During the renovation of its maternity floors in 2023, UH St. John’s Medical Center in Westlake, Ohio, enlisted the expertise of Project Manager Adam Podway from Gorman-Lavelle Corporation to address the need for hot water distribution throughout the hospital.
With over five years of experience installing CircuitSolver balancing valves,
Podway utilized them again for this project, citing personal preference and their straightforward installation process.
Throughout the renovation of the two maternity floors, Podway oversaw the installation of 5-7 CircuitSolver assemblies on each floor. The extensive renovation involved a complete overhaul of the maternity area, necessitating the removal of the old manual valves.
Reflecting on the challenges encountered before implementing CircuitSolver valves, Podway recalls, “It was another added level of stress until the water was turned on and we started testing the return hot water system.”
The CircuitSolver valves streamlined the installation process by automatically adjusting the flow rate, eliminating confusion regarding valve placement and preset flow rates.
Podway emphasizes, “Not every balancing valve on any floor is supposed to have the same flow rate, and the CircuitSolver takes care of that for you.”
Adopting CircuitSolver valves resulted in significant benefits, including preventing rework associated with misplaced or incorrectly preset valves.
Podway elaborates, “The final result is eliminating rework of replacing balancing valves installed in the wrong locations or incorrect pre-set flow rates. There’s labor savings and peace of mind knowing that the balancing valves are correct.” He was introduced to CircuitSolver by Phil Errington at Pinnacle Sales and now advocates for its use, highlighting its effectiveness in saving labor and ensuring project success.
In his recommendation, he asserts, “Do it and save yourself the headache; CircuitSolver is in a league of its own.”
We had another great year, thanks to you! As the year ends, we reflect on what we have accomplished. Read our 2023 CircuitSolver Year in Review below.
2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
CircuitSolver is excited to announce the rollout of our2D/3D Product Catalog! Now, you can search and find product renderings, specifications, and more for specific part numbers.
We debuted a new ASPE-approved CEU presentation on thermostatic balancing valves. Reach out to your regional sales manager to discuss opportunities for presentations in the New Year!
TRADESHOWS WE ATTENDED
In February, we exhibited the AHR Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, at the ASPE Tech Symposium in Bellevue, Washington, in September, and at the ASPE Philadelphia ChapterExpo in Oaks, Pennsylvania, in October.
CIRCUITSOLVER SUMMIT 2023
We were honored to welcome our principal Representatives to our CircuitSolver Summit in May. This critical Summit focused on the benefits of connecting with partners in the industry, and discussed ways to reach new customers, new products and initiatives, and more.
NEW CIRCUITSOLVER VIDEOS
CircuitSolver is the ideal solution for balancing recirculation systems, and we thank our Representatives, engineers, and contractors who spoke about their experiences with the CircuitSolver line. Watch the anniversary video!
We launched a Talking With TOTs video featuring Director of Sales Tom Ruggierio as the subject matter expert
on the inner workings of CircuitSolver. Watch now!
CIRCUITSOLVER FEATURES
CircuitSolver is excited to celebrate 10 Years of transforming the plumbing industry. Read about the CircuitSolver journey here.
PHCP Pros featured Tom Ruggierio discussing the brand’s success over the last decade in this informative Q&A.
Watch our latest webinar on Thermostatic Balancing Valves. Learn the history of DHWS balancing and the types of balancing valves used today and earn 0.10 ASPE CEUs. Watch now!
NEW CIRCUITSOLVER CASE STUDIES
CircuitSolver balancing valves were installed in the hot water recirculating system of a large e-commerce company’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Read about it here.
See how this California laboratory remodeled its space to include DTVs in this Drain Tempering Case Study.
A magical hotel in California comes to life with CircuitSolver. Read about the installation here.
A Plumbing Engineer discusses the benefits of specifying CircuitSolver® Thermostatic Balancing Valves for an installation project at an Assisted Living Facility. Read about the retrofit here.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024
Join the CircuitSolver team at the AHR Expo in Chicago on January 22-24, 2024.
Please stop by and see us at Booth #S10166.
Thank you for reading our 2023 CircuitSolver Year in Review. Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Questions? Let’s start that project now. Contact us here, and we’ll be in touch very soon.
The USF is a public university with its main campus located in Tampa. About 10% of the school’s almost 40,000 undergraduate students live in one of the 44 on-campus dormitories. After temporarily shutting down during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, dorms reopened to students in the Fall of 2021.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Beacon Hall, the newest addition to the university’s on-campus dormitory buildings, opened in August of 2017. A coed, six-story construction, the dorm houses 378 residents in a mix of traditional and suite-style rooms.
Since opening, the 5th-floor gang shower, which is located in the center of the floor with student rooms lining the exterior of the building, had experienced a lot of hot water issues.
