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SteamAqua® helps building management company tackle inspection challenges
Steam-fired water heaters can reduce the cost of statutory inspections of pressure vessels, which cost close to 10,000 USD each year, and eliminate the need for a two-day shutdown for inspections
A building management company was having trouble maintaining the hot water system in an office building more than 30 years old. The hot water storage tanks were identified as a problem because the treatment and inspection costs to pass the annual statutory inspection required a cost of 1.2 million yen (approx. 8,400 USD at the time of writing) each time and a two-day shutdown period.
The decision to switch to a steam-fired water heater eliminated the need for legal inspections. In addition to a significant reduction in running costs, the two-day shutdown was no longer necessary, and the building management company could avoid inconveniencing tenants and their customers.
The building management company and the contractor who installed the water heater shared their impressions of the installation with TLV.
Building management company
| Usage | For hot water supply in tenant units and hand washing in bathrooms |
|---|---|
| Business | Building Management |
Products Used
Problem
Hot water storage tanks are aging and annual legal inspections have become a burden
The office building managed by the company was completed over 30 years ago and its hot water supply system has become outdated and increasingly difficult to maintain. In addition to the tenants above ground the building, which has a total floor area of approx. 70,000 m2 in a prime location in Tokyo, had 10 tenants including restaurants in the basement. Hot water was stored in four large tanks and supplied by a hot water circulation system to the basement tenants and for hand washing in the bathrooms on each floor above ground.
Storage tanks are classified as pressure vessels and are subject to annual statutory inspections, which require shutting down operations for two days. The management company wanted to switch the building hot water supply to a new hot water system before the aging storage tanks could no longer pass the annual inspection.
What prompted the inquiry
SteamAqua® was featured in TLV's email magazine
"We were looking for a hot water system to replace our storage tanks and saw an article in the TLV email magazine introducing a steam hot water production unit (SteamAqua®). We immediately inquired through our distributor, and TLV came to visit us to explain the system." wrote the project manager from the building maintenance company.
"We contacted several other manufacturers, but TLV was the fastest to respond and the only one who visited us right away."
Solution
Four hot water tanks were replaced with three SteamAqua® units
The decision was taken to install SteamAqua® because of the response time TLV could provide to the customer, who was also satisfied with the product features and performance. The most decisive factor in selecting SteamAqua® was the fact that it would eliminate the need for statutory inspections in Japan, and the operating costs would be much lower than current situation.
In August 2016, four storage tanks were replaced by three Steam Aqua SQ4 units, two in the basement and one on the top floor using the circulation system. The two units in the basement were used for hot water supply for the basement tenants and bathrooms on the lower and middle floors, and the unit on the top floor served the bathrooms on the upper floors.
Results
SteamAqua® eliminated statutory inspection requirements and significantly reduces operating costs
Significant reduction in operating costs
SteamAqua® does not fall under the pressure vessels category in most regions, so the annual statutory inspections performed until now are no longer required. As a result, annual inspection-related costs, which used to cost approx. 2,500 USD per unit for 4 units, or approx. 10,000 USD in total, are no longer necessary. In addition, the building had been required to stop operation for two days a year to perform the inspections, but this is no longer necessary. Furthermore, in addition to the cost savings, the following additional benefits were realized
Opened up new floor space
The compact footprint of the SteamAqua® allowed it to be installed near a wall, no longer taking up so much floor space. Replacing the large water tanks with the smaller SteamAqua® units opened up a large space and made room for new equipment in the future.
No more tanks, zero waiting time for temperature rise
With storage tanks, water is heated after the tank is filled, so it takes a couple of hours to achieve the desired temperature water. Especially during annual inspections, it used to take around 4 hours to heat the water water because of the process of air removal, water filling, and operation after the inspection. On the other hand, with SteamAqua®, hot water can be produced at the desired temperature soon after operation is started, which has significantly reduced operating man-hours.
Steam reduction by eliminating the need to maintain tank temperature
Previously, steam was constantly consumed to maintain the tank water temperature, however with SteamAqua®, steam is consumed by the unit only when hot water is used at the point of supply, thereby reducing overall steam usage.
Customer Feedback
Building management company project manager
"We are committed to providing safety and security to our tenants. Previously, the water tanks had to be shut down for two days every year for inspections, and each tenant had to be notified in advance and asked to close for two days. However, after switching to SteamAqua® for the building's hot water supply, the statutory inspections are no longer required, and the tenants are no longer forced to close, which is a win-win for both parties.
Actually, we had an issue with the new system after installation, but TLV took care of it right away. We were satisfied with the troubleshooting process, TLV quickly identified the cause of the problem and resolved it. We are aiming for long-term ownership of our building, which will be in operation for another 50 years, so we would like to continue working with TLV for a long time to come, including maintenance. We are also considering a waste heat recovery initiative in the future, and TLV will be first on our list."
Yuji Watanabe (in charge of construction)
Sales Department Manager
Teraki Sangyo Corporation
"Our company was originally created from a boiler water treatment company and has been in business for over 60 years. We are involved in the sale and installation of water treatment equipment and boilers, and this is the second high-rise building we have installed SteamAqua® into.
When I am assigned to construction projects, I always try to propose at least one new improvement. For SteamAqua®, I think the improvements it offers are "high safety" and "small installation space" compared to other systems. Regarding safety, among the other steam-fired water heaters we looked at, only SteamAqua® has a safety function that prevents the supply of hot water in case of emergency. It also had the smallest installation space compared to the others, which is a great advantage during installation.
We have had very few issues with SteamAqua® at other sites, and TLV have always been very responsive and helpful. I think we'll see more and more people switching from hot water tanks to SteamAqua® in the future."
