Spirotech plays key role in boiler replacement
A Spirotech vacuum degasser and a SpiroTrap dirt separator are key elements in the replacement of cast-iron boilers serving an open heating system with modern boilers and a sealed vent system at Exeter Civic Centre. The previous heating system had been in use for nearly 40 years.
Exeter City Council commissioned North Somerset County Council to design, procure and install on its behalf a refurbishment of the heating system at Exeter Civic Centre.
Phil Shone, a local M&E consultant who had previously worked with the council on a number of projects explained. ‘We needed to move from an open to a sealed vent system, but due to the age of the system we had to approach with caution. We were very reluctant to aggressively flush the system as the feeling was it would likely to more harm than good.
‘The integrity of the network was at risk if we didn’t adopt the right approach, which we believed rested with a programme of consistent, long-term dirt separation and air removal via degassing, not heavy dosing.’
He recommended products from Spirotech’s dirt-separation and degassing portfolio following similar projects with the council to upgrade heating and cooling systems across its building stock.
Through constant dirt separation, magnetite and system sludge is removed so as not to hinder boiler performance over the long term.
The vacuum degasser then works to extract air from the system, thus stopping the build-up of air pockets which affect performance and can cause noise. The reduction of air pockets also helps to improve system longevity by protecting it from future corrosion problems.
