Armaflex Tuffcoat® was specified for the store‘s HVAC-R and plumbing systems to control condensation, reduce energy losses and protect the insulation layer against mechanical and UV damage (where installed outdoors).

The UK manufactured Tuffcoat® product offers the advantages of Class O Armaflex® flexible thermal insulation (closed cell structure, low thermal conductivity, high water vapour diffusion resistance and in-built Microban® for prevention of bacteria growth) with an additional tough PVC covering for protection against mechanical impact and UV damage.

In total 800 sq m of 19mm thick, white Armaflex Tuffcoat® (also available with a black covering) was installed for the supply and return feeds of the air conditioning system to provide condensation control and improve efficiency (by avoiding heat loss / gain and thereby unnecessary energy losses).

The 2m x 0.5m 19mm thick sheets were installed by local contractors Callan Insulation Ltd. This was the first time the contractors had worked with the Armaflex Tuffcoat® product, and following training from Armacell UK‘s Application Specialist, they were very impressed with the speed and ease of fixing the material compared to alternative insulation solutions. The Armaflex® accessories required to complete the job were knife sets, Gluemaster® applicators, Armaflex 520® adhesive, Armaflex Cleaner® and Armaflex Tuffcoat® tape (25mm wide used for ductwork). Half round sections of Tuffcoat® pipe insulation tubes were also fabricated to insulate flanges where two sections of ductwork joined.

The outdoor refrigeration pipework was fitted with 500 linear metres of black Armaflex Tuffcoat® tubes in 25mm wall thickness by contractors Montgomery Refrigeration. The high water vapour diffusion resistance value (mu value) of 7,000 is an integral feature or the Armaflex® insulation material and is a result of the product‘s closed cell structure, making it the ideal choice for condensation control on refrigerant pipelines. The Tuffcoat® polymeric covering and tape provides the inner Class O Armaflex® insulation with additional protection from UV damage and mechanical impact.

Finally 680 lm of indoor heating and plumbing pipes were insulated with Tuffcoat® by Emerson Energy to improve system efficiency and reduce heat loss. All insulation thicknesses for the project were calculated by the Armacell UK Technical Support team using the ArmWin software tool.