PROJECT 31
Also hot water return pipes entering the plant room from plumbing ducts .
Hot water ( this pic and above pic together apearing below top pic ) hot water return pipes returning to hot water storage tanks to be reheated after circulating through the building . storage volume twice a day , the full quantum of water storage that is in the building , which is in the order of 160 cubic metres of water . In theory then the systems would be able to generate approx . 300 cubic meters at 60 degrees minimum per day .
It is a City of Cape Town water by-law requirement that any sectional or apartment type living unit , must have its own metering to monitor water usage i . e . hot and cold water . Metering also establishes the ability to monitor and manage potential abuse or wastage , especially hot water .
Together with the OEMs backing , the project included a five-year warranty arrangement on the equipment that feeds through the installation contractor back to the OEM . Whilst sounding onerous the reasoning is that it takes a year or two for a client to really have benchmarks and history . This commits the installers and OEM to ensure longevity and performance of the key elements of the installation . Considering the major investment made by the Client who is demanding and correctly so , it is to their credit and the credit to the OEMs , committing to the longer warranty period . The Client also prefers local support and local manufacture as far as possible without compromising on quality .
The storage tanks used are plastic but at first glance one does not notice the insulation around the tank with strengthening bands . We had to consider that this building has to be operating for at least say 50 years . The tanks carry a 15 or 20 year guarantee . ( can we confirm the period please )
Plastic tanks are easily repairable in case of leaks .
For the piping , stainless steel was used for the main feed from the municipal system to ensure longevity and robustness .
The engineering was pretty standard as was the installation and the challenges were manageable with a few more grey hairs and
Cold water booster pumps taking water from the cold water stoorgae tanks and distributing through the building .
sleepless nights ! However , the sections created was not rocket science but ensuring that the students had hot water at any time . Due to Eris ’ experience , we were able to draw on their statistics and methods to end being spot on .
The building has raised the standard of the area , provided close access to transport for the students and once this railway is up and running again even better still . PA
Client : Eris Property Group Professional team Consulting Wet Services , Fire and Vertical Transportation engineer : Triocon Consulting Engineers ( Pty ) Ltd ( TRIOCON ) Plumber : Peninsula Plumbing and Engineering Works ( PPEW ). Pumps – Wilo Heat pumps – Tekniheat Pipes : Geberit Mepla
August 2024 Volume 30 I Number 6 www . plumbingafrica . co . za