BS1 final report

TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY | SABD | BQS


SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

BACHELOR OF QUANTITY SURVEYING(HONOURS)

BUILDING SERVICES 1 (BLD 60403)

The Installation of Hot Water Supply for
Hotel/Corporate Building

NAME STUDENT ID
BENJAMIN TAY WEI YE   0326132
HOI WEI HAN 0323335
LAU MAO HUA 0320249
LEE KAILYN 0320273
LEE SHZE HWA 0320053
LIEW POH KA 0320424
NG HUOY MIIN 0319097

LECTURER: LIM TZE SHWAN

SUBMISSION DATE: 28 JUNE 2016

BUILDING SERVICES 1  | BLD 60403
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TABLE OF CONTENT

ITEM CONTENT PAGE NUMBER
1 Cover Page 1
2 Table of Content 2
3 Introduction 37
4 Installation Process   813
5 Management System 1415
6 Advantages and Disadvantages 1618
7 Case Study: Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel 1921
8 Possible Problems to the System 2224
9 Recommendations for Future Improvement 25
10 Reflection: Learning from the Group Work Project 26
11 References 2728
12 Bibliography 29

2


INTRODUCTION

    Water has been important to people for more than thousands of years. Without water there would
be no life on earth. Hot water is an essential part of everyday life across Malaysia. Having hot water
available at the turn of a tap is a comfort we rely on in our daily lives. Hot water is not only the most
important source for domestic uses but also important for commercial buildings like office, hotel and
hospital. Therefore, hot water supply system is essential to meet the vast requirements of the diverse
spaces and functions.

    The domestic hot water system is used to provide hot water from kitchen and bathroom sinks, tubs
and other appliances. Domestic hot water systems can be divided into electrical heating system and
solar heating system. There are two types of electrical hot water systems which are instantaneous
water heaters and storage systems.

    The instantaneous water heater is also known as tankless water heating system. This method
involves using gas or electricity to heat the water to a usable temperature when it is required without
the need to store the water. The electric versions use a coiled heating element to heat the water
rapidly in a similar way to a kettle or immersion heater. This system can reduce the heat loss during
distribution to drawoff point from central boiler. Besides, the storage heater is a form of electric
convection heating. They are designed to be cheap heating system because they use a offpeak
tariff, not because they use less electricity. Storage system is the system which the water is boiled
and stored centrally within the building and supply to various drawoff points through pipework
system. Storage system consists of boiler and storage cylinder which should be placed in a central
position to reduce the heat loss to the various drawoff points.

    Moreover, the solar heating system uses the radiation from the sun to heat the domestic hot water.
Solar heating systems uses solar panels or solar collectors which are fitted on the roof. Heats
collected from sun are used to heat up water which are stored in the hot water cylinder.

    In the hotel industry, it is efficient to use solar water heating system to supply hot water to the
occupants because the hotels typically use a large amount of hot water. Solar water heating system
is the perfect match for their needs and the number of hotels moving to solar water heating system is
increasing everyday all across the country. Solar water heating system is now a mature technology.
It will insulate the hotel room from rising fossil fuel costs and protect us from fossil price inflation over
time. Wide spread utilization solar water heaters can reduce a significant portion of the conventional
energy being used for water heating in hotels and others commercial. The average hot water
consumption per occupant in hotels is 90 to 160 liters per day.

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    Centralized hot water supply system is the system where the water is heated by fuel oil and stored
in a storage tank which located at the centre of the building. Centralized hot water supply system also
known as storage system because the water is heated centrally and stored in a tank and supply to
the user. The boiler or heater must be placed closely to the storage tank to reduce the heat losses
from the transferring of heat from the heater to the storage tank. The systems are recommended to
be place in the centre of the building to reduce heat loss through pipework from the tank to various
drawoff point. Pipework should be insulated to conserve heat when supply the hot water from
storage tank to drawoff point.

Centralized Hot Water Supply System

Boiler and Piping system
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   Localized hot water supply system is the system where the water is heated instantly to meet the
requirements of the consumer. Localized hot water supply system is also known as tankless or
instantaneous water heaters. Electricity or gas can be used in instantaneous water heaters located at
the point of use but electricity is widely used nowadays. Localized hot water system are often used in
a situation where a long distribution pipe would mean an unnecessarily long wait for hot water to be
drawn off at the appliance or the demand of hot water is relatively low. The instantaneous water
heater only operates when hot water is required as it doesn’t store any water inside the heater. This
system can placed onto the wall or even built inside the wall as there is no storage tank needed.

