Historic Hotel Saves Thousands with Automatic Backwash Filters

Background

The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, a heritage-listed site in Hobart, has a rich history dating back to convict times. Originally occupied by shanty housing, the site was transformed into a wool storage and treatment facility in the 1850s. Today, it stands as a high-profile hotel, blending historical charm with modern amenities.

Objectives

The primary objective was to address the sediment particles in the incoming mains water supply. This issue was impacting the hotel’s plumbing systems, leading to increased maintenance costs and operational challenges.

Challenges

The hotel faced significant challenges due to sediment build-up in the mains water supply. This could have been caused by the nature of the pipe network on their side of the street and its location in the water supply network. The sediment build-up led to:

• Monthly cleaning of gas water heater pre-filters.
• Repeated refitting of 120 Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs) every 9 months due to blockages and leaks.
• Increased maintenance costs and operational disruptions.

Solution

To tackle these challenges, we supplied 4 JUDO JPF DN80 automatic backwash filters to eliminate sediment. The screen filters were to be installed on the 2 mains water inlets to the site. These filters were chosen for their ability to allow continuous water flow while filtering out sediment through stainless steel filter screens.

James Cox, Technical Engineer, noted, “The JUDO filters were perfect for the Old Woolstore as it allows water to continue to flow whilst being filtered through stainless steel filter screens. These screens retain all sediment particles until a backwash commences with no interruption to service flow during the backwash process.”

Outcome

The implementation of the JUDO filters made a significant difference:

• Gas water heaters had zero traces of dirt.
• TMVs showed no signs of sediment build-up.
• This resulted in substantial savings on equipment and labour costs for the hotel.

In Summary

The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel successfully addressed its sediment challenges with the installation of JUDO automatic backwash filters. This innovative solution not only preserved the integrity of the hotel’s plumbing systems but also reduced maintenance costs and improved operational efficiency.