Lochinvar® ARMOR® Achieves Eco-Friendly, Efficient Operation For Fair Oaks Laundry

Case Studies

by Lochinvar Marketing | 07/11/2012

With a self-service Laundromat that offers large-scale washers and dryers and drop-off service, Thompson also needed to maximize space across the facility and turned to Lochinvar for a space-saving solution in the boiler room.

“I set out on a path to find the most efficient and environmentally friendly equipment that I could,” Thompson said. “Lochinvar’s selection of water heaters really fit the bill and offered the most advanced technology in a system that easily fit within the confines of the mechanical room.”

Thompson chose to install a 500,000 Btu/hr ARMOR Condensing Water Heater and a 318-gallon insulated storage tank. The fully modulating system can operate at up to 98 percent thermal efficiency, which means 98 cents of every dollar spent on utilities goes directly into heating the water essential to the building’s demands. ARMOR takes efficiency a step further with an excellent 5:1 turndown ratio, which enables it to fire as low as 20 percent of maximum input and smoothly modulate up to 100 percent input as demand increases, eliminating wasted fuel and greatly reducing operating costs.

The ARMOR unit is equipped with Lochinvar’s powerful SMART SYSTEM interface, which offers simple setup, system monitoring and diagnostics. The system further reduces costs with its night setback feature that is pre-programmed to shut off when the laundry is closed and start up an hour or two before it opens. In addition, Thompson utilizes the SMART SYSTEM’s on-board MODBUS protocol to notify his alarm company should any equipment issues arise.

Another ARMOR advantage is its venting flexibility, with seven venting options available including direct-vent, which helps to isolate lint-contaminated combustion air from entering the water heater’s combustion system.

“I was extremely impressed and pleased with the venting capability associated with the ARMOR unit,” Thompson said. “Since our sidewall venting is completely separate from the dryer venting, there is no chance for contamination in the Laundromat and that allows me to concentrate on other important issues that may arise.”

The unique ARMOR design also offers long-lasting lifecycle efficiency by protecting against the harmful effects of lime scale buildup, which can cause a traditional water heater to fail in as little as two to five years and drastically increase operating costs. For example, just 1/4-inch of scale in the tank can increase operating costs by as much as 25 percent.
 
Since ARMOR heats the water and then deposits it in an unfired storage tank, lime scale buildup does not impair the heat transfer efficiency.

With the installation of Lochinvar’s high-efficiency ARMOR unit, Fair Oaks was able to minimize their utility bills and carbon footprint while still maintaining an energy-efficient, space-saving operation.

“Efficiency is extremely important to us, and we were able to successfully meet our efficiency standards with the ARMOR,” Thompson noted. “In addition, we really appreciate Lochinvar’s outstanding staff and unlimited customer support, which was a huge help throughout the installation. Lochinvar has been our choice in the past and will continue to be our choice in the future.”