                       Tankless Hot Water Heating Process                          Example of Instantaneous Water Heaters

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    Solar water heating systems collects heat radiation from the sun to heat cold water and supply
domestic hot water. Additional boiler or immersion heater can be used to heat the water when the
solar energy is insufficient. Solar heating system consists of solar panels or collectors that fix on the
rooftop of the building and storage tanks or hot water cylinder. The solar energy that collected by
solar panels and then use to heat the cooler water in the cylinder and become hot water. This system
requires a wellinsulated storage tank. The tank can be a modified standard water heater, but usually
it’s larger and  very well insulated. Besides that, solar storage tanks have an additional outlet and inlet
connected to and from the collector.

    There are two types of solar water heating systems which are active and passive solar water
heating systems. The active solar water heating systems uses solar energy to heat fluid. They
transfer the solar heat directly to the interior space or to a storage system for later use. The passive
solar water heating systems uses the energy of the sun to keep occupants comfortable without the
use of mechanical systems. Passive solar heating functions by incorporating building feature that
absorb heat and release it slowly to maintain the temperature of the building.


                                                                      Solar Water Heating System
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                                                                 Active Solar Water Heating


                                                                  Passive Solar Water Heating

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                                                    INSTALLATION PROCESS

        The installation steps of a hot water supply are theoretically easy to understand, but practically
more difficult and complicated when it comes to the installation of piping for the entire high rise
building in the real situation. High rise buildings are usually those building with 10 stories high or
above. The water supply at the ground floor of a building is connecting up to the pipes and
penetrating them into each floor .This is because there are airconditioning vent, storm water pipes
and waste water pipes in the building, their looks are quite similar and thus need to identify and
handle carefully. There are multiple factors which need to be taken into consideration before the
installation of hot water supply, such as, it required consumption, peak demands, types of installation,
it required storage capacity, the methods of heating water, the insulation of pipework and the further
planning of it. There are few considerations to be taken in order to achieve a wellplanned installation.

        First and foremost, the developer will decide the type of hot water supply they prefer to use in
the building. There are two types of hot water supply; centralized or localized of hot water supply
which are suitable for high rise buildings. Each type of high rise building has its particular purpose
which is different from other high rise building. For example, it is more efficient and convenient to
setup a centralized hot water supply in a hotel. Centralized hot water supply is designed to heat up
the water in a centralized water boiler tank and distribute to consumers in the building. For this
installation, it is suitable for building where water consumption is high like hotels. Hotels are mostly
fullybooked and occupied during the vacation peak season. Hence, the consumption of hot water is
at its peak point, and this is the time where a centralized hot water storage tank shows its great
contribution for the uses of the people in the building.

       Centralized hot water systems store a huge amount of hot water in the tank waiting to be
consumed by the customers. Localized hot water supply is designed to be installed in specific places
where hot water supply is needed. For example, in a multistory office building, the consumption of
hot water is low. It is because office is usually only for people to work so, they do not consume much
hot water. They only need hot water when making a cup of hot coffee or washing their hands when
needed. But there are some office buildings that allow people to take shower and the hot water is only
need for that specific situation. Although there are people taking the shower, the consumption of
water only increases slightly when compared to hotel’s consumption. It is possible for any building to
use any type of hot water supply but when it comes to considering the efficiency of the system used.
Centralized hot water supply is usually suitable where there is high consumption of water. If a
localized hot water supply is replaced with centralized hot water supply, it will result in an expensive
cost for installing each and every hot water boiler for every rooms needed. On the other hand,
replacing a localized hot water system with a centralized hot water system will result in excessive hot
water storage and during the preservation of hot water; components of the hot water storage will tend
to fail as time goes by.
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Centralized Indirect Hot Water System

       Centralized hot water distribution system starts with water heated in a hot storage vessel, boiler
or small gas circulator then it connected by supply pipework and circulatory pipework .The water
temperature in storage vessel should not exceed 60ºC. There are two main types of hot water supply,
i.e. direct hot water supply and indirect hot water supply.

