Commercial hot water systems are the unsung heroes of the hospitality business. As time goes on, though, older networks can become less efficient as insulation and heating elements wear down – making them more expensive to repair or replace as the years go by.
As hot water specialists with over 20 years’ experience on the Sunshine Coast, the Sunpak How Water team knows the importance of an efficient, quality system. When we prepared to replace Infinity Apartments’ hot water system, we took a number of factors into consideration to get the job done in a way that would meet all of our client’s needs.
The commercial hot water challenge
The original hot water system installed at Infinity Apartment was a “dead leg” hot water network. This kind of network is often poorly designed and can lead to problems in the later years. It works by running an insulated copper cable along the piping. This cable serves as an electric element that keeps the pipe and the water hot, a process known as heat tracing.
Over time, however, either the insulation deteriorates or the heat trace fails. This meant that some Infinity Apartment units took 20 minutes or more to receive hot water.
The solution
When it came to work, there were three important goals we wanted to built our commercial hot water solution around: 1. extensive service to remove the problem completely, 2. quick turnaround time to limit disruptions, 3. fitting an efficient and robust new system.
We met all our goals and received glowing feedback from our client. Here’s how we did it:
Installing a ring main commercial hot water network
The “dead leg” or heat trace system was a poor fit for moving hot water through a commercial property. We replaced it with a ring main system, which aligned much better with our client’s needs.
Because heat tracing warms up individual branches, it takes a lot more energy to keep the entire system warm. In a ring main system, the piping forms a continuous line through all the taps before looping back to the heating system. The water is cycled into the cold inlet of the hot water tank, where it can be reheated before entering the system again.
This gives all connected units much faster access to hot water and considerably reduces the system’s’ overall cost. In their feedback, the Infinity Apartment building management reported using 40% less water than in the previous billing period.
Extended service
In order to replace the old system with a ring main network, we targeted all key areas on the complex. The extent of that targeting saw us working on the system from the roof all the way down to the basement.
We also serviced every cupboard on every level of the property. The result was an efficient commercial hot water system that would remain robust for a long time.
Quick turnaround time
We wanted to install the ring main network with minimise disruption to Infinity Apartments and its residents. As extensive as the project was, we still managed a turnaround time just under 3 days.
We don’t compromise on professionalism or the quality of our service, but decades of experience has certainly refined our process. The positive feedback from our clients is how we know we’ve met both their standard and our own.
Want to know if we can help you?
If you’re in the Sunshine Coast and have any plumbing enquiries or commercial hot water needs, feel free to get in touch with us! Our expert advisors are here to help and we offer free quotes.
Email us at info@sunpakhotwater.com.au or call us on 0405 546 465.
If you are keen to find out more, you can check out our other projects on our Facebook page and other commercial hot water projects!
