If you are still one of those who believe that BIM is a software or a very advanced or technological tool and that is beyond the scope of your installer or construction project, we have a news for you, it is not! It is totally accessible, as well as profitable for your company.

BIM, Building Information Modeling, is a working methodology for the creation and management of a construction project, which from programs such as Revit®, ArchiCAD® or AllPlan®, allows you to create digital design simulations, incorporating 4D and 5D tools with which you can have real-time data about the duration and costs of materials and structures necessary for your installation. In this way, you can manage information intelligently throughout the life cycle of a project.

Companies in the sector that have already switched to BIM, estimate up to 50% of savings in money in the design phase of the project; 30% in the construction phase of the work and up to 20% in logistics concepts. All of the above is due to the minimization of errors that BIM allows before, during and after the project, such as: collisions or unnecessary material expenses. This is thanks to the initial construction of a 3D digital model with which you can foresee any incident.

In turn, the collaborative environment of BIM will allow you to have an optimal communication between the builders, manufacturers, architects and civil engineers of your project, creating a collaborative network that will increase productivity and coordination between departments.

Walraven offers a comprehensive advisory service, with a specialized technical team, that will help you implement BIM in your company for modeling the architecture, engineering and construction of your projects. For this, we use Revit®, the best option in software when designing your project, from its conceptualization to the planimetry of its construction.

But that is not all! The permanent update of your project in Revit® will allow you to consult and extract information from the installation using as-built maps. In this way, you will be able to know, from the type of pipes and their final route to the model of installed air conditioning machines. With the monitoring of this data, the maintenance of a building during its useful life, its daily management will be easier than you imagine.

You can find all our families in Revit® downloadable files in the BIM Library. Our specialized library offers information on parameterized product families, with detailed geometry and completeness of all our support solutions and for installations of: HVCA, plumbing or electricity.

In Walraven you will find a free modeling service for specific assemblies, with which we respond to complete support solutions for MEP BIM projects with an LOD400. Likewise, we offer support in the creation of .rfa files and introduction of said product families in the installations project.

Realizing your projects in BIM hand in hand with Walraven, you will always obtain the optimal precision in the measurements of your project, as well as a great reduction in costs and time. What are you waiting for to move to BIM?

Send us an e-mail to [email protected] and get 100% free advice from our technical team.

The post How to save up to 50% with BIM and Walraven appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.

Our homes and buildings are increasingly equipped with complex systems that provide us with a healthy indoor climate and comfort. A disadvantage of this is that we have more sources of noise. An additional requirement, that is often requested, is that installations do not cause noise pollution. We would like to share our experiences and capabilities of sound-proofing.

Rubber lining

It is important to mute or disconnect the noise (vibration). A major step in reducing or eliminating noises coming from an installation (heating/cooling/ventilation, etc) is to use brackets with rubber lining. Rubber has the fine quality that it can absorb the vibrations. Less vibrations comes through the steel of the bracket to the building (walls/ceilings/floors). As a result, a large part of the sound is removed and there is no noise pollution.

High demands

In some situations, the proprietor of the building does not want the occupants or property users to suffer from the installation sound. This includes draining rainwater, indoor plumbing (toilet/bath, etc), ventilation and expansion of pipes.

High requirements are more common in hospitals, hotels, theatres and apartment buildings. The „dis-connection” of the sound is the solution, but be aware that the weakest link will nullify the best solutions!

The best solution: talk to our experts!

Walraven is happy to help apply the best sound-proofing for your project. A bracket with rubber lining is easy to use and often more than sufficient.

Do you have specific requirements? Please feel free to contact us to discuss this with our experts. They have the knowledge and experience to help you further. Please call us on tel:+37 061 651 341 for tailored advice.

The post The best sound-proofing for your installation project appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.

It seems so simple to install and fix pipes in an efficient manner. But because the conditions and facilities for each project differ, it is always a new puzzle to solve. One system asks for plastic pipes and other needs copper or
steel ones. Or perhaps even a combination of materials. Efficient installing and fixing of tubes obviously also depends on costs, therefore we advise you to take note of the following!