       Direct Hot Water Supply is the heating process of water in storage cylinder and transfers the heat
directly to the surrounding water. Precipitation of limestone might occur which has a chance to clog
the boiler and pipework. It is only suitable to use in areas of soft water.

       Indirect hot water supply consists of an expansion, a calorifier (hot water storage vessel), and a
heat exchanger. Water from boiler in primary pipework passes through cylinder containing heat
exchanger to heat up water. The closed circulation can prevent clogging.  Secondary circulation is
required to prevent dead legs.
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       During the installation of hot water supply, developer or contractor will install insulators to protect
the piping system. Insulator is a soft material like a sponge, and it keeps the pipes from frost or
prevent from hurting others by burning other’s arms. It is because during the winter, the room
temperature is very low and nonpeak season. Hotels aren’t so actively been used, many piping will
become frosted due to lack hot water travelling through those piping. Hot waters that stay in the pipes
will be frozen if we did not wrap the pipes with insulators.
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Insulated Pipes

      Another important consideration is choosing the right materials for all the piping in the building.
The right material chosen will give great benefits in the long term run. The cost of maintenance will
reduce dramatically by installing good and durable material pipes. There are a few materials that is
generally used in the industry; Copper, Crosslink Polyethylene (PEX) and Polybutylene (PB).

     Copper is a metal material which is very high in thermal conductivity. It is commonly used in the
industry due to its low cost and easily obtained from hardware store. The lifespan of copper is also
one of the great advantages which require less maintenance. Piping are normally hidden and covered
with different finishes; a low maintenance material will ease the user for a long period of time. People
normally only change the pipes after buying old houses which are more than a decade old.

Copper Pipe
    Crosslink Polyethylene also known as PEX, is a hightemperature resistant and flexible plastic
pipe. Using PEX as piping materials will eventually speed up the whole installation process. The
flexibility of PEX will allow the contractor for ease of installation although the structure of the house is
complicated. The cost of this PEX pipe material is also reasonable. However, the high temperature
resistance has a limit of 100 o
C for any significant length of time.
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PEX Pipe
       Lastly, Polybutylene also known as PB is a plastic resin material that is low cost and is easy to
install. In the early 90’s, this product is commonly used in the overseas country. However, as years
goes by, this product was found not to be resistant to oxidants. This product is no longer popular after
the discovery of poor chemical resistivity. PB pipe as for our case, hotels normally incorporate copper
piping as it is durable and not so costly. Using copper may also give advantage in the preservation of
hot water during nonpeak season.

Polybutylene(PB) Pipe

      For hotels or corporate buildings, they both usually contain copper piping as it is durable and not
so costly. Using copper may also give advantage in the preservation of hot water during nonpeak
season.

    Installation of hot water supply at hotels or corporate building generally uses centralized hot water
storage that places the hot water storage tank on top of the building or installing a rational size of
storage tank at every 10 levels. Due to the water pressure needed to pump the water, installing
several storage tanks every 10 levels will increase the water pressure compared to pumping the cold
water to the top floor and boil the water on the top floor and let the hot water flow throughout the
whole building. Building centralized hot water storage on the top floor may be costly due to the
electricity usage of keeping the temperature of hot water. We advise installing hot water storage at
every 10 floors that can save costs and is ecofriendly. This way of building installing the hot water
supply will give a dependable temperature of hot water supply to the user in that range of floor.
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Hot Water Storage Tanks

        Zoning valves will also be installed at every floor for safety purpose. Zone valve is to be installed
at the main pipe before pipes separating to every room in that particular floor. Stopping the zone
valve will prevent the supply of water to the specific floor. This will allow the maintenance work need
on those piping in that specific floor.

Zoning Valves

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

     To extend the system’s lifespan and keep system running efficiently, we need to provide periodic
maintenance to the system. Maintenance is important although the maintenance fees is high, but also
can harm the environment as well. It is necessary to service such tasks as it makes it suitable to the
application, regularly inspect hot water system.

