Nashville Machine Company took on the complicated task of removing and replacing an aging water heating system so large it would not fit through the mechanical room doors. Installing a new system from Lochinvar went smoothly thanks to the flexibility of the Lochinvar products, which also promised excellent energy efficiency, making them the ideal choice for the project.
Vanderbilt University has made great strides toward sustainability thanks to its SustainVU program to improve the university’s impact on the community and the environment. When its Student Recreation Center needed a new water heating system, Vanderbilt’s Plant Operations team worked with Ferguson in Nashville, TN, to find an efficient solution. Having had extensive experience with high-efficiency Lochinvar equipment, the Ferguson representatives invited Chris Dickerson of Lochinvar to check out the existing equipment and provide a recommendation for a retrofit system.
After inspecting the equipment and the size of the mechanical room, Dickerson recommended replacing the 2.4-million-Btu/hr water heater and its 1,000-gallon storage tank with four 500,000 Btu/hr ARMOR® Water Heaters (AWN501PM) and five Lock-Temp® Round Jacketed Storage Tanks (RJA200). Space constraints influenced the recommendations; the five 200-gallon storage tanks were the largest units that would fit through the mechanical room doorway.
The Vanderbilt and Ferguson teams had great confidence in the Lochinvar ARMOR water heaters, which offer thermal efficiency up to 98 percent, and they agreed that this was the ideal replacement system for the recreation center.
When it came time to remove the old equipment, Nashville Machine Company had to cut the old, large water heater into pieces to get it out of the mechanical room. Despite the complex piping arrangement, the expertise of the installation team and the flexibility of ARMOR’s venting options allowed for a smooth, successful installation.
Since installing the Lochinvar ARMOR Water Heaters and Lock- Temp Storage Tanks at the Student Recreation Center, Vanderbilt University has seen an average savings of 26 percent on monthly gas bills because of the significant increase in efficiency.
“We’re continuously working towards improving sustainability on campus, and projects like this one help us to greatly reduce our impact on the environment,” said Samuel Hirt, director of campus recreation at Vanderbilt University. “The Lochinvar equipment has been operating perfectly since day one, and the energy savings are incredible.”
For more information, visit lochinvar.com.
