Project Case Study: Wyoming Life Resource Center in Lander, Wyoming
Installation Site Overview
Wyoming Life Resource Center is a licensed, Intermediate Care Facility for people with disabilities. Each person served has an individual plan for training, work, healthcare, and recreation. Residence homes are for three to nine individuals each.
The Center offers a comfortable, family-like setting in an accessible neighborhood. Independence is promoted in life skills, community access, social interaction, and leisure activities.
The older buildings were demolished to clear land for the new Center with ten new client cottages, day programming buildings, a clinic, a recreation center with an indoor pool, and a facilities building.
The Opportunity
Cody Cline, Vice President of GW Mechanical, had the opportunity to use ThermOmegaTech’s thermostatically controlled Drain Tempering Valves (DTV) in the new construction of the Wyoming Life Resource Center in Lander, Wyoming.
These Drain Tempering Valves (DTVs) are typically used in applications where a high-temperature discharge flow to a drain or sewer must be tempered with cold water to meet plumbing code requirements and prevent PVC piping damage due to over-temperature conditions.
“This healthcare facility has 14 separate buildings where we used the drain tempering valves (DTVs)” said Cline. “All the buildings have commercial dishwashers [installed] underneath the counters because we are working with limited space, [all the DTVs were] installed within cabinetry underneath the kitchen sinks.”
Each new building has one commercial dishwasher with discharge flow to a drain that needs to be tempered down; therefore, one DTV was installed in each location.
The Installation
“We had used [DTVs] on another application, and we liked it because we could modify the piping to work for the application. For this installation, I think [the engineer] chose [DTV] because it was so small and had to fit under the counter, in a very limited space,” explained Cline. “I would have chosen these DTVs anyway because it is the right application for the space.”
The dishwashers’ discharge temperature is 180 (degrees) Fahrenheit, so the water needed to be cooled down before reaching the PVC piping underground to comply with the plumbing codes.
The DTVs installed had a set point of 120 (degrees) Fahrenheit. These valves will automatically open to allow the injection of cold water to temper down the discharge fluid before it reaches the drain if the valves sense fluid temperatures above 120 (degrees) Fahrenheit.
The Result
“In this specific job, the DTV sped up the process because of its size and adaptability to that space. It made it easy. Other than that, the only way I know [how to temper the water is by] using a drain cooler. Drain coolers are big and bulky, you need the space to put them in, and there are more requirements,” Cline mentioned.
When asked what advantages the DTV has compared to other options on the market, Cline said, “Size and simplicity.” DTVs are small, have minimal moving parts, and are easy to maintain.
“It comes down to space and the fact that [the DTV] is mechanical; there are no moving parts, which is nice. There is nothing really to maintain,” said Cline.
“I recommend the product for functionality and space requirements. The DTV works great,” said Cody Cline, Vice President of GW Mechanical.
For more information on the Drain Tempering Valve, visit here.
Download the Wyoming Life Resource Center Case Study.