    First of all, monitoring the temperature of the hot water supply systems to ensure the hot water are
supplied at suitable temperature. In hotels, hot water supply systems are circulating hot water supply
systems that are larger in scales, which includes principal loop, subordinate loops(secondary loops)
and localized loops(tertiary loops). Principal loop supply hot water to a group of outlets and localized
loops supply hot water to a smaller amount of outlets. Thermal disinfection of hot water services is
carried out by raising the temperature of the whole contents of the calorifier and circulating water for
at least an hour. Maintaining the temperature high enough and ensure that the temperature at the
outlets does not fall below 60°C. Thermal disinfection may consider as ineffective if the water system
fail to reach the required temperature for a long enough period.

    Besides that, hot water supply systems should be cleaned, flushed and disinfected regularly to
avoid accumulation of oxides, rust, scales and sludge. The cleaning process is needed when
completion of a new water installation or refurbishment of a hot and cold water system. It also needed
to clean where the hot water is not used for a prolonged period or indicate evidence of microbial
contamination of the water systems. It carried out by removing the inspection hatch or using a
horoscope and cleaned by draining the vessel. The initial flush from the base of hot water heaters
should be collected and to be inspected for clarity, quantity of debris and temperature. The frequency
of inspection and cleaning should be subject to the findings and increased or decreased based on
conditions recorded.

    Quality Environmental Services undertake the chlorination of hot water supply systems.This can be
by way of a routine chlorination after tank installation. Chlorine is used for disinfection purpose and
suitable concentration range of chlorine is  0.51.0mg per liter. Chloride inspection need to do
annually as overdose of chlorine will cause health issues to users such as skin infections and
irritations.

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Another common feature of water systems is a water softener. Most of the hotels usually soften all
water going into the hotel. A water softener takes out calcium and magnesium and replaces them with
sodium. The amount of sodium added to the water is determined by the amount of hardness
minerals, which are taken out. The harder the water before softening, the more sodium is added to
the softened water. Light scale formation of water softener on the inner surfaces of pipes can
decrease the heavy deposits which happened in hard water area. Heavier deposits reduce flow
significantly and cause impact of efficiency of system. Therefore, using water softener may decrease
the risk of causing microbial colonization and reduce potential of  the water being infected by
microorganisms.

    Water samples at final outlets should be collected randomly on weekly basis for inspection
purposes. It indicates evidence of microbial contamination of the water system and investigate all the
required elements in the water are of suitable dosage. Further inspection need to carried out to the
entire system if the results is not satisfied. To prevent any possible harm to prolong the hot water
supply system’s life, the storage and piping system and essential repair should be conducted if
necessary.

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ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

    There are two types of hot water system which are tankless water system and storage system.
Every system have its own advantage and disadvantage to the user depends on the specific function
of that particular building. For example, this system might suitable for certain building but might not
suitable for other type of building.

    Tankless water system which also known as localized system or direct system, it provides a long
term energy savings to the users. This system only heats the cold water when it is needed. The
boiler in the system only operates when water is needed and hence save the energy for continuous
heating of cold water. Storage tank is not required for this system as a results, it saves the cost of
purchasing the water tank. Tankless water system does not heat the water constantly and it can
reduce the usage of electricity to supply hot water. Furthermore, tankless hot water heating system
requires less physical storage space. This is because no hot water storage tank is needed and only
tankless heater is needed. Tankless heater does not occupy many spaces. It can be mounted on a
wall or even internally in a building’s structure which take up less space than a storage tank type
water heater. Tankless water heating system also provides unlimited hot water supply to the user.
When the taps are opened, cold water go through the boiler and it are being heated instantly and
unlimited hot water can be obtained from drawn off point. It is more convenient to the user as hot
water can get anytime if there is not water restriction. Lastly, reduced risk of water damage also
one of the advantages of tankless water heating system. Tank type water heater would increases the
risk of water damage. This is because there might be insects or dirts enter the tank and damage the
water. Therefore, tankless water heating system gives an advantage on no risk of water damage from
a tank failure or a pipe or fitting failure.

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    Tankless water heating system also brings some disadvantages to the users. Tankless water
heating systems having problem on startup delay. It normally require some times for the users to
obtain hot water. When the taps is turned on, hot water is not drawn off from taps immediately, the
cold water need to go through the boiler to heat up and then supply to the user. Tankless water
heating system increases the risk of fire inside the building.  Due to large number of water heaters in
the building, the chances of getting electric short circuit and cause fire will be higher when compared
to storage system. Cost of maintenance will be higher for tankless system when compared to
centralized system. The cost of repairing or maintenance of this system is relatively higher due to the
large amount of heaters in the building.

