How does geothermal pipe installation work?

Over the past few years, heat pumps have shot up in popularity. Especially in the context of rising natural gas prices, they’re becoming increasingly attractive for a lot of home and business owners, thanks to their impressive efficiency and stable comparative costs. 

That being said, a lot of people are keen to know a little more about how these systems work, and rightly so. Here, we take a look at how geothermal pipes, a central component of ground source heat pumps, are installed, to give you a better insight into how your installation might go.

What is a geothermal pipe?

Heat pumps might seem magic, but they’re not – they ‘simply’ take heat from the surrounding environment, and channel it into your home. Ground source heat pumps, in particular, take that energy from the earth below, and there are two different ways that this energy is transferred.

Horizontal pipes

Horizontal geothermal pipes, as you might expect, lie horizontally to the surface of the ground. To install them, you dig a trench of around 4-6 feet in depth. Then, two pipes are buried – one at around 6 feet depth, the other at 4 feet depth.

These two pipes are then connected to the heating/cooling system, so that liquid can be put through them. These kinds of approaches are more common for domestic applications, where not a lot of pipe is required for heating purposes. 

Vertical pipes

With vertical installations, instead of being laid horizontally, the pipes will be laid vertically. To do this, deep holes will be bored by a service like Teckna Group in the ground, between 100 – 400 feet deep, into which the pipe can then be threaded. 

These kinds of approaches are more common for larger, commercial buildings, where the area of land required to heat or cool the premises in question would be too much, and drilling boreholes becomes more efficient.

How is the energy transferred?

Once the water/anti-freeze mixture has been circulated through the pipes, it will arrive at a heat exchange that has been installed on the premises in question. Here, the water/anti-freeze is used to slightly heat a heat transfer fluid (called refrigerant) in a separate, sealed part of the heat exchange so that it begins to boil and turns into a gas. 

The gas is put into a compressor, and as the pressure is increased by the compressor, the gas gets hotter. That gas then goes into another heat exchanger called a condenser, which is essentially the same as the first one. 

The condenser heats up water, which can then be used for heating purposes and for mains water use. Now that the gas has transferred its energy, it turns into a liquid again and restarts the cycle. 

Ground source heat pumps are a bit confusing, but this should have hopefully cleared things up a bit – at least in terms of how the pipe is laid underground. If you’re not sure which method to use, speak with an installation expert, and they’ll be able to suggest the one that’s best suited to your needs.

Follow Us

Why might your business need smart lockers?

Lockers are a pretty ubiquitous sight in most work settings. They serve an important role when it comes to temporary storage, especially when those storage needs are constantly changing or involve a large number of individuals.

The issue with conventional lockers is that they can become surprisingly difficult to manage – the solution? Smart lockers. Here are a few reasons why your business might need to invest in some.

Asset management

Lockers are often thought of primarily as forms of personal storage, but smart lockers can be the most effective way of managing a range of smaller assets. Whether that’s a scanner, a laptop, or a cordless drill, if these assets need to be kept secure but accessible, then a smart locker could be the way to go.

With lockers from providers like Traka, you can restrict access only to certain people at certain times, massively reducing unauthorised usage. These kinds of lockers also typically create automatic logs whenever something is taken out or returned, making tracing lost assets a whole lot easier.

Employee storage

Smart lockers can also be a great way of managing employee storage. Instead of having to ask around the whole office to figure out who has a key, which lockers are currently occupied, and which lockers have been empty for almost a year, you can simply gather all this information from a centralised digital access repository.

Package delivery

On another note, smart lockers can make it a lot easier to manage package delivery and pickup. Smart lockers can be set up in an accessible area of the premises, and delivery drivers can be provided with temporary access codes that allow them to drop items off ahead of time. 

If you don’t have a permanent reception presence, or regularly need to arrange of package delivery or pickup out of hours, this can make things a lot easier. It means fewer people need to coordinate, and that delays no longer have such a substantial knock-on effect. 

Physical sharing point

Lastly, if anyone in your business needs to share physical items with each other – whether assets like laptops, documents, keys or hard drives – then smart lockers can be the perfect solution. Someone can drop off the item in the locker, then the relevant parties can be provided with access codes and pick up the asset when necessary.

The pick-up will be automatically logged digitally, providing a paper trail in case anything goes missing. It makes sharing a whole lot safer and convenient, especially in the context of high-value assets or sensitive information. 

Smart lockers can be incredibly useful in a range of different contexts. It’s worth considering some of the alternative applications, like those listed above, so that you can maximise their utility and enjoy all they have to offer.

Follow Us

Where do you start with the heavy machinery relocation process?