Mike Bishop, VP of Engineering at RGD Consulting Engineers stated: “Students used to turn on the showers, go to breakfast for 30 minutes, then come back to shower when the water was hot. Otherwise, they were taking a cold shower.”
A major inconvenience to students and a huge waste of water for the university, the system’s hot water demands needed to be re-evaluated.
THE INSTALLATION
After unsuccessful attempts to rectify the hot water supply and balancing issues, the developer contacted RGD Consulting Engineers.
Mike Bishop discovered that the manual balancing valves were a major roadblock in the DHW system functioning correctly due to its inability to adapt to changing system demands, and, with no question, recommended CircuitSolver thermostatic balancing valves.
Working with Spirit Group, a CircuitSolver representative in Florida, thirteen ½” CircuitSolver valves were installed at the end of each branch and one ½” CircuitSolver was placed on the return line to the water heater.
HOW THE CIRCUITSOLVER WORKS
The CircuitSolver® is a thermostatic balancing valve that automatically and continuously adjusts flow through a DHW system to maintain a specified temperature at the end of each hot water supply line. This keeps the system fully balanced with hot water available at all times and on all floors, even with variable and intermittent demands.
On startup, the system automatically balanced itself in under 3 hours, all without manual labor. “In the meantime, the plumber actually went out a did another job,” Bishop mentions, “Then they went and got breakfast, and when they came back [the DHW system] was balanced.”
THE RESULT
Since the installation of CircuitSolvers, all balancing issues in the Beacon Hall dormitory have been resolved. Students are able to take hot showers without 30-minute wait times, and complaints have ceased. Water usage has plummeted, and the extra recirculation pump was removed, effectively reducing utility usage.
As for Mike Bishop, in this balancing case study, he says that the contractor on the job reported a favorable experience. “He was ecstatic! This was his first CircuitSolver job, but he’s going to start using it everywhere.”
CircuitSolver Install: Mental Health Institute of Quebec Case Study
The below CircuitSolver install case study features a project from our neighbors in the North.
Installation Site Overview
Aerial View of IUSMQ
The Mental Health Institute of Quebec (IUSMQ) is a hospital specializing in psychiatric care. Founded in Quebec City in 2009, the facility has more than 500 beds for short-term and long-term psychiatric care.
IUSMQ is a large building with up to 6 floors in some wings and a total floor area of about 160,000 m². To accommodate changing staff and patient needs, the IUSMQ’s main pavilion was recently renovated, with updates being made to the domestic hot water recirculation system.
The Opportunity
Instead of implementing an army of traditional hot water heaters to supply the sprawling facility, IUSMQ’s water supply is heated by a hospital-owned power plant and distributed throughout its wings and floors.
To account for the heat loss that occurred as the hot water traveled through the building’s long recirculation lines, the power plant had to intentionally “overheat” the water being delivered to IUSMQ.
However, as a result of new standards and regulations, the hospital was required to adjust the temperature of incoming water to a safer level.
According to the building’s consultant, André Renaud, this resulted in the hospital experiencing a lack of hot water in some areas.
The Installation
Renaud initially reviewed the recirculation system to determine the fixed flow rate needed to offset heat loss and consumption. According to his calculations, the main recirculation piping would not be able to withstand the high flow rate required due to the risk of premature erosion of the copper piping.
Due to this, the consultant chose to replace the system’s fixed flow valves with 108 CircuitSolvers.
Installed in-line, CircuitSolver is a self-actuating, thermostatic recirculation valve that automatically and continuously adjusts flow to maintain a specified temperature at the end of each domestic hot water supply line.
CircuitSolver bases dynamic flow rates solely on fluid temperature, easily accommodating for passive system heat loss and demand fluctuations, with no need for re-balancing.
By switching to the CircuitSolver, Renaud eliminated the labor and guesswork associated with the manual balancing of fixed flow valves.
The Result
After a quick and easy install and almost instantaneous automatic balancing, hot water is now available throughout the entire main pavilion on demand.
Residential CircuitSolver Installation Case Study – The Austonian in Austin, TX
Below is a CircuitSolver® success story brought to you from the Lone Star state:
Located in the heart of Austin, TX, The Austonian is a premier luxury residence boasting 360° views, unparalleled amenities, and a Four Star rating from Austin Energy Green Building. Towering over downtown at 683 feet tall, The Austonian is the tallest residential tower west of the Mississippi River.
Despite its laundry list of amenities, The Austonian’s managers were not satisfied with the hot water delivery time to the building’s units. In some cases, 2-3 minutes were needed for warm water to reach fixtures.
A team of engineers was assembled and tasked with finding a solution and improving hot water delivery times.