    Besides tankless water heating system, there are some advantages and disadvantages of storage
system. For the advantages, storage system provides high flow rate. Hot water is boiled and store in
a hot water tank. Therefore, it can supply to more outputs from different rooms. If tankless hot water
system is used, the flow rates will be lower compared to storage system because it is only from one
water input. Next, storage system required low maintenance cost. If there needs maintenance on
storage system, less works are needed because technician will only have to check on the hot water
tank and pipes instead of each heaters at each rooms. Storage system provides large bulk of
storage. It required hot water storage tank. Cold water will be heated by the water heater before it is
stored in the hot water tank. A hot water tank can store a large amount of hot water and therefore, it
can supply more to the many outputs.

     Storage system also brings some disadvantages to the users. Preheat hot water is needed for
storage system. Before the water is stored in the hot water tank, it is required to heat up the water.
Water is also needed to preheat before it is supplied to the users. Therefore, the water is hot enough.
While during the preheat time, hot water required recovery time. Before it is supplied to the users, it
takes some times to undergo preheat process. It is better to preheat before it supply to each outputs
to ensure water is enough heated. Other than that, storage system required storage space. Storage
system required hot water storage tank to store the hot water after heated by the heater. It is required
more spaces to install a storage tank as the storage tank is big so that it can store more hot water.
Storage system increases the risk of pipes freezing in winter. During winter time, everything will be
freeze especially water. Pipes have higher risk to freeze. When the pipes are frozen, it will turn the
hot water into cold water when it passes through the frozen pipes. Hence, users could not get the hot
water anytime. Storage system is also required long lengths of secondary pipework which can
lead to heat losses. If the water is needed to travel through a long lengths of pipework, it will causes
heat to loss to the atmosphere. So users will not be satisfied with the hotness of the water.

    Moreover, solar water heating system is also widely used for some buildings. It gives advantages
to the user in long term. Solar water heating system is safe to use. It is safer than other heating
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system because it is heated by using solar energy that collected by the solar panels on the roof. It
does not require gases; therefore, gas leakage and explosion will not occur. By using this solar water
heating system, water will not be polluted. Next, solar water heating system can save costs. The
utility cost is low. It does not require electricity and for the solar water heating system because it is
only needed solar energy from sunlight. Hence, it is more economical compared to other heating
system. Solar water heating system is also convenient compared to electrical heating system. Solar
energy is renewable. It can be renewed anytime. Hence, it will not affect the heating process and it
can be heated anytime.

   Solar water heating system also gives disadvantages to the residents. The maintenance cost of
solar water heating system is high. Solar energy is collected by the solar panels. If the solar panels
are not functioning, they need maintenance. The maintenance for it is more complicated than
electrical heating system. Hence, the maintenance cost is high. Other than high maintenance cost,
the initial cost is high too. The initial cost is high because solar panels are costly compared to
electrical devices. While installing the heating system, it is a complicated installation. This is
because the technicians need to install it on the roof to collect the sunlight. They need to ensure the
installation of solar panels are supported by the roof and will not collapse the roof.

Tankless water heating system (Instantaneous heater)
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Long term energy savings Startup delay
Unlimited hot water Risk of fire
Less physical space High maintenance cost
Reduced risk of water damage

Storage system
High flow rates Preheat hot water needed
Low maintenance cost Hot water require recovery time
Provides large bulk of storage Storage space needed
Risk of pipes freezing in winter
Long lengths of secondary pipework which can
lead to heat losses

Solar water heater
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Safe to use High maintenance cost
Save cost High initial cost
Convenient   Complicated installation

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CASE STUDY:  ROYAL ORCHID SHERATON HOTEL, THAILAND

Introduction
Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel opened for business since 1984. This hotel was last renovated in 2010.
It is located in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. It’s situated nearby the Chao Praya River and
has 726 rooms with unobstructed river views. Currently, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel uses solar
energy system which provided by Pranee Tech Ltd to supply hot water to the occupants.

