McDonald Announce Partnership with Strathclyde University
Filed under: Copper Cylinder, McDonald Engineers News, hot water cylinder
In partnership with Strathclyde University
McDonald Engineers, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of copper hot water cylinders, has embarked upon a two year KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) with Strathclyde University as the company looks to enhance its position in the energy market.
The partnership will enable McDonald Engineers to call upon the extensive knowledge and practical industry experience of the University’s team and in return will offer its insight into the commercial pressures that are prevalent in the construction and energy markets.
The company has joined forces with the university’s Advanced Forming Research Centre to initially examine ways in which McDonald Engineers can streamline its production facility. And whilst one aim of the project is to improve quality and lead times in the company’s production facility, a key outcome will be the launch of an exciting new product which will open up new doors for McDonald Engineers.
Managing Director of McDonald Engineers, Bill Stewart, explained, “We have a long and proud history as one of the leading manufacturers of superior quality hot water cylinders. Our partnership with Strathclyde University enables us to tap into an incredible resource that allows us access to techniques and strategies from some of the top companies in the world.”
Bill continued, “This is a tremendously exciting period for the company as we look to build on over 65 years of success as a family owned and managed business. I have no doubt this partnership will ensure our success continues for many generations to come.”
The partnership will be led by Graham Smyth, who has been appointed as KTP Associate to project manage the venture and will be based at McDonald Engineers’ Glenrothes headquarters. Graham has joined McDonald Engineers after spending 2 successful years as a Design Engineer in the Irish quarry industry.
Graham said, “One of McDonald Engineers’ key strengths is the passion every member of the team has for delivering a quality product and a world class service. Their willingness to embrace new ideas and tackle challenges head on is exactly what is needed when you take on a project like this and I am delighted to be involved.”
For more information on the range of products and services offered by McDonald Engineers visit www.mcdonald-engineers.com or contact their technical sales team on 01592 611123.
McDonald Engineers bespoke TIMEsaver plumbing unit saves time and space
TIMEsaver
McDonald Engineers has supplied no less than 62 customised TIMEsaver Plumbing Units to a local authority as part of their upgrade works to a tower block of flats.
The TIMEsaver system was identified as providing the perfect solution for the project which had no existing gas supply and was required to meet Byelaw 30 of the Water Regulations.
McDonald Engineers’ TIMEsaver system provides a quick and simple to install solution featuring an integrated cold water facility with a highly efficient hot water cylinder, capable of being powered by electricity, solar power, heat pumps as well as gas.
McDonald Engineers ability to customise their standard TIMEsaver units, also enabled the contractor and the local authority to develop a bespoke solution, sized specifically for the project and with custom located connections to decrease the installation time even further.
Sales Director Jamie Stewart, explained ” The TIMEsaver is a highly effective compact solution that gives plumbers and specifiers an alternative to the conventional separate hot water cylinder and cold water storage systems.”
He continued, “In addition to the enormous savings in time achieved from it being a complete unit that has be described as ‘Plumb and Play,’ a key feature of the TIMEsaver is it does away with the need for communal cold water storage tanks and allows each flat to enjoy the peace of mind of having its own tank. ”
Another option available on the TIMEsaver is to incorporate a factory fitted Stuart Turner pump to ensure the water being delivered from the cylinder achieves mains pressure for power showering etc.
For more information on the TIMEsaver system visit www.mcdonald-engineers.com or call the technical sales team on 01592 611123.
Dual Coil Calorifiers Installed for Department for Communities and Local Government
Filed under: Calorifier, Copper Cylinder, Electric Wet Central Heating System, Multifuel Hot Water System, Unvented Cylinder, Vented Mains Pressure System, heat pump cylinder
McDonald Engineers’ expertise in delivering energy efficient hot water systems for commercial environments, was put to the test by the Department for Communities and Local Government at their headquarters in central London.
Four Calorifiers at Eland House
With a total focus on energy efficiency by the design team at Eland House, formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, McDonald Engineers manufactured and supplied four dual coil POWERflow commercial calorifiers for the refurbishment project.
The 1320 litre calorifiers were designed to work with two fuel sources. A Heat Pump was being used as the primary heat source and the units were therefore fitted with a high efficiency copper heat exchanger, to maximise the heat transfer from the heat pump’s lower flow temperature. A back up heat exchanger, for a normal boiler was added, to supplement the energy when required.
In line with the latest recommendations from many heat pump manufacturers, both the cylinders and the coils were manufactured from copper. This provides significant benefits in terms of maximum heat transfer, as well as boasting superior bacteria killing properties.
McDonald Engineers’ Sales Director, Jamie Stewart, explained “As more projects aim to maximise the energy efficiency of the hot water system, we are seeing a rise in enquiries from companies installing heat pumps who recognise that copper can deliver superior results.”
