Laundromats use a lot of hot water every day. What’s more, they need that water at simultaneously operating washing machines during peak operating hours. So when the water tank at Peerless Cleaners of Corpus Christi began to leak, the owner chose to upgrade the Laundromat’s water heating process. Local plumbing contractor Reed Glendenning suggested a Rheem tankless manifold system. Up to 20 Rheem tankless units can be connected, using the company’s exclusive manifold control assembly, to meet heavy-duty demands.
“I was able to do a manifold installation of three Rheem tankless water heaters for less than the cost of replacing the boiler and tank-type heater at Peerless,” says Glendenning, who did the installation in about a day. “The owner is already happy,” he says, noting that the future fuel-cost savings for the Laundromat will only increase the positive experience.
Peerless Cleaners is open seven days a week, from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. With 24 washers, the Laundromat averages 50 loads of laundry per day, 75% of those using heated water. Peerless manager Doug Johnson was especially impressed with the ease of installation. “We were literally up and running in about six hours,” he says. “They plugged it in and we had hot water.”
Space savings and energy efficiency were also important to Johnson. “The energy efficiency is there,” he says. “We were heating and storing hot water 24/7 before. Now we heat it only when we need it.” The company has tracked the Laundromat’s energy use since the Rheem installation and estimates a significant fuel-cost savings of $219 per month – an annualized savings of more than $2,500 per year.
Passing the test: Glendenning was impressed with the ease of manifold installation and his ability to meet the Laundromat’s hot-water demand so quickly. “We tested all 24 of Peerless’s washers at once,” he explains, “and the three units maintained the required temperature perfectly.”
“We initially thought we needed four tankless units,” Johnson adds, “but when we got hot water for all the washers at once, we realized the extra heater wasn’t necessary. This experience at my business has actually made me consider putting a tankless unit in my house.”
“Tankless offers business professionals like Doug Johnson a whole laundry list of benefits,” says Glendenning. “As with any Laundromat, there’s a lot of down-time at Peerless Cleaners. During those periods, he won’t have to pay to heat and store hot water he’s not using. Plus, those 24 washers will never run out of hot water, while the three new units take up less space than the old boiler and tank-type heater. Tankless water heaters also last longer than tank-type units, and he won’t have to pay for an annual inspection, as he did with his boiler.”
The manifold installation makes servicing less painful as well. “If one goes down,” Glendenning explains, “we simply isolate it from the others and even remove it from the line, but the Laundromat will still have hot water from the other pair.”
Although he had never installed a manifold system before the Peerless job, Glendenning had previously worked with another brand of tankless heaters. When this project arose and he researched the best options for his customer, he found that “Rheem stood out” among tankless brands. Today, he installs Rheem tankless water heaters exclusively.
“Being able to manifold units together is great,” says Glendenning, who appreciates the ability to deliver simple solutions to larger, more complex applications like Peerless Cleaners. Rheem works fine in simpler applications as well. “We put a single tankless unit in a nursing home and saved them $1000 on the installation over a tank-type water heater. It was an ideal, ‘textbook’ use,” he says.
For more information on Rheem tankless water heaters, contact the company’s Connecticut sales agent, Pendleton Associates at 800.536-4114.
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RHEEM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, headquartered in Atlanta, is a leading worldwide provider of total comfort systems including water heaters, heating and air conditioning equipment, pool and spa heaters, and boilers. Its Water Heating Division manufactures a full line of tankless propane (LP) and natural gas models that provide a continuous flow of hot water whenever needed. With no standing pilot light and no storage tank, the energy-saving units eliminate the need to maintain a large supply of pre-heated water.