Heavy machinery relocation consists of so much more than ‘just’ picking up and moving big pieces of kit from one place to another. These machines are often incredibly delicate, and are depended upon for the ongoing operation of complex manufacturing processes.

As a result, heavy machinery relocation has to involve taking care of a whole range of factors, from the safe, efficient moving of these behemoths, to a plan that minimises the disruption that the move has on the organisation’s ability to operate as normal. If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to start, then read on for this conceptual introduction.

Assess the scope of the move

First of all, you’ll need to generally assess the scope of the move, and set some basic priorities. 

Ask yourself some basic questions – must your whole operation from one location to another at once? Is it acceptable to have some operational downtime, or will you try to keep this to an absolute minimum (for example, by staggering the move)? 

Setting these priorities early on makes it easier and quicker to plan the details that come later, and it’s a good idea to get clear on them as soon as possible.

Gather data

Once you know the more general goals and scope of the move, you can start collecting more precise information. You’ll need to assess the precise size and weight of each machine that needs to be moved, its centre of gravity and locate any lifting points.

You’ll also need to measure the doors and corridors that these machines need to be transported through, paying special attention to any height or width restrictions; these can have an impact on the lifting and moving technologies that you need to use later on.

Find a relocation specialist

In pretty much all situations, you will need to use a heavy machinery relocation specialist like AIS Vanguard to help you with the move. These kinds of services have access to the right tools, cranes, jacks and lorries to move pretty much any item, safely, from one place to another. 

Together, you’ll be able to come up with a detailed plan to take care of the move. This will include everything from health and safety documentation to communication plans – multiple stakeholders will need to be involved throughout this process, and the plan will need to be fluid and adaptable as circumstances almost inevitably change.

Insurance & paperwork

There is always the possibility that something will go wrong, and you want to be covered in these situations. Make sure that you have the right specialist insurance premium in place, and that your move is compliant with the likely highly specific list of stipulations. 

Taking care of a heavy machinery move is a complex, multifaceted task, and it’s not something that can be left to the last minute. Make sure that you take each stage of the planning and execution process seriously, and engage the assistance of a specialist relocation service as soon as reasonably possible.

Follow Us

Beyond Compliance: Why Water Safety Remains Essential for Business

A quick perusal of the list of penalties for breaches of UK water safety standards should concentrate the minds of anyone with a business that provides water to customers and staff.

Prosecutions are carried out by the HSE, which will often go after non-compliers under two main pieces of legislation: the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974) or the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002) (COSHH).

If you’re found in breach of either of these two laws, you can expect a substantial fine, a winding-up order, and, in the most egregious cases, a prison term.

That should convince you that water safety is to be taken seriously – so seriously, in fact, that a ‘compliance plus’ approach is often best when it comes to water safety.

This means making water safety more than box-ticking exercises and baking it into the wider health safety protocols.

Below, we take a closer look at why water safety should be a top priority.

The Law

All UK-based business owners need to know the law around water and water safety. 

There are three main bits of law that apply here:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA).

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).
• Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) L8 – “Legionnaires’ Disease: The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems”.

Fines

As was mentioned, a company found in breach of water law is liable to receive some sort of financial penalty, which can devastate a business.

For a minor breach, a fine in the region of £1,000 to £50,000 is common.

However, in the most serious cases – for example, with a widespread Legionella outbreak resulting in death – a fine in the region of £100,000-£1,000,000 is not unknown.

Notable recent cases include a hotel in 2018, which was fined £150,000 after a Legionella outbreak, and a Sentinel Healthcare care home, which was also fined £150,000 after Legionella caused the death of one of the residents.

Civil Claims

And the financial claims on a business don’t end there.

In cases where negligence of a business owner with a water supply has caused harm or injury, personal injury compensation will likely be lodged.

In this case, you can be expected to award damages for:

• Physical harm, pain, suffering, and medical costs.
• Loss of earnings.
• Care costs.

And remember, personal injury compensation for people hurt or injured by a dodgy water supply can be equally – if not more – punitive than those imposed under the criminal law. 

Prison

In the most serious cases of breaches of UK water rules and regulations, a prison term is likely.

While the business as an entity will be liable for a fine or a shutdown order, the HSA can also go after the directors and or managers at a company in the most serious breaches.

This means a sentence of up to two years’ imprisonment can result if the breach results from an individual’s consent, connivance, or neglect.

Reputation

Beyond purely financial reasons for compliance, there are sound business reasons for sticking to all UK water law.

This is especially the case for companies that are public-facing, like hotels, restaurants and cafes.

So establishments like restaurants, hotels, and gyms need to get their approach to water safety and testing right if they aren’t to suffer from adverse publicity as a result of an on-site Legionella outbreak.

Conclusion

The consequences of not following the rules when it comes to water can be severe.  

