As an installer, you’ll be familiar with the need for high-quality renewable heating products that have been tested to the limits. What you may not know about is the level of research and development that goes into ensuring all products are not only highly efficient but also easy to install, maintain and service – and that they’ll work anywhere, in all conditions.
High-tech testing
Vaillant Group produces around two million gas heating appliances every year for customers in more than 60 countries. Our test centre in Remscheid, Germany, puts these products through a range of gruelling tests to make sure that they can withstand the harshest conditions.
The ultra-modern test rigs and special laboratories in the test centre allow us to check, examine and certify all stages of product development, from the prototype, phase to series production – under one roof.
The centre has nine different lab areas and more than 180 test stands. These include a drop test room, a wind test room, and a sprinkler lab for testing protection against moisture. Every product range undergoes more than 100 different rigorous tests, which help us learn more about things like material properties, noise emissions or electromagnetic compatibility.
Climate trials
As an example, the aroTHERM plus heat pump, which will be manufactured in the UK from 2022. During testing, we expose the heat pump to a range of extreme conditions to ensure its quality, reliability, safety, and efficiency. In our state-of-the-art climate chambers, we simulate temperatures from -20°C to +30°C and humidity levels of 30-95% to ensure that the heat pump is suitable for use in virtually any location in the world.
But our work doesn’t stop there. The information we get back from these tests is vital in helping us to develop future products. This means we can continue to ensure that our products deliver top-quality and great performance, as well as being user-friendly – and continue to make life easier for installers.