LOCHINVAR® ARMOR™ Named Finalist in Product of the Year Awards

Press

by Lochinvar Marketing Department | 04/10/2008

Energy-Efficient Water Heater Recognized for Innovative, Top-of-the-Line Features

LEBANON, TN - April 2008 – The ARMOR Commercial Water Heater from Lochinvar has been selected as one of three finalists in the plumbing category in the 2008 Product of the Year competition.  Equipped with the most advanced features available, including thermal efficiencies up to 98 percent, inputs up to 500,000 Btu/hr, a stainless steel heat exchanger, 5:1 modulating turndown and the SMART SYSTEM™ operating control, ARMOR stands above the competition and is considered to be top of its class by the program's board of judges.

Award-Winning Attributes

Available in five commercial water heater models, ARMOR offers a choice of 150,000, 199,000, 285,000, 399,000 and 500,000 Btu/hr inputs.  Designed to be installed with a separate storage tank, ARMOR protects against the harmful effects of lime scale buildup, which can cause a traditional tank-type water heater to fail in as little as two to five years and substantially increase operating costs. 

The fully modulating 5:1 turndown burner enables ARMOR to fire as low as 20 percent of maximum input and smoothly modulate up to 100 percent depending on demand, which is a definite advantage over competitive units that are only capable of firing at 100 percent input. With 5:1 turndown, ARMOR takes maximum advantage of its thermal efficiency, virtually eliminating wasted fuel and reducing operating costs.

            In addition, ARMOR is equipped with Lochinvar’s SMART SYSTEM control, which includes a built-in cascading sequencer for installations using up to eight water heaters, to maximize hot water delivery. This exclusive feature ensures optimum performance and efficiency by precisely modulating firing rates, beginning with minimum-demand situations when only the lead water heater in the sequence operates.  As demand increases, additional ARMOR water heaters in the system fire and modulate in a cascading sequence until all units are operating and maximum input of up to four million Btu/hr is achieved. Also, the SMART SYSTEM sequencer automatically rotates the lead water heater function, so that all units handle an equal water heating load over the life of the system

Gold, Silver or Bronze ARMOR

Between May and mid-July, readers will vote on which finalists should win the Gold, Silver or Bronze in each category.  Subscribers will also cast their vote for the "Most Valuable Product" award. Winners will be announced in late July or early August and a write-up of the Product of the Year winners will be published in the September issue of Consulting-Specifying Engineer.  Information on ARMOR will also be included in the annual Specifiers Guide, which is mailed with the May issue of the magazine.