuct insulation products and cavity closers manufactured at Kingspan Insulation’s facilities in Pembridge and Selby are certified to BES 6001 (Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products) ‘Excellent’. The products are manufactured with a blowing agent that has zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and low Global Warming Potential (GWP).

For further information, please contact: Tel: 01544 387 384 Email: info@kingspaninsulation.co.uk Website: www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk
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The consultant’s new best friend: Domus Ventilation launches Specification Guide

Domus Ventilation, part of the Polypipe group, has launched an in-depth Specification Guide, covering its full range of award winning, energy efficient ventilation products for the domestic and light commercial markets, plus Best Practice Guides drawing on the company’s extensive knowledge in the ventilation sector.

The new 108 page Specification Guide has been developed by Domus Ventilation’s in-house Technical Department to support consultant’s specifications and text data. It forms part of the company’s comprehensive strategy to return to the specification sector, accompanied by free technical and design services, a dedicated National Specification Sales Manager, a free of charge BIM library for all products and an imminent CIBSE CPD accreditation.

The full range of Domus Ventilation products are included within the new Specification, Guide, including the recently released high performance HRXE Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and the highly energy-efficient CMX Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) units; including the brand new CMX-MULTI which boasts the best Specific Fan Power (SFP) on the market. Domus Ventilation’s industry leading ducting systems are also featured, along with its range of intermittent extract fans.

Domus Ventilation has a well-deserved reputation for quality, supported by excellent technical support, from a market leading manufacturer and designer. It is well placed to offer immediate, practical solutions to Building Regulations Parts F & L.

The new Specification Guide, along with detailed product datasheets are available to download from www.domusventilation.co.uk.
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Advanced Panels Recognised with FM Approvals Diamond Mark

Axis EN and MxPro 5 fire panels from global systems leader, Advanced, have been certified by FM Approvals to the EN 54 standard, becoming the first UK-manufactured fire alarm control panels to attain this accreditation

The FM APPROVED diamond is one of the most prestigious certification marks in the world. It is issued by FM Approvals, a member of the FM Global Group, for products that adhere to the highest property conservation standards in quality, technical integrity and performance. It is a mark of quality and performance that is relevant for any engineer, specifier or building owner wishing to install fire systems that meet the highest property conservation standards.

Advanced’s products lead the market in performance, quality and ease-of-use and the company has been at the forefront of standards leadership for decades across many of the 80 countries it operates in. As well as holding FM Approval for EN54 Parts 2 & 4, the Axis EN and MxPro 5 fire panels were among the first to obtain EN54 Part 13 from VdS. The FM Approval of Advanced’s fire panels also included an inspection of Advanced’s manufacturing sites as it moves into its state-of-the-art HQ in Newcastle in the North East of England. The MxPro 5 and Axis EN labels and branding are being updated with the FM certification in early 2019.

John Newton, Head of Products at Advanced, said: “Receiving FM Approval for our Axis EN and MxPro 5 fire panels is a proud moment for everyone at Advanced and is significant for all of our customers and partners. It further differentiates Advanced as a business that has achieved high standards in fire systems quality, technical integrity and performance globally. That difference is significant, and it means that companies across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa now have access to our industry-leading range of MxPro 5 and Axis EN products.”

The MxPro 5 multi-protocol panel and Axis EN systems panel are certified to EN54 Parts 2, 4 & 13 and come in one-to-eight-loop variants as standard, with further custom build options available. Both product ranges are easily configured into high speed, 200-panel networks, covering huge areas with tens of thousands of field devices. They include high performance features such as Advanced’s complete false alarm reduction software, AlarmCalm, and TouchControl, Advanced’s control and touchscreen repeaters that feature Active Maps and zone plans. Advanced are specified from the smallest to the largest buildings globally including in some of the most prestigious developments such as; The Shard in London, Abu Dhabi’s International Airport and Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia.

FM Approvals is an international leader in third-party testing and certification services for property loss prevention products and services for use in commercial and industrial facilities to verify they meet rigorous loss prevention standards of quality, technical integrity and performance. FM Approvals employs a worldwide certification process that is backed by scientific research and testing, and over a century of experience. The FM APPROVED mark is recognized and respected worldwide.

Advanced’s Axis EN and MxPro 5 fire panels are now listed in FM Approvals’ on-line Approval Guide which houses real-time information about tens of thousands of products and services certified by FM Approvals.

Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. The legendary performance, quality and ease of use of its products sees Advanced specified in locations all over the world, from single panel installations to large, multi-site networks. Advanced’s products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control, fire paging and false alarm management systems.

