Welcome to aquatherm New Zealand

aquatherm NZ Directors, Steve Derig and Milton Sands

Dear Customers

Since ancient times, mankind has been thinking of effective ways of transporting and using "aqua" (latin for water) and "therm" (latin for warmth).  Applied technologies have been developed and changed considerably over the ages, but the motivation has remained the same:  Hygiene, health and well-being.

aquatherm has participated in this development over the past 38 years (globally) and in some areas has been able to make decisive contributions.  An example is the fusiotherm system produced by aquatherm.  By constantly adapting its products to the needs of the market and developing the relevant know-how, aquatherm has achieved worldwide success and prestige within the last 38 years; a fact which we are proud of, but at the same time giving us the motivation to continue making constant improvements.

This website will give you a first-hand experience of our products, services and technical knowledge, and as part of our ongoing effort to develop and improve product
knowledge and communication we will bring you a feature article (below) each month showcasing our products in a variety of different commercial and domestic projects.  Also check our news section which is updated regularly for industry events and issues.

Feature Article for June 

Plumbing at Altitude

Being a Plumber at 620 metres above sea level and on the 45th parallel (half way between the Equator and South Pole) Syd Broadley has an environment which is foreign to most sea level plumbers. 

Extreme temperatures from 40°C to -20°C in make for unique conditions. Winters when the air temperature didn't get into the black for several weeks with the warmest temperature being -5°C was interesting! The ground was frozen down to 500mm below ground level and pipes were freezing in the ground.

The winter of 1995 (when the population was around 1500) saw 10% of homes with cracked WC pans, and 40% of homes experienced burst water pipes. These days good pipe installation requires all pipes to be drainable for the winter period, in earlier years pipes were usually copper tubing for rigidity, however with the introduction of fusiotherm it is now possible to install a product which is engineered for our conditions and is cost effective.  It was interesting to note that the winter of 2010 the burst pipes were a 50/50 split of copper and New Zealand manufactured polybuteline piping. The polybuteline pipe tends to split lengthwise and crack at the tee fittings.

The first job Syd did in fusiotherm was a woolshed in the township of Becks, 600 metres above sea level and comprised three showers, three WCs and two sinks and the farmer was reasonably sceptical! "I never heard from him (with regard to the woolshed) for five years, then he rang after one winter to say he had two burst pipes and I had better get out there quick! A site visit revealed that he hadn't drained the pipes down for the winter and two steel ball valves had blown apart! The fusiotherm pipe was perfect. We insulate and provide a tray for support, mainly due to our temperature range, but overall fusiotherm is now the material of choice" say Syd.

Here are some tips for winter plumbing: 

• Drain pipes well before there is any chance of freezing
• Insulate pipe work
• Use fusiotherm where possible