Rinnai gas fired continuous flow hot water and heating systems have been specified for use at a leading fitness centre in Maidstone, Kent, replacing an old thermal store configuration. The site houses gyms, class studios, swimming pool, bar and café plus changing and showering facilities.
The installation was characterised as being ‘straightforward’ and in a matter of days fully operational. The three Rinnai 1500 units deliver almost 3,000 litres of hot water per hour - that is about 40% more than the previous system and, uses around 42% less fuel. Because the Rinnai configuration modulates to demand, the site needed about 2,700 litres per hour at the three peak times during the working day – which it did with room to spare. The site, one of the busiest gym and sports complex in the South East, had been served by an old stored hot water heating system housed in a plant room accessible only via a gantry.
Rinnai proposed 3 x 1500 continuous flow hot water heating units cascaded to cope with the high demands. But the most important point for the site was that the Rinnai units would reduce the footprint in the plant room to save space, resulting in a freeing up of space and heavily reducing additional expenditure for the additional remedial works that would have been required if the site chose to replace ‘like for like’. This would have required the hiring of cranes and demolition work.
The Rinnai offering to the site included a proven electrolytic limescale inhibitor - this maximises system efficiency in hard water areas due to the reduction of limescale build up. Limescale is said to decrease the efficiency of a hot water heating system over a very short period if left untreated. * Rinnai offers a uniquely-powered electrolytic scale inhibitor kit for commercial hot water systems. This is independently tested, and it is a low-maintenance way of protecting a property against the damaging and expensive impact of limescale.
It gives long lasting protection against the formation of hard limescale and ensures that bacteria have fewer places to hide because of cleaner surfaces. This means that there is protection to the capital investment. It is WRAS Approved and used and specified in all market sectors such as manufacturing, hotels, retail and supermarkets, healthcare and education as well as public authorities.
"We aims to alleviate the stresses and strains generated by building service concerns and to ensure our clients can operate their companies or organisations without additional complication"
Darren Morse
Contractors to the site Scott Combustion chose the Rinnai 1500 units for a whole variety of reasons - reliable & continuous flow of useable hot water, safe temperature water distribution at all tap and shower points, overall energy efficiency and ease of installation plus minimal ongoing maintenance costs. Scott Combustion is a premium commercial and industrial building services maintenance and installation company, Since its establishment in 1980, Scott Combustion has been providing expert services and has expanded to operate all over the world, having completed contracts in China, Nigeria, Georgia, Armenia, Japan and many other countries.
“We offer a full range of building services - from the servicing of a gas/oil boiler, the chlorination of a water system to air conditioning and refrigeration services. We provide our clients with an exclusive service to manage every potential issue in the building operations sphere.”
On this and all sites Rinnai 1500 units have the water temperature pre-set through easy-to-use, built in digital controls, eliminating the risk of scalding and potentially eradicating the need for thermostatic mixing valves. Water can be used simultaneously at several points of delivery with no loss of heat.
The Rinnai units are designed for use directly off the mains, with no need for large, ungainly and energy inefficient storage vessels - and they deliver up to 37 litres per minute on demand. An important feature that demonstrates efficiencies is the fact that Rinnai, manufacturer of the industry’s widest range of continuous flow gas fired water heaters, has ‘A’ rated Eco-labels on all of its units. Eco-labelling of products offers transparency to specifiers and end users in a clear and simple guide when sourcing the most energy efficient hot water heating units.
