In today's world, college campuses are looking at many ways to heat water for domestic use and hydronic building use and many experiments and new ways are being applied. We sit in meetings and listen to all this and two key objectives come to mind after all the engineers are gone, and construction is finished first: "How long will it last before we have expend man power to maintain and fix it?" and "Does it save energy?". These are the questions that the folks on the ground also ask us daily. 

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Back in 2001, our rep in Wyoming/Denver area, Dean Tripoli, called us after a trip up to Laramie, Wyoming to the beautiful university there asking for a proposal on two 100 GPM steam fired domnestic water heaters for the old Half Acre pool and field house built in 1925. 

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Two Thermaflo TH750 horizontal 10" units were selected, but sized with a unique steam control valve setup that greatly limited the steam pressure going in the inner U tube bundle, totally eliminating wasteful flash steam and allowing condensate to flow subcooled to an existing duplex electric condensate pump, because they had no flash tank existing. In addition, this building being over a mile from the steam plant "Steam Quality" was a concern by Dean, so a main drip condensate removal station was installed on each inlet before the control valve.

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Let's fast forward to fall of 2024 November when we were asked to come back to Laramie to conduct a steam systems informal class for all the guys on campus maintenance. Still working for Thermaflo, Dean Tripoli's company set this up. After the class I asked the lead mechanic how our heaters were doing at Half Acre expecting to find they were long gone. His reply was that they had two very old heaters but they were not Thermaflo. I ask if we could walk up to the gym and see what he had. Wyoming is the only place on Earth it can rain on you when the walk starts, snow on you halfway, and clear off totally when you arrive. Upon arrival to the mechanical room we opened the door, turned on the lights, and there they were: two old soldiers Thermaflo TH750 heaters still heating water with our name on the panels to the grateful surprise of the University group who ventured up with us. 

Here they sat two heaters that had never required maintenance in 24 years. In addition, they were still furnishing hot water, using the controlled low pressure steam and subcooling the condensate with the original PT Thermaflo control valves. Built to last, built to save energy and utilize steam at its greatest efficiency! 25 years later at this writing, these units are doing exactly what was expected of them when purchased in 2001. Longevity. No Maintenance. No wasted steam energy. 

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To Thermaflo it was a "Blind Flash of the Obvious" where experience counts!