With 53 men on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster, practicing five to six days per week for 10 to 12 hours a day, the demand for hot water must be enormous. As the choice for the team’s practice facility’s hot water storage and water heating capabilities, we happen to have the details. How about 1,880 gallons storage capacity and 2,400,000 btu per hour heating the water?
The Miller Electric Center is a new state-of-the-art practice facility in downtown Jacksonville that serves as the Jaguars’ football operations headquarters. The $120 million dollar facility is 125,000 square feet and includes locker rooms, training and medical facilities, office space and a draft room. It also features two full-size grass practice fields and one indoor field, along with shaded public viewing stands, concession areas and a team store.
Luckily, Lochinvar’s Armor Condensing water heaters are up for the job. The Armor’s stainless steel heat exchanger delivers hot water at 98 percent thermal efficiency and modulates at a 10:1 turndown ratio. That means the units can fire as low as 10 percent of their total capability and modulate up to 100 percent when the demand is greatest. The Jag’s facility has three of the AWH0800NPM units installed providing the ability to cascade which ensures the units operate with equal runtime and extends the life of the heaters. The Armor’s SMART TOUCH operating control makes adjusting parameters and troubleshooting a breeze – which is nice in Florida.
With a proven storage vessel like the Lock-Temp Round Jacketed Storage Tank, making sure the stored hot water is ready for delivery is a given. These tanks have the exclusive Lock-Temp baffle that keeps water evenly stratified and the 80 percent draw factor allows almost the entire capacity to be used at the designated temperature.
With the help of local manufacturers’ rep firm, Harry Warren, the installing contractor, Touchton Plumbing out of Jacksonville reported that the whole experience went off without a hitch.
“The installation went extremely well, and the units have been working without fail through the first year of the facility being in use,” said Parker Touchton, project manager.
The equipment was installed and commissioned according to schedule and is said to be performing as promised – and at the end of a 12-hour practice, there’s no room for disappointment.
