Woodlands Camping Park
LPG hot water heating solution for busy camping park in Kerry
The Challenge
Woodlands Caravan and Camping Park is situated in an idyllic location at the foot of the Slieve Mountains in Co. Kerry. Run by the McDonnell family - Mike, Martina and Jane, this custom built campsite is famous for being one of the most progressive and family-friendly camping locations in Ireland, with a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award in 2013.
As a business that often services the requirements of over 500 visitors at any one time, the availability of instant hot water is crucial. Before contacting Flogas, the McDonnell’s were using two gas boilers and solar energy on site to provide central heating in their home, hot water for 2 showering blocks, a camper’s kitchen, laundry and all the visitors housing needs. The strain of providing constant hot water all day long was leading to large fuel bills, high hot water storage costs and immense pressure being placed on the two boilers.
“Our old system served us over 16 years but as time went on became inefficient. As high hot water storage costs were becoming an issue in low peak seasons, we contacted Flogas for a new efficient, tailored system for our business.”- Mike McDonnell - Woodlands Caravan and Camping Park.
The Flogas Solution
After conducting a free onsite survey of the campsite Mike Murphy, Flogas recommended that the park install two 56kW Andrews FASTflo Water Heaters. These heaters were installed and the benefits to the business since then have been vast.
One Andrews FASTflo heater delivers 14 litres of hot water per minute. This in turn means Woodlands are able to obtain 196 litres of hot water at 800C in just seven minutes and allows water temperature to vary from 37°C to 80°C with the aid of a controller. Auto ignition ensures there are no running costs when the unit is idle and no water storage costs throughout the day or night.
Changeover Process
Since the Park was already using LPG from a different gas supplier,the existing gas pipework did not need to be replaced. The existing LPG boilers were kept for the central heating in the main house, and the old LPG tank replaced with a Flogas one. Robert Courtney, a local installer, reconnected the boilers via the existing pipework and then installed the two Andrews FASTflo units.
Two Andrews FASTflo heaters were installed inside the building with an external flue. Robert then connected the pipework from the tank to the water heaters and the new system was up and running within a matter of days with no interference to daily activities.
Results
- On demand hot water FAST – 196 litres of hot water at 800C in just seven minutes
- Increased control over water temperatures - from 37°C to 80°C via a controller
- Multi usage from one source – cooking, central heating and hot water
- Increased efficiency and significantly reduced running costs with no water storage costs throughout the day or night
- Reduced carbon footprint and full control in a current climate of high waste water charges
The McDonnell family saw positive results almost immediately and were delighted with the new system.
“We here at Woodlands have seen fantastic improvements in our park since switching to Flogas; the new system is much more efficient for all our activities and facilities. We now have an amazing 1 minute heat up time for our hot water on demand, at any desired temperature ranging from 370C to 800C which eliminates hot water storage costs completely” - Mike McDonnell
If your current system is not providing you with the level of service you require and contributing to high bills, call Flogas for your free on-site survey and quotation. We will analyse your existing energy costs and outline the savings and benefits you’ll enjoy by converting to Flogas LPG.
