A Q&A with Product Manager and specialist in Foul Water systems Steve Jeffries.
In this post, we catch up with Steve Jeffries, our Product Manager for Foul Water systems to discuss the importance of below ground water management in commercial buildings and how Wavin is uniquely qualified to assist in the transportation of Foul Water from a site.
Tell us, Steve, how can Wavin support our commercial customers with their drainage requirements?
Here at Wavin, not only do we have high-quality market leading brands like OSMA UltraRib and Hepworth Clay, but we also provide complete technical advice and project support. Our experienced design team is conversant with all aspects of our product range and can assist with questions on system design, installation and product suitability, no matter what the application.
We also link regulatory requirements to qualified advice and compliant solutions. At every stage, from initial planning and on-site issue resolution to assured one-source supply, we connect you to better solutions, better partnerships, better value, and better outcomes.
How does Wavin work in partnership with its commercial customers?
As an integral part of the project team; we can deliver tangible benefits on the ground, from planning and installation to handover. Alert to issues and with informed advice of statutory and environmental regulations, we can anticipate, identify, and resolve problems on the spot – helping to simplify processes, sustain scheduling and reduce costs.
We are as reliable as we are flexible and timely. Our heritage and scale mean assured supply of all the technology, systems and components a project requires, sourced from a nationwide stockist network backed by local support. We deliver outstanding products but also streamlined scheduling, economies of scale and simpler project management.
Wavin is a global leader in the supply of pipe systems and solutions. With experience in every sector of commercial development, we can help construction professionals to fulfil statutory obligations, assist with environmental goals of sustainability and energy efficiency and provide a smooth handover to the next phase of the build programme.
Our claim to ‘connect to better’ is brought to life in our in-house UK Technical Centre, as well as through our specialists on the road and in the resources, we make readily available online.
At Wavin, we can help reduce avoidable costs. Whether from feasibility checks to pre-empt problems, time-saving design support that might reduce groundwork or guidance on the impacts of the latest regulations, we always seek to go beyond simply fit-for-purpose.
Should our customers be using Clay or Plastic foul water drainage on commercial sites?
When choosing between Clay and Plastic on site, it’s difficult to say which is a ‘better’ choice as both our Hepworth Clay and Wavin OSMA UltraRib brands have extensive features and benefits. Ultimately the decision would be down to our customer. However, Wavin is uniquely positioned as the only provider in the market to supply both, to impartially support the customer in their decision-making process.
Wavin Osma UltraRib pipe
Hepworth Clay pipes
Can you tell me a little bit more about Wavin OSMA UltraRib?
Wavin Osma UltraRib systems are designed for use in gravity drainage and sewerage installations at depths of up to 10 metres. Wavin Osma UltraRib is a fully socketed system of pipe and fittings which combines secure jointing with ease of installation.
Wavin OSMA UltraRib is a structured wall pipe system, which is a flexible material, built with alternating ridges and grooves, to tolerate ground movement. It is used in drains where flexibility, durability and strength are important. It has a smooth inner surface and externally has a repeating pattern of concentric ribs which gives the pipe its exceptional axial rigidity and enhanced radial strength. It has been designed and manufactured to exceed all required industry standards for PVC-U systems and has been relied upon by our customers for over 30 years.
Specified by contractors, engineers and developers across the UK who rely on Wavin for availability, performance and technical support. The numerous benefits of using Wavin OSMA UltraRib are the reason they so well regarded for foul and surface water sewer systems – having a minimum life expectancy in excess of 50 years, pipes kitemarked under BS EN 13746-3 and fittings which are third party approved (BBA).
What are the benefits of using Hepworth Clay?
Fired in our globally unique production process, Hepworth Clay pipes are the ultimate future-proof drainage solution, providing superior sustainability, durability, performance, and cost-efficiency. Clay is a 100% natural and plentiful raw material. Clay pipes are inert, making them impervious to almost any chemical or physical attack, Hepworth pipes carry a lifetime jetting guarantee, jet proof to 7500 psi and a life expectancy of over 100 years, a genuine fit and forget solution, requiring no renovation or repairs to minimise service costs and its installed risk profile.
Kitemarked to BS EN 295-1 and supported by a declaration of performance and CE mark.
Hepworth Clay pipe being installed into the ground.
How can Wavin below ground products support the overall commercial project lifecycle?
Both Hepworth Clay and Wavin OSMA UltraRib are true ‘fit and forget’ brands. We understand the upheaval and costs for both contractors and end users of having to go in and rectify below ground drainage problems, which is why our brands have design life expectancies of over 100 and over 50 years respectively. We also work with the contractors at the design stage to ensure detailed modelling is recorded and any problems are spotted and rectified before they occur.
We support the sustainability goals of our customers with Hepworth clay pipes being 100% natural and 100% recyclable and all our OSMA soil pipes manufactured using at least 50% recycled PVC-U content to meet increasingly demanding environmental commitments.
As the landscape shifts to a more environmentally conscious model of development, the use of Hepworth Clay and Wavin OSMA UltraRib enables both legal and ethical accountability, as well as peace of mind for those working on the projects and the eventual end-users.
Find out more about how Wavin can support your commercial foul water needs at www.wavin.co.uk/adoption