For further information please visit uk.advancedco.com
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Altro now recommended supplier for Procure22

Altro has been appointed as a recommended supplier of Wall & Door Protection by the PSCPs on the Department of Health & Social Care’s ProCure22 Framework for NHS and social care construction schemes in England. Altro wall and door systems, including Altro Whiterock and Altro Fortis systems, are recommended for use throughout healthcare environments.

The ProCure22 (P22) process is designed to achieve improved value for money and reduce exposure to risk through a simplified capital procurement procedure.

With up to 20 year product guarantees, Altro can ensure healthcare environments provide an impervious and hygienic environment, meeting the stringent requirements in critical hygiene areas. With up to 43 colour choices and new Altro Whiterock wall designs, a warm and welcoming environment can be created to reduce stress and improve patient and staff wellbeing.

Altro

Altro also provides a wide selection of floor solutions that can be used in all areas of healthcare environments, including specialist safety solutions for areas of high slip risk including bathrooms and kitchens.

Altro is the only walls manufacturer on the P22 supplier list to have been awarded DSDC accreditation and is the only walls and doors manufacturer to have HACCP approval for wall and floor products.

“Altro pioneered hygienic wall sheets and we have over 35 years of experience providing these solutions in healthcare environments, including many projects within the NHS and social care,” says Mark Johnstone, Head of Commercial – UK, Middle East & Ireland. “We are proud our wall and door solutions have been recognised as a cost- effective and durable solution for healthcare, which supports our commitment to creating environments that are designed for the wellbeing of everyone who uses them.”

The following products are included in the P22 standard components list:

  • Altro Whiterock White
  • Altro Whiterock Satins
  • Altro Whiterock Chameleon
  • Altro Whiterock wall designs
  • Altro Whiterock Splashbacks
  • Altro Fortis Titanium
  • Altro Fortis corner protection
  • Altro Basis
  • Altro Whiterock Digiclad
  • Altro Whiterock hygienic Doorsets

This award is valid until October 2020.

For further information please visit www.altro.co.uk
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A world of possibilities with Vicaima doors

The eagerly anticipated 2019 edition of the Vicaima Interior Door Selector (IDS) has now arrived, with an array of products designed to inspire creative interiors for modern living.   Whether for homes, commercial environments, health or educational establishments, Vicaima offers original style coupled with outstanding performance.

The 2019 IDS provides specifiers and distributors with an easy to navigate, priced guide through a myriad of styles and finishes that demonstrate the sheer breadth of possibilities available with Vicaima interior doors and doorsets. All doors are available in a variety of constructional cores, extensive choice of dimensions and of course a colour palette that allows real creative flair for new build and refurbishment projects. Whether the vision calls for wood veneers displaying their natural specie or stained in a contemporary tone, originally designed laminates and innovative foils or even a spectrum of paint lacquers; Vicaima has one of the most comprehensive selections available.

Vicaima

As if 80 pages of door models were not enough, the Vicaima 2019 Interior Door Selector goes one step further, offering a wide assortment of additional modifications.   Vicaima customisation provides the opportunity to select a door of choice from any of their Essential ex-stock solid core designs and to transform them with grooves, inlays and glazing plus many other factory servicing options. Effectively this creates thousands of additional doors patterns, all available with shorter lead times than conventional bespoke doors.

Download a copy of the 2019 Interior Door Selector today by visiting the Vicaima website www.vicaima.com. Alternatively call 01793 532333 for further possibilities.
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Weber multi-coat render system for stunning new build home

An architecturally designed new build home completed recently in County Cork utilises high performance weberend MT multi-coat render system by Saint-Gobain Weber. Designed by award-winning practice Simply Architecture, of Cork City, this contemporary property is a timber frame construction manufactured by ECO Timber Frame, Carrigaline, Cork.

Gareth Sullivan, who is principal architect at Simply Architecture, designed the property for his own family and project managed the build. The brief was to design an energy efficient family home that incorporated innovative construction methods to overcome the challenges of a problematic site. Simply Architecture is an RIAI and RIBA accredited practice excelling in well-crafted bespoke projects. Gareth is also a Certified Passive House Designer.

Gareth comments: “Our family home (1900sq ft) is set into a very difficult small and steeply sloping site in Douglas. The site is compromised by three existing wayleaves which allows access to service pipes that restrict the area available to a small wedge shaped space. As a result there were many failed planning applications by a previous owner. The solution proposed maximising the unconventional shaped footprint with a split level form.” Essentially the property had to be energy efficient and use systems that made it easier to build on this challenging site. As a result a timber frame construction was chosen with a cement board and a multi-coat render system.

