Increasing access and consumption of safe drinking water where youth live, learn and play is an important initiative taking hold in California and across the nation. Studies link rising obesity rates to the consumption of sugary beverages, among other factors. These are beverages with added sugar and include sodas, sports drinks, and fruit-flavored drinks. Water is an essential, calorie-free alternative that can be used to help combat childhood obesity and improve students’ readiness to learn by maintaining proper hydration.

 

Since 1964, Pathfinder Ranch has been committed to providing youth from diverse backgrounds with affordable outdoor education and summer learning programs. Research shows that during summer, children (on average) fall one month behind where they left off academically at the end of the school year. Programs like the ones offered at Pathfinder Ranch can help mitigate this learning loss.bhs install4

 

During a picnic to recognize supporters of the Ranch, Mission: Readiness – Military Leaders For Kids members, Major General (Ret.) John Bianchi, U.S. Army and Brigadier General (Ret.) Guido Portante, U.S. Army helped unveil a new Hydration Station donated by Brita in partnership with Mission: Readiness that will serve 9,000 youth from across the region who participate in quality programming at Pathfinder Ranch on an annual basis.

                                 

With that in mind, an electric tankless water heater fits perfectly into your plans.

 

Before looking to the future, it’s important to understand the past. Water heating in large commercial or residential buildings has mainly been accomplished through storage. According to Facilities Net, these are typically 50- to 90-gallon capacity tanks that warm water over time so there’s always a fresh supply available.

 

There are two issues here. One being that a commercial building is usually only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week. It doesn’t make sense to warm water outside of those time constraints, yet storage water heaters run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

The second one being that these systems are often housed on the ground floor or in the basement of a building. Residential buildings nowadays can be as tall as 10 or 20 stories. It doesn’t matter how many storage water heaters there are in the building, the water still has to travel an extremely long way to get to its final destination. This means using more energy to accomplish the task, as well as gallons of water being wasted because the occupants are running the tap waiting for warm water to come out.

 

According to Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine, water heating accounts for between 15 and 35 percent of a commercial building’s energy use, which represents a large portion of operation expenditures. This number grows even higher depending on how the energy is utilized, and which appliances are using it. Simply put – outdated methods of providing warm water to tenants of the building are costing more than they need to.

 

Facility managers can quickly curb the use of electricity and natural gas, as well as reduce the amount of time they spend on maintenance by retrofitting their old water heating system with a tankless water heater.

 

Storage water heaters use energy to warm water even when no one is around to use it.Storage water heaters use energy to warm water even when no one is around to use it.

There are a number of benefits associated with installing a tankless water heater. The first being the impressive savings on utilities. As storage water heaters keep a tank of warm water at all times, they end up using more energy to compensate for standby heat loss. This occurs when the temperature drops in the tank, causing the system to warm water that was previously heated.

 

This issue becomes especially problematic for commercial buildings that host office tenants, as they aren’t present on the weekend. This is a moment when no water will be used, yet the system is still using energy to keep the supply warm. According to Building.com, making the switch from a storage to a tankless water heater can produce nearly 30 percent energy savings, which can be put back directly into facility upkeep and other areas of maintaining the building.

 

“Tankless water heaters produce 30 percent in energy savings.”

 

Another benefit exclusive to facility managers is the longevity of the system. Storage water heaters need to constantly be checked and maintained, and anode rod corrosion can spell the end of a system if it isn’t properly cared for. Since tankless water heaters provide on-demand water heating, there’s less of a chance of corrosion setting in. Storage water heaters tend to have a 10 to 15 year lifespan, while tankless can last up to 25 years if properly maintained. Buildings.com reported the only real maintenance necessary is to bleed the system once every three to five years.

 

As mentioned above, larger buildings put strain on their water heating system due to how far the water has to travel. Regardless of whether you have a storage or tankless water heater in place at the base of the building, tankless water heaters can be leveraged as a point-of-use product to provide warm water at a faster rate, which cuts down on the length it has to travel.

