Ultramax PB condensing boilers installed at the historic naval dockyard church in Chatham

(30/04/2010)

The former Pembroke Barracks naval church is a listed building completed in 1906 and is now known as the St. George's Centre. Owned by Medway Council, it houses 94 stained glass windows as well as memorial plaques to the fallen of both world wars.

Two highly-efficient 120kW Ultramax PB condensing boilers have been installed at the historic naval dockyard church in Chatham as part of a new central heating system that is expected to reduce gas usage by more than 20 percent.

Medway Council needed to replace the centre’s ageing cast iron atmospheric boilers with an efficient condensing model while maintaining the existing pipework. Therefore the crucial factor in the selection of MHS Ultramax PB condensing boilers for the centre was the option of a built-in plate heat exchanger to separate the boiler from the primary heating circuit.
John Richardson of Medway Council’s Design and Surveying Team, who specified the MHS Ultramax PB 120 boilers, commented: “Ultramax PB boilers suited our requirements at the centre - having a very old heating system and large pipework with the possibility of accumulated debris. It made sense to divorce the system water from the boiler by means of the heat exchanger.”

Dave Callcott of MHS Boilers designed the new heating system for the centre and overcame the issues of special flueing requirements in a listed building with boilers located in the basement. He said: “As the former chapel is a listed building the existing chimney had to be used. To ensure that the products of condensation did not cause damage, it was lined with PPS plastic flexible liners connected to each boiler. Installing this type of material was possible due to the low flue gas temperatures of the extremely efficient Ultramax PB condensing boiler.”

A wide variety of flue connections are available for Ultramax PB boilers allowing for either room sealed or open applications and extensive lengths of flue. Dave Arnott of installers J & P Arnott of Gravesend commented: “As an old church there was restricted access, but the units fitted well into the basement room and the flue liners enabled us to use the existing chimney.”

Control of the Centre’s Ultramax PB boilers is via a matched MHS RVA 47 cascade unit that also provides direct on boiler weather compensation and time control.

The Ultramax PB range of floor standing boilers includes four models with outputs at 65, 85, 100 and 120kW. Fully condensing and fabricated from durable stainless steel, these appliances return efficiency up to 109.8% with a modulation range up to 6.8:1. Low Noise and low NOx emissions are also prime features of the Ultramax PB Boiler.

A comprehensive programmable boiler/system controller is included as standard which may be connected to intelligent room controls if desired. As an option, a low loss header can be incorporated into the boiler case as can a plate type heat exchanger to act as a separator to protect the boiler from the possible effects of dirt accumulation in older systems.

The flue connection allows for either room sealed or open type application with the capability for extensive lengths of flue to be accommodated. With the footprint area of the largest model at less than 0.51m2, the Ultramax PB Boilers are frugal on their space requirement making them a perfect choice where space constraints are a key factor in product selection.

Related categories:  Boilers - Combination and condensing   Boilers - Commercial