Warragul aged care hydronic replacement

Replacement of end of life boiler plant, hydronic heating and heated water services to a 96 bed residential aged care facility across three wings.

• 3 × 400kW condensing gas boilers in N+1, cascade controlled on return water temperature
• 2 × 1,200 litre calorifiers with thermostatic mixing to 45°C at resident outlets, AS 4032.3
• 1,850m of pre-insulated hydronic reticulation to 96 rooms and four common areas
• Primary and secondary variable speed pumps, 2 × 11kW duty/standby on each circuit
• Water safety plan and Legionella control regime to AS/NZS 3666.3, with monthly sampling points

Residents were not relocated for any part of the works. Heating was maintained to every occupied room by running the existing boilers on a temporary header while the new plant was built alongside, then cutting over one wing at a time across three weekends. The changeover window was fixed by the heating season and closed on 1 May, after which the old boilers could no longer be relied on to carry a wing.

Cut over across three weekends in October and November 2021 with no room off heating for more than six hours. Site gas consumption metered at 31% below the previous year over the following winter on comparable degree days. Facility rolled onto a scheduled maintenance contract in December 2021.