 

If you find you’re spending too much time caring for your storage water heater, too much money on the utility bill, or receiving too many complaints from tenants about not having quick access to warm water, it may be a signal that it’s time to switch things up and go tankless.

It depends on what the potential hazard is. We advocate that an eye/face wash should be the requirement over an eyewash as it is rare for a chemical to only splash into your eyes and not on your face as well. A combination shower and eye/face wash is necessary when the SDS for the chemicals you are using require one. If contact with the skin is not harmful, but contact with eyes would be, then an eyewash or eye/face wash only is suitable. If there is any potential hazardous skin contact, then a shower is most appropriate.

 

 

We recommend viewing your SDS’s (safety data sheet) and looking under the Proper PPE and First Aid requirements. Most SDS’S require some sort of emergency equipment along with a required flow time of 15 minutes and sometimes longer.

 

 

As there are a couple of different designs on the market, I cannot provide a specific “standard” you should follow. The ANSI requirement is that any portable or self-contained eyewash should be visually inspected weekly to determine if the flushing fluid needs to be exchanged or supplemented. The units should be maintained as per the manufacturer’s specific model instructions. For Haws, and most other manufacturer’s units, using potable water and a sterile bacteriostatic additive exchange is required every three months as well as rinsing the unit clean between the exchanges. If you are not using an additive, then the water should be exchanged on a minimal weekly basis, with a thorough tank cleaning monthly.

 

 

ANSI Z358.1 has specific standards for testing based on the type or style of equipment in use. As a general statement, equipment needs to be inspected weekly to ensure that there is a flushing fluid supply and that the equipment is in good repair. If the equipment is of a plumbed design, then it should also be activated weekly to clear the supply line of any sediment build up and to minimize any microbial contamination due to stagnant water. The weekly inspection also looks at the location to ensure that the equipment is well lit, identified with signage, free of obstruction and on the same level as the hazard. Annually, the equipment needs to be inspected against all aspects of the ANSI Z358.1 standard including flow capabilities, temperature and irrigation patterns. Please view our full on-demand ANSI Standard web seminar on our Haws YouTube page.

 

 

Waste or “grey” water is not in the scope of the ANSI Z358.1 standard however the appendix of the standard does call out that consideration should be given to proper disposal of waste flushing fluids. Freezing temperatures, drainage, elevated showers, and pollutants are some but not all of the considerations. It may depend on your specific situation so I would recommend consulting authorities on your local, state, and federal regulations.

 

Interested in learning more about Haws products? Simply select your location and we'll show you the closest sales reps that best match your search.

 

 

Haws products are available at local plumbing distributors and industrial supply stores. Please use our Contact Us Form or call us at (888) 640-4297 to find the nearest retailer.

 

 

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Spare parts are available for all current products and some discontinued products. To purchase spare parts, please call our Parts Department at 1-888-640-4297 during normal business hours or use our Contact Us Form.

 

 

Haws products are available world wide. Here are our regional headquarters:

 

 

Haws AG

Bachweg 3

CH-3401 Burgdorf

Switzerland

Phone: + 41(0)34 420 60 00

Fax: + 41(0)34 420 60 01

Email: info@haws.ch

 

 

Avlis - Haws do Brasil Ltda

Avenida Senador Teotonio Vilela, 505 

Jardim Aeroporto

13304-550 Itu, S.P.

Brasil 

Phone: +55 11 4813 9977

Fax: +55 11 4813 9978

Email: export@hawsavlis.com.br 

 

 

Haws Manufacturing Pte. Ltd.

5 Woodlands Terrace

#03-01

Singapore 738430

Phone: +65 6367 0359

Fax: +65 6269 4110

Email: enquiry@haws.sg

 

Haws China

No. 8, Xin Tai Road

Wuxi, Jiangsu China 214028

Phone: +86 510 8522 6533

Fax : +86 510 8522 5015

Email: enquiry@hawsco.cn

 

Haws India

Spazedge, A 403-404, Sector 47, Sohna Expressway

Gurgaon, Haryana

India 122002

Phone: 1 800 121 HAWS (4297)

Email: sanjeevk@haws.in