Water heaters exceed expectations at hotel
Problem: A new Hampton Inn in Ashland City, Tennessee was seeking a dependable water heating solution to help ensure a continuous supply of hot water for the 75-room, four-story hotel, including a kitchen and laundry facilities.
Solution: Management looked to A. O. Smith to provide two 750,000 Btu/hr Cyclone XL Gas Water Heaters. When specifying, management needed to be cognizant of the mechanical room’s size constraints. With a smaller footprint than most other large commercial options, the Cyclone XL was the ideal solution to ensure ample hot water and room for installation and maintenance. The heater excels in applications with maximum hot water needs by adjusting the firing rate to meet demand. The unit has a dual stainless steel heat exchange system that utilizes a two-step heat transfer process to deliver thermal efficiencies of 97%. It also comes equipped with iCOMM Connectivity, allowing hotel management to remotely monitor and adjust each unit’s settings.
Result: “We have been incredibly pleased with the consistency Cyclone XL has provided — the hot water temperature you get on the first floor is the same temperature you get on the fourth floor,” says Hotel General Manager Sammy Naquin. “We’ve been busy since opening and even with reaching room capacity on multiple occasions, we have received positive feedback from guests on always having hot water.” 800-527-1953; www.hotwater.com
Alarm protects commercial and residential property from sewage backup
Problem: The owner of multiple commercial properties in Sunapee, New Hampshire recognized that he and his onsite facilities teams needed a way to be alerted if they were about to experience damaging blackwater backing up into their buildings.
Solution: The owner decided to install an alarm system in every building that attaches easily to the basement clean-out. The Blackwater Alert is a 95-decibel alarm that notifies occupants and property management before wastewater enters the property. It can send an alert to your Alexa, security system or smart device (iPhone and Android) to indicate that a backup is occurring. It has a port release valve that allows for controlled release of pressure, making cleanup less extensive and protecting the property from damage.
Result: The device gives property management peace of mind that there will be an alarm alerting them to act in the case of an impending sewage backup. The devices are working as advertised. 800-804-4725; www.blackwateralert.com
Hanger system enables plumber to meet tight deadline
Problem: An old dance studio in Chicago was being converted into a 4,000-square-foot full-service restaurant. The restaurant owner hired a local plumbing company to install rough plumbing for the men’s and women’s restrooms, main full bar, server station, kitchen, prep room and utility room. The catch was that the rough plumbing needed to be completed within a week.
Solution: The plumbing company owner estimated his labor using four plumbers would need two weeks to complete the work using old installation methods. He decided to use HAP System Hangers to save both time and money. Although HAP Hangers cost slightly more than traditional pipe supports for this project, he was able to use just three plumbers who were trained in using HAP System products. These plumbers completed the entire rough plumbing installation in five days. By using HAP Hangers, the plumbing company owner had reduced his labor cost by 64% that resulted in a net savings of $5,400 for the project.
Result: The restaurant owner was impressed with the fast, high quality pipe installation. This project was completed on time with no injuries and approved on the first inspection with no call backs. 847-787-7777; www.hapsystem.com
Commercial pool heaters help community aquatic center
Problem: The village of Weston Aquatic Center in Wisconsin opted to proactively upgrade its water heating technology to help prevent a potential pool heater failure during peak season. The product they chose needed to not only heat the 350,000-gallon pool but also stand up to freezing winters, as the pool heaters are stored in a nonheated building.
Solution: The aquatic center installed two Lochinvar Copper-Fin2 commercial pool heaters. The installation allowed the team to rethink their design to maximize efficiency. The heaters are built to withstand the tough conditions of the unheated mechanical room where they’re stored, which can dip to 20 degrees below zero in winter. With semiannual maintenance and careful winterizing procedures, the units are primed for performance. Ownership appreciated the unit’s efficiency with its automatic bypass feature. Now, they can ensure proper flow and return temperatures to the heat exchanger, which will help preserve the life of the pool heaters and maintain efficient operation. The units also feature SMART SYSTEM operating controls, which simplify troubleshooting and maintenance. Ownership finds it useful that the unit shows a data code on its LCD display that corresponds with a specific error, allowing problems to be identified — and fixed — as quickly as possible.
Result: The need for a simple retrofit, high efficiency and proven performance made the heaters the perfect solution. 615-889-8900; www.lochinvar.com
Double-containment fuel piping a fit for emergency backup generator
Problem: While installing an AST at street level and a backup generator on the rooftop of a building is easy to accomplish, installing the fuel piping throughout the building that connects the AST to the backup generator is a challenge. In the past most piping was rigid piping that had to be threaded or welded together in 10- to 20-foot sections. This process caused additional construction requirements and the labor costs were excessive. The owners of a Midwestern commercial building sought an alternative.
Solution: The installer opted to pull the 1-inch DoubleTrac (UGF-FSP-16) supply and return piping from Omega Flex in two directions. They went downward from a fifth-floor mechanical room adjacent to the parking garage down to a parking garage, suspending the horizontal sections from the parking garage ceiling. The piping was passed through each floor in 4-inch core drilled holes, then sealed with fire stop caulk all the way to the AST and Pump Set in the basement level of the parking garage.
Result: The piping was pulled through the 11-floor office building with minimal interruption to day-to-day operations. All the piping was installed in the building during normal business hours and the final tie-in at the rooftop emergency backup generator was done on a weekend. 800-671-8622; www.tracpipe.com
Manufacturer chooses above-floor grinding and shower solution for restroom and shower trailers
Problem: Montondo Trailer specializes in creating custom restrooms, showers and specialty trailers, including ADA-compliant restroom stalls and showers. Recently, founder Jack Montondo had to find a mobile plumbing solution to accommodate an occupant with disabilities. The wheelchair-accessible trailers don’t use Montondo’s typical plumbing solution because there needs to be room for a wheelchair ramp, the discharge must pump up and through the floor to the back of the trailer where the waste tank is located. Consequently, Montondo had to find a solution that would provide above-floor drainage for bathroom fixtures.
Solution: Montondo chose Saniflo’s Sanibest Pro and Sanigrind Pro grinder systems, and the Sanishower drain pump. The Sanibest Pro is a heavy-duty grinder engineered to quickly dispose of larger objects that could clog a conventional toilet, especially in a heavily used public setting. The wastewater is picked up at the bottom of the container by the pump impeller mounted beneath the 1 hp motor. The waste can then be discharged a maximum of 25 feet vertically and/or 150 feet horizontally. The Sanigrind Pro handles longer-distance discharge runs and is ideal for uncontrolled environments in both residential and commercial applications. The Sanibest Pro and the Sanigrind Pro discharges run “uphill,” allowing Montondo to position the trailer lower to the ground to accommodate an ADA-compliant ramp. The Sanishower drain pump can discharge gray water waste up to 12 feet vertically and 100 feet horizontally. It moves the shower water to the waste tank located at the back of the trailer before it is disposed of.
Result: Requiring only 2 hours to install, the systems allow Montondo to make on average two to three ADA-compliant trailers per month and has built over 72 ADA-compliant trailers featuring the plumbing over the last two years. 800-363-5874; www.saniflo.com