With more than 50 floors to retrofit, the CircuitSolver® was deemed the ideal and only solution to The Austonian’s domestic hot water system challenge.
Hot water distribution lines had originally been placed in corridor ceilings and branched into residential units during construction. Certified plumbers installed CircuitSolver® in each unit’s ceiling near the hot water return line. Located behind false air vents for easy access, shut-off valves were placed on either side of the CircuitSolver® for ease of maintenance in the future.
A majority of the work done was in corridors and access to private residences had to be scheduled. Fortunately construction time in residences was minimized due to CircuitSolver’s® simple installation and set-up.
The Austonian
Residents are reportedly pleased with improved hot water delivery times following CircuitSolver® installation. Units with wait times of multiple minutes saw a dramatic reduction, and fixtures now reach proper temperature in 20-30 seconds. A reduction of water waste and the implementation of lower horsepower pumps has also resulted in significant utility cost savings.
This success story is one among many, and thousands of installations around the country benefit from implementing the CircuitSolver®.
Should you have any questions about implementing the CircuitSolver®, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated team of product experts.
Inspira Health CircuitSolver Case Study – Mullica Hill, New Jersey, USA
Installation Site Overview
Inspira Health operates a variety of healthcare facilities throughout southern New Jersey, including Inspira Health Center Mullica Hill Commons in Mullica Hill, NJ.
Opened in November of 2019, the 5-floor Mullica Hill Commons facility is a state-of-the-art general medical and surgical center, featuring specialized obstetrics and gynecology services.
Inspira Health Mulica Hill Commons
The Opportunity
A new construction, Mullica Hill Commons’ contractors relied on the expert advice of the design engineers to specify products that would meet the needs of a dynamic healthcare DHWR system. The CircuitSolver® Union Assembly Strainer (CSUAS) balancing valve was specified at 140°F to satisfy the design’s hot water requirements and reduce installation time. The CSUAS comes preassembly with the CircuitSolver® thermostatic balancing valve with an integrated union, two ball valves on either side and an integrated strainer.
The Installation
In accordance with the project specifications, MMC Contractors installed 102 CircuitSolver® Union Assembly Strainers throughout the system saving significant time by not having to manually install each component. CircuitSolver® valves were installed at the end of each domestic hot water branch in place of manual valves to provide a balanced system. “There was no balancing necessary because these valves are self-adjusting,” Mike Formica of MMC Contractors commented. “The CircuitSolver® is the fastest and easiest way to balance a system.”
These self-actuating, thermostatic valves automatically and continuously adjust system flow to maintain a specified temperature at the end of hot water supply line by monitoring water temperature, eliminating manual balancing as well as the possibility of callbacks for adjustments to meet changing system demands.
The Result
Soon after startup, the facility was supplied with hot water throughout the building without any balancing procedures. Inspira Health Center Mullica Hill Commons opened on November 8, 2019 to much fanfare and celebration and, thanks to CircuitSolver®, the staff of Mullica Hill Commons will be spending many years caring for their patients with instant hot water at the turn of a tap.
For more information on this Inspira Health CircuitSolver case study or how the CircuitSolver line of balancing valves can meet your domestic hot water system balancing needs, visit our plumbing products page.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare operates five facilities throughout Northern Kentucky, including St. Elizabeth Healthcare Edgewood, a state-of-the-art general medical and surgical facility.
As a healthcare facility serving the larger Cincinnati metro area, there is a constant flow of patients, visitors, and medical personnel through their halls. Unfortunately, the hot water was not flowing quite so quickly. For years the hospital had dealt with an unreliable and unbalanced hot water supply. The domestic hot water system’s (DHWS) return runs were operating inefficiently, leaving some of the hospital wings completely without hot water at times.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
To address this problem, MarkCo Plumbing installed around 90 CircuitSolver® balancing valves in their DHWS. CircuitSolvers were installed at the end of each hot water branch in the system, replacing the manual balancing valves.
These self-actuating, thermostatic recirculation valves automatically and continuously adjusted the flow to maintain the specified temperature at the end of each domestic hot water supply line. No manual balancing was required.
After the successful CircuitSolver® installation, St. Elizabeth Healthcare Edgewood now has access to an on-demand hot water supply in all wings, on every floor, at every fixture. CircuitSolver® was able to balance the system when engineers could not.
Where manual balancing fails, CircuitSolver® delivers.
About CircuitSolver®:
The CircuitSolver® is a thermostatic, self-actuating balancing valve that continuously and automatically adjusts the flow through each branch of a domestic hot water recirculation system to maintain the specified temperature at the end of each branch, regardless of fluctuations in hot water demand. It is a direct replacement for manual balancing valves and eliminates balancing labor and callbacks.
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