What’s So Hard About Domestic Hot Water?
Domestic Hot Water solutions for commercial buildings must consider issues of water demand across many users, many floors, and many fixtures. Commercial DHW must comprehend how much water is needed during peak usage periods, and the maintenance of constant water pressure and temperature under all loads. DHW systems must be controlled and plumbed to prevent the growth of deadly legionella bacteria, while reducing any potential scalding hazard at the sink or shower.
Heat-Timer® Continues to lead the way in commercial domestic hot water solutions with its ETV product line. The Electronic Tempering Valve (ETV) offered by Heat-Timer® is one of the most sophisticated and robust solutions to 3 way mixing valves that is available, ensuring the arrival of perfectly heated hot water to sinks and showers at any and all hours, while maintaining boiler temperatures that prevent legionella growth.
What is the Difficulty With Delivering Hot Water?
Mixing valves for large domestic hot water installations help strike a delicate balance. In large hotels, office buildings, apartment complexes and resorts, calls for hot water will peak during the morning when people get ready for school or work. On the other end however, improperly heated hot water in the tank can encourage the growth of bacteria. Just one legionella outbreak at your facility or apartment complex can cause a myriad of issues.
Heat-Timer’s Electronic Tempering Valve (ETV) is a design born of decades of experience helping mechanical service companies solve this critical issue.
How do 3-way Mixing Valves by Heat-Timer Work?
In commercial domestic hot water systems, solutions are most often tank based. A central reservoir of hot water is heated to ~140F – 160F (60C-70C) and then cooled by a mixing valve to between 110 F and 120 F before it hits sinks and showers to limit a scald hazard. The water is centrally stored in tanks at a higher temperature to prevent the growth of Legionella bacteria and to ensure that demand for hot water can be met during peak periods.
A typical system installed using Heat-Timer’s electronic 3-way mixing valve is shown below. Note that the system includes both an ultra durable stainless steel valve, an actuator and a microcontroller. Sensors perfectly monitor water temp and the controller with its enhanced PID logic adjusts the mix.
Note that the ETV in this case was installed using our convenient Electronic Tempering Station (ETS), a pre-plumbed ETV solution favored by many mechanical service contractors for its labor saving construction.
A typical before and after temperature graph from the installation of a Heat-Timer® electronic mixing valve from a job at a large university says it all.
Prior to ETS installation we see the temperature graph going all over the place and creeping upward overnight.
Afterwards, it’s a flat-line. Perfect water temperature control at every moment of the day. By using the ETS, the entire switchover can be done in less than a day, sometimes even just a few hours.
For more information about Heat-Timer® domestic hot water solutions for your building, call us today.