A Landmark boiler installation
The reliability and efficiency of providing heating and hot water for the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, London, have both been improved following the installation of five Buderus 1200 kW cast-iron sectional boilers. The building has a long history. When built in 1899, it was the last of London’s great railway hotels. It was the headquarters of British Rail from 1962 to 1991, after which it became a hotel again.
The hotel has 300 en-suite rooms, a health club, spa and swimming pool. Figures so far indicate a saving of over £50 000 a year in gas and electricity use following the installation of the new boilers.
Limited access to the boiler house necessitated one of the old boilers being cut up to remove it and the replacement boilers being brought in in sections and assembled in the boiler house to avoid large-scale structural work.
Existing pipework and radiators were retained and added to as required.
The first of the five boilers was installed during the Summer to take up the supply of domestic hot water while the rest of the work was carried out.
All went smoothly, except for two problems — as the hotel’s chef engineer Paul Moore explains. ‘The previous system had not been properly commissioned. The pumps were oversized but not delivering the necessary flow. After some considerable confusion as to how this could be, it transpired that they had been fitted the wrong way round, Once the problem had been identified, and following a consultation and site visit from the Buderus technical team, new small-sized pups were introduced — resulting in significant electricity cost reductions.’
The other problem had been expected, namely the original plate heat exchanger being blocked by sludge — necessitating its removal and cleaning.
