Conex Bänninger leads the way in encouraging the trade to convert to ‘press-fit’

Over the past decade there have been many developments in the heating and plumbing industry including health and safety regulations driving new practices and the need for companies to reduce their carbon footprint.

This has led to a new generation of plumbing and heating engineers being trained in the use of press-fit fittings for joining pipes and, whilst apprentices are taught brazing at college, many become press-fit converts from the outset says Lisa Cox, Conex Bänninger’s UK National Sales Manager.

Conex Bänninger is on a mission to educate and promote the use of press-fit fittings and, as the global manufacturer of high-quality fittings, valves and accessories, we are well-placed to encourage the trade’s move from traditional techniques over to press.

Today, specifiers want products that will help reduce the carbon footprint of any new building or refurb projects, and this is increasingly impacting on the choice of building materials; and end-users are increasingly asking for materials to be used that are environmentally friendly.

Whilst brazing has its place, increasingly building managers and owners are prohibiting the practice within their properties. In 2018 the government banned the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of new blocks of flats, hospitals, residential care premises and student accommodation over 18 metres in height.

Following a review and consultation, the government has put forward regulations to extend the ban to also apply to hotels, hostels and boarding houses.

This has led to increasing numbers of experienced contractors within the HVAC sector looking to be trained in the use-of press fit.

In the past 12 months, Conex Bänninger has trained more than 100 contractors – either through face-to-face tuition at our training academy HQ in Birmingham, on-site or undertaken online through Teams.

Our scheme is for installers using >B< Press copper fittings (12 to 54mm), which are suitable for hot and cold-water applications, including drinking water.

To qualify as a Certified Installer, an installer must have completed the >B< Press training, either on-site or at our academy. Each successful candidate is awarded a personalised Installer Card showing the date of completed training and an expiry date, along with a photo of the card carrier. The Installer card is valid for five years, after which the tradesperson must attend for a training top-up.

Whilst some may view press-fit as deskilling the industry, it’s really a transition towards safer working practices. Just as importantly, installers are recognising the significant time savings that can be made on a job. Admittedly, some view the initial outlay for the press tool as prohibitive to entry, but the return on investment can often be achieved in a month or two.

We have recently trained installers at Kingswinford-based WLV Heating, which carries out domestic boiler installations across Dudley, Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas.

Directors Scott Irving, David Robinson and Adam Macey were previously long-serving boiler installers for British Gas, before becoming self-employed within a year of each other.

Scott set-up WLV Heating in April 2021 and his two former colleagues subsequently joined him. The three of them have a combined experience of 50 years in the sector and, whilst the company is relatively new, it already has over 350 five-star reviews on Google.

The team were all ‘die-hard’ advocates of brazing so how was their resistance to press overcome. Apparently, they were open to finding out more about press-fit after seeing influencers on social media talking about the speed of installation and various other advantages including ‘peace-of-mind’ that a joint was secure and leak-free.

Other key factors in their decision were technological advancements and changing consumer demand, alongside the impact of environmental policies and targets, which affect the choice of materials used for a project and working practices.

Since attending the press-fit course at Conex Bänninger’s Training Academy, there has been a change in their way of working as the team are now full converts to the use >B< Press.

Scott says that whilst they haven’t abandoned brazing altogether, the team are benefiting from the many practical benefits to using press-fit, particularly when working in tight spaces, installing pipework under a suspended floor or working in a loft with insulation on the floor, which is a potential fire hazard when brazing.