More
David Clarke & Son Plumbing & Heating, based in Hinckley, have seen their profile raised significantly in recent months following the winning of the Renewable Awards Water Efficient Installer of the Year Award in 2012 and the Installer of the Year Category in the H&V News Awards 2013.
The company has been building an impressive reputation for high quality work for several years, particularly in the installation of renewable and energy and water saving systems. The company has specialised in the integration of different equipment to maximise on the energy saving benefits available from a renewable-based heating system and a visit to the company’s base in Hinckley is immediately impressive due to the various equipment in the demonstration area at the rear of their premises. All operate, if required, to illustrate different solutions to heating challenges.
Quality brands
It will come as no surprise that the Clarkes take no persuading to work closely with quality brands, using their products in all their installations, adding value in their eyes to the overall job that they do for their customers.
One of the key brands you will find in the company’s vans and on the shelves at their Hinckley HQ is Sentinel. Dave, his son Dale, and the twenty-plus sized team of qualified heating and plumbing engineers at the company feel comfortable using a British-made brand of water treatment products and have embraced pretty much the whole range of products from the Cheshire-based manufacturer including its latest innovations – the brand new Eliminator heating system filter, and the new Sentinel ScalePro which is added to their armoury when they are working in hard water areas.
Dale Clarke takes up the story: 'I don’t think we would seriously consider using anything but Sentinel in the jobs we do – we have built our reputation with customers on quality and to achieve quality you use quality at every level and water treatment is no different,' he says. 'We use all the liquid products – the cleaners, the inhibitors, the underfloor heating biocide, and the recently launched Filter Aid to make the system filters work better.
'We are very impressed by the new Eliminator which takes the circulating debris out of a system very efficiently and the new ScalePro is excellent for us as we can tell at a glance that it’s working.' But it’s not just when installing a new heating system or replacing a boiler that Sentinel gets an airing with David Clarke and Son. They are big believers in powerflushing systems, finding it by far the best method of bringing an elderly or blocked heating system back to optimum energy efficiency levels. The company owns two Sentinel Jetflush 4 units which they use regularly in conjunction with X800 Jetflo Ultimate Cleaner which was designed originally to be used in powerflushing scenarios, and the results they feel, speak for themselves.
'We have our own gallery of horrendous water samples taken from dirty systems we work on and clogged up and blocked pumps we’ve had to replace and our customers have to walk past these as they head for our demo suite at the rear of our premises!,' says Dale. 'It’s fun seeing the faces that customers pull when they see these exhibits – of course they don’t think their own heating systems will be the source of additional samples but they usually are!'
Doing the right thing
The Sentinel Business Manager for the Hinckley area where the Clarkes operate is David Webster. He’s watched the Clarkes’ business grow in size and expertise over recent years: 'For me it’s rewarding to see quality companies doing the right thing. They set out their stall to offer a quality service to their customers and part of that is to use quality, bespoke products at every level of their work. Water treatment in some cases can be considered a bit of an afterthought but Dave, Dale and their team see water treatment as a key component of their work and don’t cut corners by using inferior quality products to save a few pennies here and there.
'They want the systems they install and the jobs they do to work well and provide a quality heating scenario for the customer – they don’t want call backs due to breakdowns or other water related issues. Lack of, or incorrect usage of water treatment is a key reason for problems with heating installations, so using the best simply makes sense – it gives peace of mind to the customer and the installer!'
For more information about any of the products mentioned, please check the domestic heating products section of the website.
