Best Practices for Using Andrews Water Heaters in Large Buildings
Large commercial and industrial buildings come with unique demands when it comes to heating water. From hospitals and hotels to universities and leisure centres, maintaining a consistent hot water flow is essential. Andrews water heaters, renowned for their performance and reliability, are a top choice for these environments. However, getting the most from these industrial heating units requires more than just a good product, it requires smart usage strategies and proper planning.
This article outlines the best practices for using Andrews water heaters in large-scale buildings. By implementing the right techniques, building managers can ensure system longevity, energy efficiency, and uninterrupted service.
Understand Your Building's Specific Requirements
Before installing or upgrading a heating system, it’s essential to evaluate the unique needs of your property. Not all large buildings have the same hot water usage patterns. A care facility with round-the-clock residents has very different needs from a college campus with peak usage during class breaks.
Key considerations include:
- Peak hot water demand times
- Number of outlets and zones
- Hot water recovery speed required
- Water quality (i.e. hard water concerns)
- Available space for equipment
Working with a trusted supplier like National Pumps and Boilers ensures you select the right Andrews commercial water heater for your building’s operational profile.
Choose the Right Model and Size
Oversizing or undersizing your heating system can lead to poor efficiency and unnecessary wear on the equipment. Andrews offers a wide range of floor-standing and wall-mounted models, each suited for different flow rates and space restrictions.
Selecting the right capacity model reduces energy waste and ensures the system doesn’t short-cycle or fail under high demand. Look for models with modulating burners, which adjust output based on current demand.
Tailored specification
When selecting an industrial heating unit, also consider its compatibility with future expansion. Modular systems or models that can be cascaded together give flexibility in growing buildings or multi-zone layouts.
Optimise Water Circulation
In larger buildings, efficient hot water circulation is crucial to prevent delivery delays and reduce water wastage. Using commercial circulators helps maintain flow across the system and ensures hot water reaches even the furthest outlets.
Circulation tips:
- Use thermostatically controlled circulators for demand-based operation
- Install DHW pumps to reduce waiting time at outlets
- Insulate all hot water pipes to reduce thermal loss
Maintaining consistent pressure and flow across all building zones ensures occupant comfort and improves overall system performance.
Prevent Pressure-Related Issues
In high-demand environments, maintaining balanced pressure is key. Pressure surges can cause damage to pipes, valves, and the heating unit itself. Integrate expansion vessels and pressurisation units to manage system pressure efficiently and extend the life of your equipment.
Pressure stabilisation and protection
Inconsistent pressure is a leading cause of valve leaks, system fatigue, and operational failures. Ensure your pressure control system is regularly inspected and includes emergency relief valves where appropriate.
Integrate with Building Management Systems (BMS)
Modern industrial heating units, including Andrews water heaters, can be connected to BMS platforms for centralised monitoring and control. This improves energy use visibility, helps prevent faults, and enables automated temperature adjustments based on real-time demand.
Benefits of BMS integration:
- Monitor system efficiency 24/7
- Automate flushing or maintenance reminders
- Detect anomalies before they become costly repairs
Additionally, BMS integration aids in sustainability reporting by offering detailed usage and performance logs.
Schedule Regular Maintenance
Routine servicing keeps your Andrews water heater running efficiently and helps avoid unplanned downtime. Maintenance should include:
- Flushing tanks to remove sediment
- Cleaning burner assemblies and heat exchangers
- Inspecting thermostats and sensors
- Testing safety valves and pressure controls
Work with an experienced technician from National Pumps and Boilers to schedule annual or bi-annual inspections, especially for multi-unit systems.
Record keeping and compliance
Maintain a maintenance log detailing all inspections, parts replaced, and performance metrics. This not only improves troubleshooting efficiency but also supports compliance with health and safety regulations.
Manage Water Quality
In areas with hard water, scale can build up quickly inside heat exchangers, reducing performance and increasing energy consumption. Installing filtration systems or water softeners can greatly extend the service life of your water heating system.
Dealing with limescale
Consider installing anti-limescale dosing systems or magnetic water conditioners. These help neutralise calcium and magnesium ions before they reach the heat exchanger.
Use Modular Systems for Load Matching
When dealing with variable occupancy or phased demand throughout the day, modular systems offer flexibility. Andrews heaters can be installed in cascaded configurations, allowing you to bring only the required number of units online based on real-time usage.
This approach helps reduce standby losses and ensures your system isn’t running at full capacity when demand is low.
Expandable design strategy
Planning future-proofing into your system today means avoiding expensive refits tomorrow. Use a modular setup to accommodate future growth without overburdening existing capacity.
Monitor Performance and Adjust Settings
Don’t set and forget. Periodically review the performance data from your heating system and adjust temperature settings, burner cycles, or circulation patterns as needed. Making seasonal adjustments can also help optimise fuel consumption.
For example, during summer months when demand might be lower, lowering storage temperatures slightly can help save energy without affecting user experience.
Intelligent control strategies
Incorporate smart controls that auto-adjust temperatures based on ambient conditions and usage analytics. These add-ons can enhance the responsiveness and efficiency of your Andrews system.
Prioritise Safety and Compliance
Industrial heating units must meet specific safety standards, especially in public-use buildings. Andrews water heaters come with built-in safety features such as overheat protection, flame failure detection, and anti-legionella cycles.
Ensure all units are compliant with local regulations and that inspection logs are maintained for audit purposes.
Educate Facilities Teams
Your system is only as good as the people operating it. Train your maintenance team in basic troubleshooting, water heater operations, and emergency shutdown procedures.
Create a quick reference manual for your Andrews system, including key model specifications, sensor locations, and contact information for urgent support.
Final Thoughts
Using Andrews water heaters in large buildings offers long-term reliability and energy efficiency, but the key to maximising those benefits lies in how you use them. From proper sizing and circulation planning to regular servicing and BMS integration, these best practices for industrial water heaters will ensure your system remains robust and responsive to demand.
When designed, installed, and managed properly, these systems can serve your building for decades with minimal downtime. For help selecting the right Andrews model and designing a solution for your large facility, speak to the team at National Pumps and Boilers. With decades of experience in commercial heating and a comprehensive range of industrial heating units, they can guide you through every stage of the process.