Up until 8-10 years ago, ‘Sale’ (as we were, and still are, often called) was seen as just ‘the compressor company’ – we hope, since then, that our hard work to extend the range and quality of our additional products has helped the industry think of us more widely as a ‘high quality and excellent service provider of a range of specialist products for fire sprinkler systems’. Everyone at SEP works tirelessly to ensure that our reputation continues to grow, without compromising on the key ethos that brought us to where we are today – responsiveness, flexibility and top quality.
Air compressors are an important part of our portfolio, and we think our knowledge and experience in this field is unsurpassed. Obviously, we are often asked to provide replacements, and some of the photos we receive are ‘interesting’ to say the least. We are happy to explain why ‘any old compressor’ may not be up to the task, and most of the time our advice is taken in the positive way it is intended!
We thought it might be useful (maybe even interesting) to summarise what we see as the ‘Top Ten reasons’ to buy SEP compressors, directly from us as the manufacturer.
- Unrivalled pre-sales advice: where else can you go for fast and accurate advice on fire sprinkler compressor sizing and specification, so that you can be sure what you’ll end up with is what you need for the job? Sure, there are compressor companies who happen to sell into the sprinkler sector, and there are sprinkler suppliers who happen to sell compressors, but SEP is the only fire sprinkler compressor manufacturer specialising in this field in the UK. We are here to make sure you get what you need, when you need it.
- Designed just for sprinklers: our compressors are designed and built specifically for fire sprinkler systems; they are not just compressors which are ‘ok’ to use for the purpose.
- Top quality: our compressors are designed and built to last – in fact, it’s not uncommon at all for us to receive photos of compressors which are over 20 years’ old and finally need replacing! Installed properly in a good environment, well-maintained and properly sized, a lubricated compressor can last at least this long (and oil-free maybe 10-12 years).
- After-sales support: any issues with installation, set-up, or a random problem after 5 years? You know where we are, and no-one understands fire sprinkler air compressors like we do. If you need to call, you’re not going to be speaking to someone who’s only selling part numbers – every single person who answers the phone, or an email, will be able to help.
- Available spares: even for our older compressors, we will be able to provide maintenance and repair spares – whether it’s a full maintenance kit, check or safety valve, a pressure gauge or switch, or even a pump. If we don’t have the exact match, we’ll be able to suggest a solution to solve the problem. And rest assured, we will never advise a complete replacement unless we really feel that something is too old or risky to be repaired (part of our ISO14001 policy). We’re not after a one-off sale, we’re here for the long term, just like you.
- Stock: we maintain a demand-driven stock of all of our standard compressors, and because we build them here in Stockport (We are a member of Made in Britain), even something bespoke can usually be built in a few days. Urgent? That’s what we do.
- Range: our compressor range goes from 750w oil-free ultra-quiet, all the way up to a 7.5kw lubricated beast (and not so quiet), with everything in between, and it’s not just a list – we’ll help you decide which is best for the job, and avoid over- or under-specification, not just what we have in stock or what might be easiest.
- Ultra-special – the duplex: one of our unique products, the duplex compressor provides multi-component redundancy, allows live maintenance, gives double-speed fast-fill capability, and shares the wear over the pair of pumps.
- Flexibility: as standard, we’re not standard – for instance, we’re seeing more and more low pressure pre-action valves and can offer several different solutions for this type of installation, depending on preferences and aspects of specification; wall-mount, floor-mount, space restrictions and more – anything you think might pose a problem, let us know and we can work with you to find a solution. Although by its nature, most of our compressor business is UK-based, we can and do ship anywhere on the planet.
- Responsiveness: we pride ourselves on responding to any request (be it a quotation, an order, a technical query or a problem) extremely quickly – it’s what helped us get to where we are, so we never forget that we need to get the basics right. Most of our new products and improvements come from discussions about customer needs, so do talk to us. How quick is quick? Unless we need to ‘go fishing’ for something odd, or it’s a non-standard product that needs some investigation, then we’re usually measuring in minutes.
Do you have any questions about air compressors or anything else? We’d be more than happy to help. Contact Us now.