A Powys venue expanding to host weddings used a new heat network to supply heat and hot water to six buildings. The installation took advantage of REHAU Water Technologies’ pre-insulated polymer pipe, using its in-built flexibility to help meet inflexible deadlines.
Bodaioch Hall, a rural events site in Powys, has been developed in phases over recent years, converting a farm location into a wedding and hospitality venue. The hall itself has been served by a biomass boiler and REHAU Water Technologies’ RAUTHERMEX pre-insulated pipe for some time. The latest phase of development connected cottages, a car port and a wedding venue to a new heat network rather than introduce standalone heating systems for each new building — a decision informed by how well the original network had performed.
Routing requirements
Connecting six buildings to a central boiler room meant routing pipework across a live construction site, around existing structures and through ground that was, in places, still being reshaped by wider building work. The wedding venue was still an empty shell as work continued elsewhere on site and the network needed to reach this, as well as the newly converted accommodation and car port without disrupting the broader programme.
The pipe run itself had to negotiate multiple changes of direction between buildings. On a project site like this a rigid or less flexible pipe system would typically mean additional joints and fittings at every bend. Unlike steel systems, where welded joints can introduce potential weak points and increase the risk of long-term reliability issues, the continuous flexible pipe construction minimises joint requirements and enhances overall network integrity.
With 338 metres of pipework required to connect the buildings, and a heat demand across the site of around 580kW, minimising unnecessary jointing was a priority for both the installation timeline and the network’s long-term reliability.
The team also had to work quickly: with the wedding venue an empty barn at the point that pipe delivery began, and excavation for the largest property —the Dairy— starting only days later, the installation needed to keep up with a fast-moving construction schedule.
Ahead of the curve
REHAU’s RAUVIPEX pre-insulated pipe, in sizes from 40mm to 63mm, was specified to extend the network from the plantroom to the new buildings. The install uses EVERLOC compression sleeve jointing and CLIP-FLEX shroud technology at each connection, allowing joints to be made quickly and inspected visually on site.
Pipe was delivered to site on 26 May, and installers had laid the majority of the run within that week, with excavation for the Dairy connection underway the following week. Rather than using straight pipe lengths and adding tees or elbow joints at every turn, the installation team used the pipe’s inherent flexibility to curve it around obstacles and directional changes, reserving joints solely for connection points rather than changes of direction.
One of the standout characteristics in RAUVIPEX’s design is its longitudinal watertightness barrier and SN8-rated outer jacket built in for long-term reliability. The associated bending forces are reduced by 20–35% compared with similar PU-foamed systems which, in practice, gives installers a pipe that can be manoeuvred by hand around bends without the stiffness associated with less flexible pre-insulated systems, such as steel.
In the trenches
For the installer on this project, ESP Energy, the difference was tangible on site. Fewer joints meant less time spent on connections and fewer potential points of failure once the network was buried and commissioned. The pipe’s flexibility also simplified groundwork, allowing runs to follow a more direct route between buildings rather than being dictated by the geometry of a rigid system.
The approach also suited the practical realities of working on a live, part-completed site as pipework could remain coiled in the trench awaiting the next phase of construction and groundworks.
A step forward for district heating
ESP’s work on this project builds on the wider heat network already established at Bodaioch Hall’s main hall, and on a longer-standing relationship between REHAU and distributor Mibec, which has supplied REHAU’s polymer pipe systems for 15 years.
Chris Collison, Operations Manager at ESP Energy, said, “It’s a challenging site but we’re very pleased with it. The flexibility of the pipe made a massive difference. It makes it so much easier to get around bends and into buildings, and much easier to deal with tees and joints. We’d definitely use it again.”
Jack Trivett, Area Sales Manager at REHAU Water Technologies, added, “RAUVIPEX is a genuine step forward for the industry, mainly due to its combination of high thermal performance and flexibility, with 20 to 35% reduced bending forces on the pipework. More than the product though, REHAU supports customers through service and training too. We carry out site visits and offer training on-site or at customers’ offices to make sure our customers have the support they need every step of the way.”
Mark Chisnall, Managing Director at Mibec, said, “The demand for polymer insulated pipe is only going to increase as traditional steel drops off. RAUVIPEX is a “Best of Both” system. It combines the highest level of insulation and reduced heat losses that consultants crave with the extra flexibility that installers demand. It was the obvious choice for this project’s challenging trench layout, delivering the thermal performance needed to extend the existing renewable heating network. We had immediate access to stock, ensuring the project went smoothly for the client. The training REHAU provides for installers is unrivalled, and it’s that ongoing support that keeps customers coming back.”
With the barn cottages connected and work under way on the network’s largest link to the Dairy, the Bodaioch Hall project is continuing to grow with the wider development as the underground heat network is extended, building by building, alongside it.
For more on REHAU’s district heating support, see here.
For more on Mibec, see insulatedpipe.co.uk.