Old Hot Water Supply System
This hotel has 2 boilers and extra 1 boiler for standby purpose which each boiler can produce five
tons of steam every hour for laundry, kitchen, and other domestic hot water supply. Each boiler will
require an average of 2000 liters of fuel per day to generate heat. The heat source of the five hot
water generator is from steam produced by the boilers. The temperature of hot water supply is
controlled approximately at 55 °C for domestic usage. The average hot water consumption of this
hotel at 70% occupancy is approximately 95 m³ per day.

New Hot Water Supply System
In 2008, the management decided to use solar water heating system to replace the boiler system to
save cost in producing the steam to solve the increasing price of fuel at that time, which had
increased to over 25 Baht per liter (about US$ 0.7/liter). At that time, Department of Alternative
Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) provides a subsidy of 4,500 Baht/m² for those hotels
who installed solar collector area.

The solar system used by this hotel includes a total coverage of 360 m² flat plate solar collectors, 2
hot water storage tanks which can store 23,000 liters each, circulation pumps, and control system
which installed on the concrete roof top of the hotel. This system can produce about 24,000 liter of
hot water per day at an average temperature of 55 °C.

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The system operates automatically by using a differential thermostat. When the temperature of the
solar collector is 10°C higher than the water temperature in the storage tanks, the circulation pumps
are turned on to radiate the heat. The circulation pumps are turned off when the temperature
difference is lower down to 5°C. Hot water from the storage tanks gravity flows to the existing hot
water generators and discharged to the existing hot water piping system and supply to the occupants.

                    Solar collectors installed at the                                                    Heat pumps
                        rooftop of the hotel

The hotel also installed 5 units of heat pumps to produce additional hot water to meet the demand
during peak season. The heat pump will only operate when the temperature of solar heated water is
below a desire setting point, which normally during the evening and night time. Heat pump is installed
to ensure that there is enough hot water supply in the storage tanks throughout the day to the
occupants. Each heat pump can produce about 2,000 liters per hour at 50°C (at 30°C initial water
temperature). Each heat pump has a rated power consumption of 18.8 kW.

Solar Heating Process
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Environmental and Social Benefits
The project makes use of solar energy (renewable energy) to produce hot water and reduce the fuel
oil consumption and hence reduce the emission of carbon dioxide gas (CO2). The estimate
Greenhouse gases released by this system is 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas (CO2), based on the
saving in the consumption of fuel oil of 148,516 Liters per year and deduct the increase in electricity
consumption of 274 Megawatt Hour (MWh) per year from the heat pumps.

Disadvantage of Using Solar Heating System
This system requires additional electricity usage when the source of solar heating is insufficient to
heat the water during raining season or night time. Solar panels required regular service such as
cleaning the dust on the panels to allow the panels to capture maximum sunlight.

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POSSIBLE PROBLEM TO THE SYSTEM

1)      Air Locks
Air lock is a small quantity of air trapped in a pipe and it will impact the water flow due to the low
circulating pressure. The air may enter to the system through cylinder vent, the water that need to be
heat and also the tank. When the size of the hot water tank is insufficient to meet the amount of water
withdraw, the hot water tank runs low regularly and it allow air enters into the system. Besides, the
narrow pipe that allows water flows from the cold water tank to the hot water cylinder will  also cause
the water level in the cylinder less than the water being drawn off and resulting air lock between the
cylinder and tap.

2)      Leakage
Hot water supply system may cause leakage due to several reasons. First of all, the sediments that
collected throughout the years cause water heater start to crack and rust inside the tank and
eventually leads to leakage problem at the bottom part of the tank. The loose drain valve is a
common factor that cause leakage. Moreover, the high temperature of the water in the tank and the
high pressure of the water supply to the internal will results the excess pressure inside the tank and
create the force for water to leak out at the bottom of the tank in order to release the pressure.
Besides, lack of maintenance of the water heater will also allow the leakage problem. Occasionally
maintenance can help to avoid accidents occur, save money and also maintain the efficiency of water
heater. It is also possible that the new hot water tank and pipes have leakage. Therefore, we should
check everything before and after the installation.

