What's New

HIP!EX - The UK Copper Board was at the recent HIP! Exhibition for young plumbers, the first of its kind, which took place at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton and was attended by 1,500 students, lecturers and plumbers.

New webcasts - providing information on copper tube and fittings for plumbing, heating and fire sprinklers in a new, easily digestible format. Generally around ten to fifteen minutes long, they can be viewed on the web, or downloaded for presentation in a classroom or personal viewing at any time.

SkillPLUMB 2008 Competition - The search for the 2008 Young Plumber of the Year by SummitSkills is now under way. The SkillPLUMB competition gives colleges and individuals an opportunity to participate in a national initiative focusing on plumbing skills and education. For further information go to the SummitSkills website.

Revised Tips on domestic gas installations - The Installation Tips on domestic gas installations have been significantly revised. Part 1 - Pipe sizing - now uses appliances with ratings in kW. A fully worked pipe sizing exercise is included . Part 2 - Installation & testing - looks at how to run pipework in walls and floors.

New Solar Hot Water System Tip - The new Installation Tip on solar hot water systems is available to download. This Tip describes the main types of solar collectors - flat-plate and evacuated glass-tube - and gives information on how to design a system. With increasing demand for solar systems in the UK it is important that plumbers have a good working knowledge of these types of systems.

Solar System Design and Installation CD - This CD presents detailed information on why solar systems are being used in the UK, how they work, how to design them and the correct way to install them. The CD, developed by Solar Praxis, Copper Development Association and Chris Laughton of The Solar Design Company will be available shortly, please watch the website for further news.

Copper Matters Student Newsletter - Spring 2008