The house of the Mattsons, built 1976, got new water and heating pipes, as well as a next generation heat pump solution. The aim was to forestall the risk of water damage, save on heating, and raise the value of the house.

In the autumn of 2014, they decided to renovate their pipes, as the house was already 38 years old. They bought the 119 square meter house in 1992, in the Pääskyvuori neighbourhood of Turku, Finland.

– The renovation went quickly and easily, and without having to break down any structures. They didn't have to leave for the duration of the renovation, and it only lasted a couple of weeks, Tage Mattson explains.

The speed of the job is because the neat-looking, white composite pipes can be surface mounted. The old metal pipes were left inside the structures. The new composite pipes are have high technical sound quality, so that for example flow sounds don't bother habitation. The old pipes were in use throughout the entire renovation, which guaranteed undisturbed habitation for the duration.
 

At any time of the year

The renovation started, when the salesperson demonstrated the next generation solutions for the Mattsons, during the home visit. The couple wanted to make use of the newest methods to renew their aging drinking water and heating system.

Another incentive to renovate was a tax deduction for construction work performed in the home, which could be used for the work part of the cost of the renovation. The Mattsons took contact to Uponor, who recommended a local HVAC contractor, LVI Elo, to perform the renovation.
The entrepreneur of LVI Elo, Aleksi Elo, says that a plumbing renovation in a single-family house can be done at any time of the year.

– The water was turned off for only a few hours of the renovation, when the already installed new plumbing was connected to the system. At the same time, the old metal pipes were emptied of water, and left in place inside the structure, as Elo explains.
 

A well run project produced neat results

The Mattsons became convince of the need to renew the plumbing, because corrosion problems in the plumbing have become common in old single family houses. A further advantage is, that many insurance companies reset the contribution to premiums for aging plumbing after the renovation.

The contract started with planning and measuring. The works were performed by Markus Montonen from LVI Elo, who was in contact with the Mattsons daily during the renovation. A competent and professional fitter is the most important part of a successful renovation.

In the first stage, the pass-throughs between rooms were drilled. Among other things the upper and lower plinths of the kitchen furniture were utilized for routing the pipes. The pipes were bent and attached with specialized tools.

The outcome of the HVAC contractor's work was neat, the Mattsons say. The pipes and parts were already coloured white, so they didn't have to be painted separately. In the Mattson home, the pipes were left partially visible, but they can also be hidden behind shells. In the living room, the pipes were inconspicuously installed behind the curtain rods.
 

The oil-fired boiler was replaced by a heat pump

In conjunction with the plumbing renovation, it made sense to put the rest of the technology of the house in order, so the Mattsons decided to get a new heating system. Instead of heating with oil, they switched to an NIBE Split air-and-water heat pump solution. On top of covering the heat pump installation, the contract also included renewing the heating pipes and radiator thermostats. The old radiators stayed in place.

The next generation NIBE Split heat pump is based on a system that integrates heating, drinking water and cooling. Its inside unit contains an integrated water heater, heating element and circulation pump. The heat pump can be combined with other heat sources, as in the Mattson home, where it is combined with electrical heating, the Mattsons' backup heating system.

Due to the renovation, the value of the house increased, and heating costs were reduced. The new composite pipes will protect the house for decades into the future.