Pre-fabrication takes many guises, ranging from large scale completed rooms such as bathrooms down to smaller items such as FCU’s (Fan Coil Units) pre-fitted with valve assemblies.
Whilst valve assemblies are a relatively small part of the installation, the quantity of assemblies gives the contractor an opportunity to save on his installation time.
Essentially there are two designs of valve assemblies;
- Single manifold type, like the Crane Fluid Systems Dominator series
- Multi-manifold commissioning system, like the Crane FS CommPac
The Dominator Series
The Dominator was the first purpose manifold assembly to be introduced into the Building Services industry.
Until then, valve assemblies were a combination of standard valves assembled into a copper framework.
From the original Dominator, which is installed ‘remotely’ from the coil and had 80mm pipework centers, the Dominator PRO was developed.
The Dominator PRO is designed to fit directly onto the copper tails of the FCU coils, having 40mm centers, above the condensation drip tray. This allows for the valve sets to fit within the increasing demand for reduced ceiling void spaces.
Both the original Dominator and the Dominator PRO assemblies are based on a ‘mix & match’ approach, therefore allowing the finished assembles to match the individual requirements of the contractor.
They are all pre-pressure tested and labelled with locations before dispatch to site.
Using the Crane FS Dominator not only saves installation time and reduces the product footprint but simplifies the ordering process, allows phased delivery direct to site if required and reduces the risk of failing joints as all Dominators are fully tested as part of the assembly process.
Typical ‘on-site’ installations require up to 28 individual joints
The Dominator and Dominator PRO both only require 4 on-site joints
Where the Dominator PRO is issued directly to your individual Fan Coil Unit manufacturer, the on-site connections are reduced to 2.
CommPac
The CommPac takes the original idea of the Dominator and uses a combination of manifolds to allow connections for up to six FCUs.
Like the Dominator, the CommPac is pre-pressure tested and labelled with locations before dispatch to site.
Using the Crane FS CommPac not only saves installation time but simplifies the ordering process, allows phased delivery direct to site if required and reduces the risk of failing joints as all CommPac’s are fully tested as part of the assembly process. The units can also be located in easy to access areas where the multiple connected terminals can be commissioned from a centrally located area, minimizing disruption and people movement on site.