Installers strive for the most efficient way of installing and fixing

What are the rules to determine the distance between the brackets? There are no real guidelines or standards in the engineering sector (especially the W-branch). This means that you as an installer have a degree of freedom. A pitfall of this freedom is that the bracket distance is sometimes made too wide. This can mean, especially with plastic pipes, that the pipes start to bend. Something you do not want with a waste pipe.

An efficient way of installing is to combine different pipes, in diameter, material or even from another installation in one support/fixing. As a rule of thumb the pipes with the shortest bracket distance (by diameter or material) determine the distance used.

But what is the maximum bracket distance?

The maximum bracket distance according to manufacturers

The pipe and tube manufacturers almost always give a maximum permissible bracket (fixing) distance. This distance is determined by the combination of the material of which the pipe is made of and on the diameter (larger diameter, stiffer tube) it concerns. There are many tables on the internet that illustrate this.

With steel pipes the bracket distance is permissible to 6 meters. In practice, you rarely see this. An exception to this rule are long straight sections, because it is not practical to hang up a 6 meter tube in one go. The handling by installers/technicians is in this case a bottleneck.

Another major point is that you have to calculate the weight of the 6 meter tube on the two brackets. This leads to heavy brackets and anchorages. In brief, it is very difficult to have the correct bracket distance shown in table form.

The best solution: talk to our experts!

As an installer, you are ultimately responsible for determining the appropriate bracket distance. You can do this based on your own experience or through reading the manufacturer’s documentation. You can also contact Walraven and consult with our experts.

Together with our experts, you can determine the most efficient (and economical) way of installing and fixing. The way you work, in conjunction with the maximum extent permitted in terms of the materials to be used, are in this case leading.

We have the knowledge and experience to help you with your installation questions. Our experts calculate the ideal distance for your project. Please call us on tel:+37 061 651 341 for tailored advice.

The post How do I choose the right bracket distance? appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.

Pipes expand or shrink due to temperature differences. This could have serious consequences for the complete installation and cause damage to the entire building. We would like to explain this to you.

Coefficient expansion is leading

Each material (steel, copper, PE, PVC, etc) has its own specific coefficient for expansion. These coefficients determine how the various materials react to differences in temperature. Steel has an expansion coefficient of 0,012 mm/C° and PE an expansion coefficient of 0,200 mm/C°. In other words: a 10 metre steel pipe set with a temperature difference of 50 C° expands 0,6 mm. A PE pipe of 10 metres expands 10 mm. The expansion or shrinkage is not dependent on the diameter of the tube, but on the length and the material of the tube.

Noise pollution and damage

The expansion of the piping may cause nuisance in the form of sound (material stresses, the ticking of the old central heating pipes) and even damage to the building. This can often lead to pipes breaking which leads to water damage. Therefore it is wise to take this into account during installation.

Good bracket plan and open expansion

A good assessment of the installation (where to set the pipes and how many mm?) helps to create a good bracket plan. The very best solution is to allow the natural characteristics to work ‘freely’ as much as possible.
By placing a fixed point in the right place, we can guide the expansion to this point to ensure no damage or stress can occur on installations. This way we can also minimize the released forces.

There is often no room for ‘nature’ to go its own way. Fixed and sliding points are engineered to make it a controlled expansion. We can also be of service for this.

Would you like to know more about preventing damage and noise pollution by/from expanding pipes? We have the knowledge and experience to help you. Our experts can calculate what the ideal installation method is for your project. Call us on tel:+37 061 651 341 for tailored advice.

The post How to prevent damage by expansion appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.

Good planning and preparation

There are numerous ways you can be faced with failure costs during a project. This can include ineffective planning of the construction process or the need to repair and replace parts. Even end products that do not meet the agreed quality requirements can incur extra costs.

Good planning and preparation is half the battle if you want to avoid failure costs. In brief, the right knowledge must be readily available and the details for the purchase of the correct products should be clear in advance. This is how you prevent failure costs from inaccurate estimations.