The Passive House certified timber frame system created by ECO Timber Frame, which typically uses 90% less energy than conventional construction designs, includes key features of high thermal insulation and very low U-values with almost no thermal bridging. A very high level of air-tightness, passive gains utilising solar panels, and a MHRV – mechanical heat recovery ventilation system – are incorporated in the design. Walls are insulated within the timber structure with much of the fabrication work carried out off-site helping to reduce time and costs during the early build programme. Overall this contributes to greater project efficiencies, easier access, a cleaner and tidier site, and a substantially reduced on-site build programme.

“Much of our work is with the one off and self-build sector,” says Stephen Spillane, joint owner of ECO Timber Frame. “It was clear from the beginning that Gareth was committed to building to Passive House standards which worked out nicely as our system was awarded certification at around the time the order was placed.

“We use only eco-friendly building materials resulting in high quality, extremely well insulated, air-tight timber frame homes. Our system is designed for clients who want to build a low-energy property, or to Passive House standards.” A construction system using an EPS insulated foundation with a timber frame structure proved to be the most efficient method. The timber frame is a certified Passive House system with an overall thickness of 362mm to the external walls which have a U-value of 0.12 W/m²K.

Stephen continues: “Working with any architect requires close attention to detail, even more so when the architect is also the client. The shape of the house certainly posed some challenges which led to a bit of head scratching in both the design office and the factory, but when the frame went to site it all fitted like a glove.”

The weberend MT multi-coat system by Weber, the leading manufacturer of innovative materials, systems and solutions for the construction industry, has BBA certification. This accreditation meets NHBC requirements for new build housing where builders and developers are constantly seeking modern methods of construction for speed and cost efficiency. The weberend MT system is designed to rapidly finish buildings of frame and panel construction.

weberend MT is a light-weight render system which incorporates glass-fibre meshcloth reinforcement with a resin-rich adhesive coat that can carry a choice of finishes in a wide range of colours. This modern render system is designed for large areas of stable render carrier boards without the need for expressed joints to create smooth, modern design aesthetics. weberend MT is also suitable for application to uneven masonry or mixed substrates where a high level of crack resistance is required.

Application onto a panel background requires an initial 3mm pass of weberend LAC. The glass fibre reinforcing mesh is laid in as this coat takes up and a second 3mm of weberend LAC is applied. Sponge finish achieves a flat surface. When fully dry, weber PR310 primer is applied prior to the selected finish. A variety of textured finishes in a wide selection of colours can be used to produce weatherproof, vapour permeable protection.

The weberend MT application was carried out by Michal Sasinowski of M S Plastering, Glanmire, Co. Cork who found it interesting to see this unique design and the fast build program achieved with off-site construction. weberend MT system was hand applied to achieve uniform colour and texture using the colour Welsh Slate for this contemporary and attractive home.

Weber products are manufactured in the UK at sites in Bedfordshire, Shropshire and Co Antrim, ensuring efficient availability and lead times, adding to the company’s sustainability policy, reduced CO₂ emissions and transportation costs.

For more information about this project, or for technical support including award winning training courses, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.uk.weber.
A free download of the Weber App for iPhone and iPad users is also available from iTunes and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
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The 18V LXT range from Makita expands again

*   First 3/8″ square 18V Brushless Impact Wrench

*   Bag-less 18V Vacuum Cleaner

*   New drilling and fixing bit sets

New tools are consistently being added to the ever-expanding 18V LXT range from Makita, the UK’s number one professional power tool manufacturer. Now included in this popular collection is the DTW180 Brushless LXT Impact Wrench and the super-useful DCL181FZW Vacuum Cleaner to help with the tidy up.

The new DTW180 18V LXT Impact Wrench will drive home M8 – M16 standard bolts and M6 – M12 high tensile bolts. It will deliver 180Nm of tightening torque and 310Nm of nut busting torque while the 2-stage impact power selection delivers up to 3,600ipm in hard mode, 2,000ipm in soft, with a no load speed of 2,400rpm in hardmode and 1,300rpm in soft mode. The DTW180 is also the first 18V impact wrench in the Makita range to have a 3/8″ square driving shank.

