Jason Cox, sales director for building services at Wilo UK, discusses why booster pump upgrades should be firmly on school estates managers’ summer maintenance checklists.
Empty roads and fast commutes – you just can’t beat it. As schools prepare for the summer holidays, the next six or so weeks are going to be a dream. Unless you work from home and must now entertain bored kids, that is.
As school hallways fall as silent as the roads, the time for critical maintenance that would be difficult or impossible during term begins. Estates managers now have the task of preparing buildings for the next educational year in a matter of weeks.
Somewhere on the list should be pumps. Booster pumps in particular are crucial in maintaining water pressure throughout a school to ensure taps, toilets, showers and other outlets receive a consistent supply even during high demand. Upgrading them might not be the most glamorous or an utmost priority but doing so can deliver benefits that extend far beyond the plant room.
Making the grade on efficiency
Check out a school’s facilities, and there’s a good chance a legacy pump will be operating, especially since the quiet cancellation of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. With a comparable long-term funding mechanism yet to emerge one year on, a growing number of schools don’t have the knowledge of or access to asset upgrades beyond solar panels. That’s for another day.
Over time, pumps will inevitably become outdated and far less efficient, causing needless energy consumption and disruptive repairs, perhaps during term time. This is in part due to a reliance on older motors that often run at a fixed speed, meaning the same amount of energy is consumed regardless of demand.
In a school environment, however, demand is never constant. Water usage peaks before lessons and during breaks, yet many booster sets continue operating as if every outlet is in use simultaneously. The result is wasted energy, unnecessary wear and tear and, perhaps most importantly, higher operating costs at a time when school budgets are under massive scrutiny.
Modern booster sets on the other hand continuously adjust motor speed to match demand, maintaining consistent pressure while using significantly less energy. For estates managers seeking efficiency gains without the need for major refurbishment works, upgrading ageing pumps is a way forward.
Attendance matters
Alongside energy savings, there is of course the need for reliability. Pumps approaching their end of life may produce excessive noise, vibration or fluctuating pressure. Left unchecked, these issues can result in failures that affect water supply across the estate and can lead to unnecessary termtime closures. A summer holiday upgrade removes much of this risk. With buildings largely unoccupied, it’s easier to isolate systems and undertake replacements.
Today, multi-pump arrangements allow duties to be shared between pumps, reducing wear on individual units while providing redundancy should one require maintenance. Control systems can also bring additional pumps into action during peak demand, helping to maximise service life and system reliability.
Monitoring capabilities have also improved considerably, providing fault notifications and live performance insights, allowing potential issues to be identified well before they develop into costly failures. Here, estate managers can take a more proactive approach to maintenance and asset management, making their lives a whole lot easier.
An educated choice
I would highly recommend consulting with a pump specialist to ensure any booster set is properly sized and selected for the correct application. Manufacturers like Wilo can provide free energy audits to assess the performance of existing systems and advise the most suitable upgrade path.
They can evaluate factors such as flow rate, pressure requirements and system compatibility, helping schools to select a solution that meets demand while building a strong business case for investment.
Manufacturers can also take much of the burden away through asset management and maintenance support. Keeping detailed records of booster set specifications, installations and servicing is essential for troubleshooting, future repairs and compliance. Specialist partners can manage this process on behalf of estates managers, reducing administrative pressure and providing greater confidence that such important assets are being properly maintained for years to come.
Top of the class
The stopwatch is about to start for estates managers to conduct the necessary maintenance works during the summer holidays. Considering the vital role they play in ensuring adequate water pressure throughout an entire building, booster pumps should be somewhere near the top of the list.
Wilo can select, build and deliver a booster set within five working days, meaning that a quick win will actually be a quick win. When September arrives, and traffic unfortunately returns to normal, nobody will notice a booster set that’s doing its job correctly. They will, however, notice when it isn’t.
Discover more about Wilo’s range of booster sets.