He continued, ” Copper is fast becoming the material of choice for hot water systems using multiple fuel sources such as heat pumps. Copper’s thermal conductivity is almost 30 times greater than that of Stainless Steel. This means it can heat water to higher temperatures in a far shorter period of time.”
With access to the boiler room extremely limited by doorway space, but a specified amount of storage required, McDonald Engineers were provided with the maximum dimensions that would fit. The company ensured every millimetre was utilised, by manufacturing the cylinders to extremely tight tolerances. The Calorifiers were then lagged on site.
Jamie added, “The client was delighted with the end result and our ability to maximise the size, commenting that if there had been a coat of paint on the cylinder, it would not have gone through the door.”
For details on McDonald Engineers’ heat pump cylinders click here or contact us for more information
Making Solar Water Heating Solutions Easy With SOLARsave
Filed under: Renewable Energy Cylinders, Unvented Cylinder, hot water cylinder, solar cylinders
McDonald Engineers has made solar hot water systems easy with its SOLARsave pre-plumbed unit which features a high performance dual coil copper cylinder with all the major components pre-fitted and pre-wired for a quick and easy installation.
Available in vented and WRAS approved unvented cylinders, the SOLARsave unit comes supplied with a Solar Differential Controller pre-plumbed to the solar coil. Simply connect the flow & return and solar sensor from the differential controller, along with a solar expansion vessel and relief valve and your solar system is ready to use.
McDonald Engineers’s Sales Director, Jamie Stewart, said “Whilst we have an extensive portfolio of expert solar installers who recognise the benefits from high quality copper cylinders in solar thermal solutions, we were receiving a growing number of enquiries from plumbing contractors who wanted a complete ‘plumb and go’ solution.”
He continued, ” SOLARsave not only makes the specification of the hot water system simple, the pre-fitted and prewired components dramatically reduce the installation time of the system, making it easy and accessible to a far greater number of installation contractors.”
McDonald Engineers also offers its full range of thermal stores, unvented cylinders and calorifiers now available with solar compatibility.
For more information visit www.mcdonald-engineers.com or call 01592 611123.
McDonald Engineers Save The Day with Emergency Alterations to Calorifier
Filed under: Calorifier, Copper Cylinder, McDonald Engineers News
McDonald Engineers has demonstrated exactly why they are one of the UK’s most respected manufacturers of hot water systems, by immediately despatching a service engineer to alter a connection on a new 1800 litre POWERflow Commercial calorifier on site.
McDonald Engineers had manufactured the Calorifier as per the specification for Perth Grammar School. However the installation team identified that one of the thermostatic controls, required a larger connection than normal and were faced with a major problem that would normally have meant sending the calorifier back to the manufacturer for alteration.
After assessing the level of work involved the McDonald Engineers service team were on site within a matter of hours to rectify the problem and enable the installation team to have the calorifier installed and operational the same day.
McDonald Engineers’ Sales Director, Jamie Stewart, explained “Whilst McDonald Engineers is renowned for our superior quality products and our fast turnaround times, our clients enjoy the world class service that we can offer, from the initial design stages, right through to onsite installation support and aftercare service.”
He continued, “This type of situation doesn’t happen often, but when it does we are extremely quick to respond, as we understand the implications an installation delay can cause. Our response on this occasion shows our uncompromising commitment to customer service.”
McDonald Engineers offer a large range of Calorifiers and Buffer Vessels with up to 3500 litres capacity within their standard range. These can be adapted for heat pump or solar thermal input however the company’s flexible manufacturing system, means that they can accommodate almost any size, shape or configuration.
For more information on the Calorifier range and the full range of hot water cylinders and systems available from McDonald Engineers, contact us now or call 01592 611123.
Hospitals Turn to Copper’s Health Properties to Reduce Spread of Infections
McDonald Engineers has welcomed news that an Irish hospital will be the first in the world to use copper door handles to reduce infections associated with the healthcare industry, such as MRSA. This further promotes the superior health and hygienic properties of copper.
The announcement follows on from the highly successful trials carried out at Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham. These demonstrated the use of copper surfaces, such as taps, toilet seats and door push plates, can reduce microbial contamination by 90-100%.
As one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of copper cylinders, McDonald Engineers has been promoting the superior hygienic properties of its copper hot water cylinders and calorifiers in all sectors. There has been a growing usage in the healthcare and education sectors thanks to the increased awareness of copper’s bacteria killing properties.
Tests on copper surfaces show that over 99.9% of specific bacteria (including the MRSA superbug) are killed within just 2 hours. It is no wonder than many healthcare architects and specifiers are looking towards copper as the material of choice for hot water cylinders, in the many refurbishment projects planned for NHS Trusts throughout 2010.