Good water safety starts with a risk assessment from a qualified professional at a company like the Water Hygiene Centre. 

Failure to get the risk assessment right can result in severe consequences for your business reputation, bottom line and company directors.

Follow Us

How can part of the DBS checks process be automated?

For many employers and employees, DBS checks are a tried, tested and accepted part of the onboarding process. They’re an excellent way for employers to make sure that they’re only hiring people who are right for the job, while also helping employees to be confident that their coworkers actually are who they say they are.

That being said, background checks can end up taking a long time, and can become an unwelcome delay for all parties involved. As a result, lots of organisations will be looking for ways to streamline the process, typically through automation – let’s look at which parts can (and which parts can’t) be automated.

What can be automated?

There are certain parts of the DBS check process that can be automated quite effectively. 

Online identity verification

Perhaps the most commonly automated part of the DBS check process is ID verification. There are certified service providers that can automatically verify people’s identity for the purpose of Basic, Standard and Enhanced DBS checks, compliant with GPG45 government standards. 

All that’s needed is an approved document (such as a passport or driving license), a selfie video, and the system will be able to determine whether they are who they say they are. These are commonly used in a wide range of contexts nowadays, from banking to car hire, and are highly effective.

Progress tracking 

Another handy aspect that can be automated is progress tracking. By providing access to an automatically updated tracking portal, DBS check providers can reduce the number of progress update requests they need to process, reducing admin and saving time on both sides.

What can’t be automated?

There are other aspects of the check that can’t be automated, at least not yet.

Certain documents

In some cases, there will be documents that are required as part of the DBS check process that can’t be assessed automatically. Where checks start to become more complicated (such as where the documents that are available fall outside the standard requirements), then it may be necessary to pay more attention, and carry out the verification checks manually. 

Where there’s any doubt, it’s imperative that you consult with a specialist service provider such as Personnel Checks to make sure that you’re doing everything by the book.

Police checks for enhanced DBS

With enhanced DBS checks in particular, a common delay is the time it takes the police to complete the check. Unfortunately, there’s no way that this aspect of the check can be automated – the police have to manually scour the applicant’s criminal history, to make a judgment as to what should and what shouldn’t be included in the report.

While it’s important to improve the efficiency of things like DBS checks, it’s important to remember that they’re still highly regulated background checks that need to be done according to the book. Before choosing a seemingly promising solution, make sure that it’s legally compliant, and that it won’t end up causing far more complications than it’s worth.

Follow Us

What are conveyor sorter systems?

There are all sorts of contexts, from order fulfilment to manufacturing processes, where various items need to be sorted, often in their tens of thousands. Thankfully, these processes no longer need to be completed solely using manual labour – we also have access to tools such as conveyor sorter systems. 

As with many other complicated logistics systems, it helps to have at least a rudimentary understanding of how they operate, to allow you to decide if they’re right for your business. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what conveyor sorters systems are, how they work, and where they can be useful. 

A basic outline

Conveyor sorter systems essentially exist to take large quantities of different items and place them in their own categories. That could mean sorting large apples from smaller ones, separating car tyres by size, or pretty much any number of other similar functions. 

They can be integrated into any number of different contexts, often logistical or manufacturing industries, massively increasing efficiency while also reducing the number of hands that need to be paid to complete incredibly simple, repetitive tasks. 

How they work

Conveyor sorter systems from providers like Joloda Hydraroll can work in a number of different ways, depending on the item that needs to be sorted. Some will be able to assess the weight or size of objects that pass along a belt, pushing only those that fall within certain boundaries off into different sections. 

Others will be able to automatically read barcodes, or scan RFID tags, to extract other pieces of data that inform where each item should be directed. These are just a couple of examples – there are many more besides these, and if you have more specific requirements, it’s worth contacting a specialist to see if there’s an option that could be more suitable.

Where they’re useful

Conveyor sorter systems can be incredibly useful pretty much anywhere that large quantities of items need to be sorted. Whether that’s in an industrial process, to store things in a warehouse, or in order to optimise an order fulfilment process, these sorter systems increase the rate at which these sorting processes can be taken care of while also decreasing the probability that human-error related sorting incidents will occur. 

Choosing a solution

Rather than doing research to identify a solution on your own, it’s best to approach an automated sorting system specialist early on in the process. Outline your specific requirements, and they’ll be able to provide you with information on the available solutions, and how they might be able to further customise those to better suit your use-specific context. 

If you think that you could probably benefit from some sort of conveyor sorting system, it’s worth exploring what’s available. You’ll likely be surprised at the operational specificity of some of the options that are available, and when approached in the right way, they can make a lot of industrial and logistics related processes almost infinitely more efficient, while also substantially reducing accidental damage and user error.

Follow Us