Water leaks at the bottom of the tank due to high temperature and high pressure in the tank

Pipe leakage for hot water supply system

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3)     Insufficient hot water
One of the common reasons that cause the hot water supplies suddenly less compare to the past is
the change of weather. In winter, the temperature of water supply from exterior become low and
water heater need to work harder to heat the water until it reach to the required temperature. The
temperature of the heated water will decrease as it transfers toward the pipe which have a cooler
surface area. Therefore, we should adjust the water heater to a slightly higher temperature by
thermostats which is attached to the valve to cope with the change of exterior temperature. Besides,
the size of hot water tank is insufficient to fulfil to the amount of hot water supply to the house will
impact to hot water temperature. The leakage of hot water tank and pipes, airlocks and the age of hot
water heater will also cause the insufficient hot water supply.

4)      Overheating of hot the water supply
      When the water temperature is too hot, we should check the thermostats
to ensure it is work properly. The cause of some serious cases such as
steam shoots out, hot water flows out and boiling sounds produce from
the hot water tank normally due to  the temperaturepressure relief valve
which release excessive pressure from steam are not functioning and the
valve may install in an improper way.

5)      Discoloured hot water
Sometimes, the hot water coming out from the tap would be in black or
rustycoloured and it is cause by the reaction between the anode which
is the metal element of the water heater and the water. The anode will
dissolve and become rust and degrade after a long period. As a result,
the hot water carries the rust element together transfer through pipe
and come out to tap. The dissolved anode should be change to solve
this problem.

6)       Bad smell from hot water
The rotten eggs smell come from hot water were cause by the dissolved anode which feed the
bacteria and produce hydrogen gas. Those bacteria will cause health problem if the water supply is
contaminated. In order to solve the problem, the heater tank should be flush. Change the anode if the
problem still exists.

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7)      Noise
The water heater will produce the sound like pops, bangs or gurgles when sediments build up
excessively in the tank which cause the water boil instead of being just heated. For the electric water
heater, the sound produced when the scale builds up on the heating element. It is a signal that let us
know it is the time to change the heating element. Besides, the expanding and contracting of the
metal parts and the hard water scale from in the tank will also produce noise from water heater. Hard
water will start to dissolve and recrystallize when the temperature increase and form scale on the
surface inside the tank. It gives a series impact to the water heater to be less efficiency.

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RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

1)      Installation of extra tanks
Installing extra tanks or bigger tank would increase the quantity of hot water that can be stored.
Preheat the hot water either by absorbing ambient building heat or increase the hot water quantity
with multiple water heaters, if possible, with more than one energy source. Installing an extra tank or
bigger tank can improve the efficiency of hot water supply during peak hours or peak season.

2)      Installing hot water pump & higher efficiency loop system
Installing a hot water pump will deliver the hot water more instant. The time between turning on the
hot water faucet and the moment hot water appears will be decreased.

3)      Maintenance should be done regularly
For electrical heaters, inspection, diagnosis and repair should be scheduled regularly. If the heating
element on the electric water heater is burned out, the quantity of hot water will be decreased and
hence causing insufficient hot water supply.

4)      Loss of hot water pressure
The loss of hot water pressure or the insufficient hot water may be due to the blockage at the water
heater or minerals clog in the pipe. To fix this problem, the water supply and pipe needs to be check
for any blockage. Installing additional hot water tanks can also improve the water pressure, the
volume and also the flow to be supplied to the whole building. If the initials source of hot water supply,
for example, tankless coil, which does not provide adequate pressure and quantity, installing an
instantaneous water heater could just solve the problem. Raising the storage to a higher ground could
also improve the water pressure.

26


REFLECTION

    Through this assignment, we are able to understand further on our selected topic which is hot
water supply system in hotel and corporate building. We are also able to determine the differences in
each system, the requirements and the installation process. For example, a certain system might fit in
this hotel perfectly but might not be suitable for another hotel in a different location. In other words,
we are able to identify the best and most suitable hot water system for each different hotels and
corporate building. Furthermore, we are able to acquire the advantages and disadvantages for each
system and came out with a tabulated report. With the advantages and disadvantages identified, we
are able to determine the possible problems we will encounter and came out with possible solution to
solve the particular issue. In addition, we came out with possible future improvements or
enhancement to add on the existing hot water supply system. These future improvements might
eliminate or reduce some of the current problems for good.

    We also did a case study on Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Thailand. Through our research, we
came to know that this hotel did renovation and also improve their hot water supply less than a
decade ago. They switch their focus to solar energy as it saves their cost in the long run. Solar
energy is also a renewable energy and does not emit any negative waste or produce which makes it
environment friendly.