The new DTW180 features many benefits including a brushless motor allowing double the run time compared to a standard brushed motor, less friction and more power. This new impact wrench also benefits from an electric brake, variable speed trigger, forward/reverse rotation and a handy LED job light. The ergonomic soft grip handle enhances user comfort whilst the belt clip is always an ever useful feature.   This compact, lightweight tool will be enjoyed by all professional tradesmen from engineers to facilities managers, automotive trades and repair engineers, to external cladding applicators.

Perfect for tidying up after a job in a domestic property, or for light cleaning duties, is the new Makita DCL181FZW 18V LXT Vacuum Cleaner. This new vacuum is bag-less and features a capsule that’s efficient and easy to empty.

MakitaProducing an excellent 30 watts of suction power in Hi mode and 11 watts in Lo mode, with a maximum airflow of 1.4m³/min, the DCL181F has a maximum sealed suction of 4.2kPa. The rubberised ergonomic soft grip handle features a touch button switch where high/low suction power settings can be easily selected. This low noise vac has a run time of 40 minutes when used in Lo mode with a 3.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery, and 20 minutes in Hi mode. The efficient collection filter will allowa dust capacity of 0.65 litres and also featured on this vacuum is a convenient LED job light for those dark corners. The DCL181F comes in brilliant white instead of the traditional Makita blue, and is available as body only to utilise existing Makita 18V batteries. Weighing a comfortable and lightweight 1.4kg this new Makita vacuum comes with floor and sash nozzles for a variety of applications.

Makita’s range of drilling and fixing bit sets has been extended with new 75, 118 and 125-piece sets. The new 75-piece Combination Set (P-90641) is an essential kit for most drilling applications which includes a selection of titanium coated high speed steel drill bits ranging from 3-8mm; nut drivers in chrome vanadium, masonry and brad point drills. The kit also includes holesaws and screwdriver bits all contained in a convenient carry case.

Also now available is the 118-piece General Maintenance Tool Kit (P-90635) which is a scaled down version of the successful 227-piece set and the 125-piece Service Engineers Kit (P-70649) has been introduced due to popular demand from the service engineer market sector.

For more news and product information about Makita UK please visit www.makitauk.com. Follow us on Twitter @MakitaUK, Facebook.com/makitauk and google.com/+makitauk
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Domus Ventilation appoints National Specification Sales Manager

Domus Ventilation, part of the Polypipe group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Shane Leather as National Specification Sales Manager.

Shane’s appointment to this post forms part of Domus Ventilation’s well structured strategy to return to the specification sector following the launch of a range of high performance mechanical ventilation systems over the past six months. These include the HRXE Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) unit and the highly energy-efficient CMX Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) units, which boasts the best Specific Fan Power (SFP) on the market.

A key part of Shane’s role as National Specification Sales Manager is to reintroduce M&C Consultants and specifiers to Domus Ventilation – formerly known as Polypipe Ventilation – and advise on the most suitable and compliant mechanical ventilation system for a project. Shane’s 23 years experience working across the breadth of the HVAC sector – from air handling units and curtains to pumps and ducting – has put him in good stead for this role. Prior to joining Domus Ventilation, Shane was Regional Sales Manager for London and the South East at Armstrong Fluid Technology, selling into specifiers and contractors. This all round experience made him an ideal candidate for this newly established role at Domus Ventilation.

For Shane, moving to Domus Ventilation represented a challenge that he was keen to embrace: “Domus Ventilation has undergone a number of changes over recent years, including a name change and a move away from specification to focus on the installer and merchant channels. Being absent from the specifier sector for some time essentially means I have the opportunity to build this side of the business from scratch and that’s an exciting proposition. The product range is attractive to specifiers and contractors alike and the company has been working to put in place support for the specification sector. So it’s a challenge, but that’s what interests me! It’s about re awakening of the Domus Ventilation name.”

Shane has certainly been busy since joining Domus Ventilation, re establishing contact with former specification customers and with his own contacts developed over the years, which has already born fruit; he is currently working on a number of specification projects. In addition, Shane has written a presentation which has been submitted to CIBSE for CPD accreditation, which is expected shortly.

Supporting the re entry into the specification sector, Domus Ventilation’s in-house Technical Department is providing free technical and design services, all products have been uploaded to the BIM library and a new 108 page Specification Guide has been released.

Domus Ventilation has a well-deserved reputation for quality, supported by excellent technical support, from a market leading manufacturer and designer. It is well placed to offer immediate, practical solutions to Building Regulations Parts F & L.

For further information on Domus Ventilation, please contact vent.info@domusventilation.co.uk or visit www.domusventilation.co.uk
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