Consider the installation and fixing materials

An important tip we would like to give you is that the installation and fixing materials should be properly considered at an early stage. When it is time to install, there is no more time to quickly change the order because there is,
for example, a different type of connection needed than first considered. These types of things should be known beforehand if you want to avoid failure costs.

The best solution: involve us as early as possible

We notice that installation and fixing materials are often not factored into the quotation phase of a project. This results in panic at the end of a project which can be prevented by involving us as early as possible in the process. We are happy to advise and together we can help the project run as smoothly as possible.

A good example is that we think along with our customers about the proper bracket distance. In practice a wider bracket is often used to reduce the costs of material.

However, if it turns out that the piping bends because there is too much distance between the two brackets, the quality will suffer. This is also the case when expansion points and fixed points are ‘forgotten’ or when other installations ‘are in the way’. We happily consider these things with you.

You also prevent failure costs due to the fact that our quality products are tested according to the stringent requirements of RAL and are subsequently RAL certified. You can therefore rely on guaranteed quality. In addition, we produce our products in-house and we randomly test them according to the same stringent requirements.

The post How to prevent failure costs as an installer appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.

Corrosion occurs everywhere

All ferrous materials, such as steel and even stainless steel, will rust. Therefore it is no wonder that your installations after a certain period of time will start to corrode if it is not handled or treated properly.

Rust expands the material and distorts the installation in the long run. In addition the iron-containing installation and fixing material can become so rusted, that holes appear. Of course, you would like to avoid this and fortunately you can.

Exposure to oxygen and water is the beginning of the corrosion process. Oxygen is in the air, so there is nothing you can do to prevent this. However you can do something about the water. For example you can determine the humidity of the room in advance. If the area has a high humidity, the material has to have a higher resistance to corrosion.

Various solutions

Solutions to avoid rust include installation and fixing materials made of galvanised material, stainless steel or powder-coated material. Furthermore, galvanised material is also available in varying degrees of corrosion resistance. This is useful as installation material used on dry spots in the building, do not have to be heavily galvanised.

Use the right material for the right situation

In theory, the distinction between the different degrees of resistance to corrosion is evident. However in practice, various types are often used interchangeably. The term ‘galvanised’ does not always mean that the material is rust resistant for your situation.

There is for example, galvanised material available which is perfect for use inside the building. But if this material is used outdoors, it would nevertheless soon begin to rust. As an installer it is therefore important to make a good assessment for each specific situation. You must not only take into account the air conditions and the surrounding environment. But also consider the material in mind to determine the appropriate corrosion class (C1-C5).  Is there a thicker layer of zinc or another alloy needed for your situation?

The best solution: Walraven BIS UltraProtect® 1000

If you definitely want to be sure that your installation and fixing materials have a very high corrosion resistance, Walraven BIS UltraProtect® 1000 is exactly what you need. The products of Walraven BIS UltraProtect® 1000 can effortlessly withstand a salt spray test of at least 1000 hours* (according to ISO 9227). Ideal for mechanical installations, solar systems and many other types of installations, both indoors and outdoors.

The post How to prevent corrosion of installation and fixing materials appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.

The main aim of the regulation is to protect the people who live and work on the property by giving them time to escape safely in case of fire. Additionally, the fire department has more time to extinguish the fire, especially when it remains within a closed fire compartment and can prevent the total destruction of the property.

Steps to comply with the regulations:

• determine which Fire and Safety regulations are valid for the building or structure
• determine the needed fire safety requirements
• specify the situations where requirements are not achieved or need attention
• find the appropriate solution for each situation
• apply the solution

Ask as early as possible for advice

An important tip we have for you is to ask for advice as early as possible on the best way to increase the fire protection of your project. It still happens regularly that after the installation of fire protection systems, everything has to be replaced because a part is used which is not up to the right fire safety standard. You certainly want to avoid these kinds of failure costs.

The best solution: Walraven Pacifyre® fire collars

Do you want to ensure you optimally meet the fire safety requirements set by the government? Then we have the right fire protection systems for you. Our Walraven Pacifyre® fire collars can be used to make the feed-through of plastic pipes and metal insulated pipes fire-resistant.

The post How to comply to fire safety regulations appeared first on Walraven Lithuania.