    In a nutshell, we have learnt and expand our knowledge so much through this assignment.
Teamwork plays an important role in every group assignment which also applies to this assignment.
Without teamwork, this assignment wouldn’t be done on time and the contents wouldn’t be
interesting. This assignment allows us to work as a team and communicate as a team to share and
discuss about the information that we gathered through our own research.

27


REFERENCES

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http://www.robuild.co.uk/AirLocksPlumbing.htm

Cleaning & Chlorination Services. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from
http://www.qualityenvironmental.co.uk/waterhygiene/cleaningandchlorination.php

Do I need a plumber if discolored water comes out of my pipes? (2014). Retrieved June 26, 2016,
from http://henryplumbingco.com/needplumberdiscoloredwatercomespipes/

Energy.gov Energy Saver (n.d.). Retrieved June, 2016, from
http://energy.gov/energysaver/activesolarheating

Garrett, R. H. (2008). Hot and cold water supply. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: WileyBlackwell.

Good Practice: Solar Water Heating System, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Thailand. (n.d.). Retrieved
June 12, 2016, from http://www.setatwork.eu/database/products/R165.htm

Guide to Hot Water Heater Problems (Gas or Electric – Tank or Tankless). (2016). Retrieved June
26, 2016, from http://stopwaterheaterleaking.com/hotwaterheaterproblems/

Hall, F., & Greeno, R. (2005). Building services handbook. Oxford: ButterworthHeinemann.

Home Advisor. (n.d.) Retrieved June, 2016, from
http://www.homeadvisor.com/article.show.SolarHeatingEnvironmentallyFriendly.9762.html

Hot Water Air Lock. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.diyfixit.co.uk/centralheating/hotwaterairlockventedsystem.html

Hot Water Airlock Problems Solved In 15 Different Ways. (2013). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from
https://www.emergencyplumber.uk.com/plumbing/hotwaterairlock/

Hot Water Consumption per Occupant. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2016, from
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/hotwaterconsumptionpersond_91.html

Hot Water Heater Leaking from Top, Bottom or from its Tank – Full Guide. (2016). Retrieved June 26,
2016, from http://stopwaterheaterleaking.com/hotwaterheaterleakingguide/
28



House hot water system. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from
http://www.schoolphysics.co.uk/age1114/Heat energy/Transfer of heat
energy/text/Hot_water_system/index.html

How to Maintain Hot Water Heating Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2016, from
http://www.dummies.com/howto/content/howtomaintainhotwaterheatingsystems.html

Robison, C. (2011). Hotel Maintenance; A Study Guide (1st ed.). Salinas, CA: Spilled Ink
Publications.

Royal Orchid Sheraton | 5Star Bangkok Riverside Hotel. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from
http://www.royalorchidsheraton.com/

SunWater Solar. (n.d.). Retrieved June, 2016, from
http://sunwatersolar.com/blog/solarwaterheating/solarwaterheatinghotels

Understanding home water systems. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from
https://victoriaplum.com/blog/posts/understandinghomewatersystems

Water Heater Troubleshooting & Repairs | HomeTips. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from
http://www.hometips.com/repairfix/hotwaterheaterproblems.html

Water Heater Problems. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2016, from
http://www.aquamax.com.au/waterheaterproblems

29



BIBLIOGRAPHY

3 Marias Hotel advantages and disadvantages of using solar panels. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24,
2016, from
http://www.3mariashotel.com.br/component/k2/item/13474advantagesanddisadvantagesofusings
olarpanels.html

Andrews generates hot water for City Inn Hotels. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from
http://www.andrewswaterheaters.co.uk/casestudies_3102.htm

Case study: Protea Manor Hotel. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from
http://www.selectedenergy.co.za/Commercialsolarsolutions/CommercialCaseStudies/Hospitality/Casest
udyProteaManorHotel/tabid/16706/Default.aspx

Le Meridien turns to green energy. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from
http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article3385lemeridienturnstogreenenergy/

Solar Water Heating Ideal for Hotels & Hospitality. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from
https://energycenter.org/article/solarwaterheatingidealhotelshospitality

Solartech The Home of Summer Hot Water Technologies. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from
http://www.solartech.com.my/

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