Mitsubishi Ecodan Insist on Copper Hot Water Cylinders for their Heat Pumps
Filed under: Calorifier, Copper Cylinder, Electric Wet Central Heating System, heat pump cylinder, hot water cylinder
Mitsubishi, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of heat pumps, has reinforced copper’s superior performance in renewable energy systems, by insisting that only copper hot water cylinders, such as McDonald Engineers POWERflow 2000 unvented cylinders, are used in conjunction with their new advanced Ecodan heat pump systems.
The news adds further weight to McDonald Engineers’ campaign to promote copper’s green credential when it comes to heat transfer and recyclability - as well as its bacteria killing properties.
McDonald Engineers’ copper cylinders are used widely with Mitsubishi’s Ecodan products and also a wide range of other Geothermal and Air Source Heat Pumps, due to the company’s unrivalled reputation in the Renewable. With over 65 years experience in developing its product range to maximise the heat transfer process, McDonald Engineers has the skills, knowledge and expertise, to develop bespoke solutions to suit renewable energy applications.
McDonald Engineers’ now offer solar and heat pump compatibility with its POWERflow 2000 Unvented Cylinder, THERMflow Thermal Store, ELECTRAflow Electric Wet System, SOLARsave Pre-Plumbed Solar System and TIMEsaver Plumbing Unit, as well as its full range of Calorifiers.
However with the company’s unique ability to manufacture bespoke hot water cylinders to a client’s exact requirements, McDonald Engineers is fast becoming the copper cylinder manufacturer of choice when it comes to heat pumps and renewable energy solutions.
For details on McDonald Engineers’ heat pump cylinders click here or contact us for more information
THERMflow Hailed As UK’s Most Flexible Hot Water Cylinder
Filed under: Copper Cylinder, Multifuel Hot Water System, Vented Mains Pressure System, hot water cylinder
Thermflow Hot Water Cylinder Range
McDonald Engineers’ THERMflow vented mains pressure system has been hailed as the UK’s most flexible hot water cylinder on the market today due to its unrivalled ability to integrate with multi fuel installations including electric, gas, oil, solar and solid fuels.
The rising cost of gas and electricity together with the global movement towards more sustainable energy sources is seeing a growing demand for flexible hot water systems, such as THERMflow, that can enable the core energy sources to be supplemented with more sustainable fuels, such as solar and wind, as well as solid fuel sources.
Manufactured using McDonald Engineers advanced copper manufacturing system, the THERMflow system delivers all the bacteria killing properties and reduced running costs associated with copper and is available in a wide range of sizes.
And demonstrating McDonald Engineers’ position as one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of copper cylinders, the THERMflow product can be custom designed to almost any height, a wide range of diameters and with any number or bespoke positioning of connections to facilitate those unusual or awkward areas.
McDonald Engineers’ Managing Director, Bill Stewart, explained “We are receiving a growing number of enquiries from architects, consultants and end-clients across the UK who are now looking at integrating alternative fuel sources to supplement gas and electric which is offered as standard on our THERMflow system.”
He continued, “However the THERMflow system continues to be one of the UK’s most popular vented mains pressure system with its integrated primary feed and expansion tank, zero maintenance requirement and superior energy efficiencies.”
For more information on the THERMflow hot water system and the full range of hot water cylinders and systems available from McDonald Engineers visit http://www.mcdonald-engineers.com/ or call 01592 611123.
ELECTRAflow Wet Electric Heating System is Perfect Choice in Refurb Market
Filed under: Copper Cylinder, Electric Wet Central Heating System, hot water cylinder
ELECTRAflow wet central heating system
ELECTRAflow’s 100% heating efficiency combined with its low installation costs has made it the perfect choice for housing associations and contractors looking at developing or refurbishing new houses, flatted developments and properties in rural areas with no natural gas supply.
Manufactured by leading copper cylinder specialist, McDonald Engineers, The ELECTRAflow system’s integrated electric boiler and copper storage cylinder is both cheaper to install than a heat pump, requires no annual boiler maintenance and is more efficient than other forms of heating such as night storage, oil and LPG providing significant cost savings throughout its lifetime.
The compact system also requires no flue making it easy to situate and ideal for listed buildings and high rise flats.
Available in vented and unvented systems, ELECTRAflow can also be integrated with additional fuel types including solar panels, solid fuels and can used to power underfloor heating as well as standard radiators.
McDonald Engineers, Managing Director, Bill Stewart, commented, “The days of electric heating solutions being prohibitively expensive to run are over with the robust, intelligent and highly cost effective solution offered by ELECTRAflow particularly when combined with solar energy and economy tariffs from the utility companies.”
For more information on the ELECTRAflow system and the full range of hot water systems available from McDonald Engineers visit www.mcdonald-engineers.com or call 01592 611123.
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