This year, Fernox celebrates its 60th anniversary – a fantastic milestone! Over the last six decades Fernox has grown from a lightbulb moment by founder, Peter Muetzel to become a global leader in water treatment products, filters and test kits. Here, Marketing Manager, Claire Lopez, takes a look at how it all began and reflects on some of the company’s key milestones over the last 60 years.
For me, it has been a real pleasure looking back through our archives and history in celebration of our 60th year. Having been at the company for over 20 years myself, I feel an immense amount of pride to have been part of the incredible journey that has brought us to where we are today.
Since Fernox began, the industry has seen some major changes from the adoption of condensing boilers, to extended boiler warranties (linked to water quality and diagnostic testing) and changes to the Building Regulations.
We have experienced some amazing highlights and since our humble beginnings 60 years ago, we have launched hundreds of products which have shaped and adapted to the landscape of the water treatment industry – a list of products and solutions that is simply too long to mention each and every one. Ultimately, when preparing for this blog it is markedly clear that Fernox has been built on a strong history of innovation and expertise.
Turning on the heat
It wasn’t until the 1950s that the UK began to see the widespread introduction of wet central heating systems in a domestic setting. Suddenly, householders had the ability to warm every room in the house, however, some homes began to experience problems. Why were some rooms not heating up as quickly as others?
How it all began – a lightbulb moment
Around this time, German engineer Peter Meutzel was experiencing problems with his own heating system and recognised that circulating water at high temperatures around systems made of metal made them vulnerable to corrosion and damage if left to their own devices. It was this ‘Eureka moment’ that started our journey as the world’s first water treatment company when, in 1964, he established Fernox and introduced this concept to the world: with chemical water treatment we can keep central heating systems working efficiently and extend the life of the system. The name Fernox was in fact, distilled from the words ‘ferrous-non-oxidous’.
60 years of innovation
Fernox’s first office was based in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire and began with just three employees. It was at this time that boiler manufacturers were so concerned about system operation, that they readily backed the idea of treatment and by 1971 Fernox was being promoted through builders merchant stockists. In turn, our reputation grew and the company embarked upon an abundant new product development programme that still underpins our operations today.
Throughout the 1970s cleaners, leak sealers, anti-freeze inhibitors as well as a variety of industrial products were all brought to market. In 1973 we launched the game-changing Central Heating Protector MB-1 in a practical one-gallon pack.
As boiler technology changed, so did the formulations. In the early 1980s, we developed a nitrate-free inhibitor for copper-tube boilers - and as boilers began to incorporate more aluminium, we adapted to that change too with pH optimised, citrate-based formulas.
It was 1984 when Fernox’s own water testing services were formalised, and we went on to introduce our postal water testing service using a 50ml plastic bottle in 2000. Our water testing range has been refined over the years with different test kits available today that enable compliance with the building regulations with fast, on-site testing. Click to view our test kits.
It was also during this period that, in recognition of the need to implement a more thorough system clean, we launched the first flushing machine for domestic heating with the Squid in 1987. In 1989, Fernox was acquired by the Cookson Group and moved to Croydon and then into its head office in Woking, Surrey in 2002.
Continuous product innovation
As the company moved into the ‘90s, we continued to launch new products as well as improve upon existing formulations to meet the ever-changing demands of the market. In 1996 Fernox launched the first Superconcentrate 290ml Protector and the late 1990s saw our products launched in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for the first time.
We continued an ambitious programme of product development throughout the 2000s with the concentrated 500ml ‘F’ range as well as Express aerosol versions – all designed to make it easier for installers to use and for homeowners to get the best from their central heating systems. During this decade, Fernox also opened new R&D facilities in both the UK and India.
In 2002, we updated the Squid with a flushing machine to remove contaminants from system water more efficiently with the MK1 Powerflow Pump (which has evolved over the years to become the PowerFlow MKIII flushing machine today). And many will no doubt recall the launch of the first magnetic filter in 2005 – the Boiler Buddy. This used hydrocyclonic action and specifically engineered magnet assemblies to collect and contain both magnetic and non-magnetic debris within the filter.
As a crucial component of system protection, we have since gone on to perfect our filter range over the years with a number of technological and design advances – from our first nickel-plated, brass inline system filter for domestic central heating systems in 2018 – the TF1 Omega Filter, to the most recent TF1 Sigma Mini – an ultra-compact system filter designed for smaller volume systems with challenging space restrictions. Today, Fernox has an extensive collection of filters that are easy to install and suit every application and budget.
In 2015, our parent company Alent, was acquired and we subsequently became a subsidiary business of MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions, and a business unit of Element Solutions Inc.
In 2020 we began manufacturing in the US, quickly followed by opening operations in China. It was also during this time that we launched our ESI Cares programme, which enables our employees to give back to the community in a meaningful way, benefitting up to 550 charitable organisations.
Legislation has of course had a significant impact on the industry and our own product development. For example, the most recent updates to Part L of the Building Regulations which came into effect in 2022, outlined that homes must produce 31% less carbon emissions with new wet central heating systems sized for a maximum flow temperature of 55°C. With this regulation for reduced flow temperature paving the way for more heat pump installations, we recognised the market needed a filter that could work within the unique environment of these systems. In response, we launched our award-winning TF1 Sigma HP in 2023, which uses specialised filtration technology to capture all types of debris, even at the high flow rates (up to 80 L/M) that are typical of heat pump installations and in recognition of this superior technology, went on to win an award.
In response to the shift towards renewable energy, we have also introduced a vast collection of chemical water treatments for renewable heating systems. These products were developed to protect components of solar thermal and heat pump systems, by offering full protection against corrosion, limescale and micro bacterial contamination as well as offering enhanced heat transfer properties. These include Fernox Biocide F7 to protect against the microbiological contamination that can occur due to the lower flow temperatures at which heat pumps operate.
Our pioneering spirit continues
Today Fernox continues to lead the water treatment market to deliver a range of products designed to make heating systems as efficient as possible, protect the lifespan of key components and allow streamlined system servicing.
We are proud to have grown from a UK entity to one that now operates in 38 countries and we are immensely grateful for the support of our valued partners and customers over the years and for the relationships we have built along the way.
The pioneering spirit of Peter Muetzel continues and we look forward to a prolific roadmap of product innovation ahead – to ensure our trusted brand remains the market leader for the next 60 years…and beyond.
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Fernox is an Industrial Associate of CIPHE, to see the full list of Industrial Associates check out the directory HERE