Flame-free >B< MaxiPro is the ideal solution for Victorian office refurbishment on Buckingham Palace Road
Background
Just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace is a stunning Victorian townhouse turned office space on Buckingham Palace Road that has recently undergone a full refurbishment, including the installation of a new air conditioning system using Conex Bänninger’s >B< MaxiPro press fittings.
Products
Doveley Air Ltd, a Kent-based business that operates nationwide and has over 20 years experience in domestic and commercial air conditioning installations and maintenance, was awarded the contract to commission and install the brand new system, which included 24 Daikin VRV units.
A key challenge faced by Doveley’s expert engineers on the project was that due to the nature and layout of the old building, some of the pipework for the air conditioning system needed to be fitted to the ceilings. This meant that securing the pipe joints with traditional brazing methods was not an option, as a flame could not be used in such close proximity to the ceiling.
In order to overcome this, Doveley Air’s Managing Director, Peter Notley, specified Conex Bänninger’s innovative >B< MaxiPro press fittings, a mechanical, flame-free press-fit solution that is specifically designed for air conditioning and refrigeration systems. >B< MaxiPro is capable of operating successfully up to 48 bar with a temperature range of -40°c to 121°c.
Peter said: “I can’t speak highly enough of the >B< MaxiPro fittings. It was only launched into the market last year but is making a serious impact in the ACR market. With project delivery and timescales constantly under scrutiny, utilising new technologies that can help us work more productively and efficiently is critical. >B< MaxiPro enabled us to do exactly that!
“The core benefit of >B< MaxiPro for this particular project was the fact that its flame-free. This doesn’t just speed up the jointing process dramatically when compared to brazing, but it also negates the need of us requiring a hot works permit on-site, which saves even more time and money.”
Conex Bänninger’s >B<MaxiPro is quick and simple to install, providing a secure and permanent leak-free joint. Utilising 3-point-press technology (one each side of the bead and one compressing the O-ring), >B< MaxiPro is available in a host of fittings types including: straight coupler, reducing coupler, fitting reducer, 90° bend, 90° street bend, 45° obtuse elbow, equal tee and stop end variants.
Peter continued: “Once the initial preparation of the joint has been complete, it takes a mere five seconds to complete with a press tool. The >B< MaxiPro fittings were used for more than 100 joints, so if you compare this to brazing you can calculate that the speed we were able to carry out for this part of the project was remarkable. Overall the whole process was safer, much quicker and therefore much more productive than if we had used the brazing method.”
>B< MaxiPro comes with a manufacturer’s 12-month warranty as standard. For engineers that complete the short product training course and become a certified >B< MaxiPro installer, this warranty is extended up to ten years (terms and conditions apply).
Conex Bänninger recommends the ROTHENBERGER ROMAX Compact TT press tools and the specially-designed >B< MaxiPro jaws to be used in conjunction with the fittings.
>B< MaxiPro fittings can be used with annealed, half hard or hard copper tube that conforms to EN 12735-1 or ASTM-B280 in air conditioning and refrigeration applications. They are also approved for use with a range of refrigerants, including R-32, R-134a, R-404A, R-407C, R-407F, R-410A, R-507, R1234ze, R1234yf, R-718, R-450A, R-513A, R-448A, R-449A, R-407A, R-427A, R-438A, R-417A and R-422D.