Rehau's Robert Ewels explains the significance of his company’s BBA certification – a costly but expensive and thorough way to guarantee the quality of the pipework in its underfloor heating.
REHAU has renewed its BBA Agrément Certificate for the RAUTHERM universal PE-Xa pipe used in its underfloor heating system. Agrément Certificates are described by the BBA as the 'gold standard' of product or system approvals - 'a rigorous and thorough examination of its manufacture and installation - much more than a simple statement at one point of time'.

Significantly, Agrément Certificate holders are subject to production surveillance throughout the life of their certificate, which guarantees that specifiers and contractors always receive the BBA-agreed specification of a product.

In line with standard procedure when renewing a certificate, representatives from the BBA
visited REHAU's production facility in Bourges, France, in February to assess such issues as purchasing, control of raw materials, production and testing. And a team in the UK carried out full product analysis of the RAUTHERM pipework in its laboratories at Garston, Hertfordshire.

REHAU has held its BBA Agrément Certificate No 99/3654 since 1999, and it has been renewed twice since then. But, because the inspection and validation process is so rigorous, it inevitably means testing is expensive and represents a significant ongoing investment for manufacturers.

REHAU's BBA certification is relatively costly but vital for the company to differentiate its pipe from other manufacturers, and in particular from pipe which is bought in.

Alongside REHAU, there are only five manufacturers of underfloor heating pipe listed on the BBA website with Agrément Certification.

Because the BBA demands full traceability of the pipe from manufacture to installation, certification is only available to those companies who manufacture their own pipe, so specifiers and contractors who want that level of traceability must look for the BBA logo.

This does not mean that other makes of pipe would fail the product testing elements of the BBA accreditation; but rather that they cannot offer the reassurance for the contractor or the client which comes from full traceability.

As the UK underfloor heating market becomes more competitive, there is a danger that contractors will seek to cut corners and opt for cheaper solutions. But, with underfloor heating pipework, this cannot be an option.

Underfloor heating pipework is buried in concrete, and replacing or repairing faulty pipework is a task contractors are unlikely to relish. It is no coincidence that REHAU, which is so confident about the quality of its pipework, offers a full consequential loss warranty for ten years from installation.

All the good work done by manufacturers, associations and lobbying groups over the past 20 years in promoting the highest standards throughout the underfloor heating industry must not be undone by contractors seeking short-term fixes in terms of pipe supply.

Several contractors have looked at bringing container loads of pipe from the Far East into the UK at prices European manufacturers would find impossible to match. But this pipe would arrive here with no externally audited quality approval, and likely with no traceability back to the factory where it was produced, leaving contractors facing a risk if the pipework were to fail.

When the risks were pointed out to these contractors, they decided not to go ahead. But the concern remains that there may be some operators who want to believe that all polymer pipework is the same, and who do not appreciate the risks - not just for their own businesses but for the reputation of the whole sector. Leading manufacturers over the years have encouraged best practice across the industry.

As well as BBA accreditation, REHAU also holds a host of other approvals for its pipework including BS7291 - which governs PVC pipes, associated fittings and solvent cement and it is WRAS listed. The production facility in France and a similar REHAU facility at Viechtach in Germany hold both ISO9001: 2000 for quality assurance processes and ISO14001, the environmental standard.

REHAU's underfloor heating system continues to win specifications in some impressive new builds in the public and private sectors. Recent installations include the new Ratings Dining Room at HMS Collingwood and WS Atkins' new headquarters at Aztec West in Bristol.

Rehau 01989 762600
Jo.Price@rehau.com