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In this article, I’d like to get back to discussing smart plumbing systems, and how our industry needs to get more in line with how the HVAC industry utilizes monitoring and automation for operational efficiencies.

I recently presented at the ASPE Convention in Columbus, OH related to this topic, and how applying intelligence to plumbing systems can have a great effect on building occupant safety. The presentation included:

• Domestic Water Temperature Monitoring;
• System Pressure Monitoring; and
• System Flow Monitoring.

One of the major discussion points in this presentation was reviewing the effectiveness of "manual" water management plans. And what I mean by manual, is the process of having facility staff take physical measurements at control points in a building and using this data in an extrapolation of the health of the building.

There three important concerns I see when utilizing a manual process to measure control points. And as I write this, I am going to give the benefit of doubt that there is a plumbing professional included on the water management committee that is helping interpret the domestic water system and identify the best control points and testing locations to utilize. And even with this consideration, there are shortfalls to the manual process

First, the ability to effectively sample enough control points that represent the entire domestic water system is logistically impossible. Legionella can grow in any segment of a domestic water system, at any time, and create an issue. Measuring a select few sinks in an ICU, or NICU, and assuming this effectively represents the floor, wing, or pressure zone is simply not good enough. From my experience, there are going to be several risers or branches that will not be assessed. Ask anyone who designs and operates plumbing systems, and they will tell you that domestic water systems can fall "out of balance" at any time, at any place in the overall system. Assuming that these control points can reflect the health of the entire plumbing system can lead to a false level of security.

Second, is the frequency of testing during the manual process. In my experience, the highest level of frequency I’ve seen performed in manual water management testing is monthly. I would venture to say most testing is performed quarterly, or even biannually. Think about how quickly the parameters of a building can change in that amount of time. Will the incoming water service temperature change? Or any other parameter of incoming water quality? Will an adjustment be made to the domestic hot water system because of a complaint?  It’s easy to see how the frequency of testing is imperative to understanding the health of a building, and how spreading out the testing can be detrimental in understanding the health of a domestic water system.

Lastly is the testing itself. When testing at a shower, or a sink in a patient room, it’s very likely you are not getting a true representation of what the water in the pipe behind the wall is. Many fixtures utilize point of use mixing devises, which blend cold and hot water. Therefore, you cannot measure the true temperature of the hot water system circulating in the ceiling, or in the riser behind the wall. If you have a temperature based control point, you cannot use a common fixture to test, you need to rely on a mop basin, or other similar "back of house" fixture that will not have a point of use mixing device. And knowing these back of house fixtures are typically outnumbered tenfold (or more) in a hospital environment, can you extrapolate those results and feel comfortable about the health of the system?

When utilizing smart systems, you can place a sensor anywhere in the building to gather data. The frequency can be as small as seconds apart, not days, weeks, or months.

The case study discussed at the ASPE Convention showed a hospital building that had five total pressure zones, with the top three being for patient care. If we looked at the top pressure zone of the building, we had a riser distribution approach, as each floor in this pressure zone was typical patient rooms. We discussed measuring CW and HW temperature, pressure, and flow at the main supply to the riser and then just temperature at the bottom of the riser. With this approach, each riser then had 8 monitoring points:

This pressure zone had a total of 40 risers, so that brought the total to 320 monitoring points for this pressure zone alone. When we expanded our monitoring to the whole building, we approached 900 monitoring points. That have the capability of taking a measurement a few seconds apart, day and night, 365 days a year. How can a manual measurement process even come close to that?

Approximately 75 percent of all real estate industry property losses are due to accidental discharge related to plumbing, HVAC systems, and appliances.

The knowledge gained from taking data collection is insurmountable. Knowing exactly what is going on in your building, in every riser, can allow proactive responses to control point issues, litigation protection, and improved maintenance protocols.

Several years ago I spoke with AON insurance company regarding how they are approaching Legionella, and the feedback was eye opening. I was told that having effective water management plans is becoming necessary to "secure coverage related to water intrusion, mold and/or Legionella. It would also be considered prudent loss control/housekeeping protocols." What I also learned is that most cases are related to negligence, and that not having any data to support your work is what leads to large legal settlements.

Intelligent plumbing systems have other benefits as well. measuring flow, and identifying irregulaties, can save buildings large amounts in utility bills. The EPA’s WaterSense program estimates that, on average, leaks can account for more than 6 percent of a facility’s total water use. For a building using 1 million gallons per month, a 6% reduction can save approximately $50k per year in water fees.

Additionally, from a catastrophic leak scenario, an automated system can shut off water before damages become severe. From Facilitiesnet "How to Use Internet of Things Technology to Prevent Water Damage", based on claim data from 2014 to 2020, approximately 75 percent of all real estate industry property losses are due to accidental discharge related to plumbing, HVAC systems, and appliances.

The automated monitoring of domestic water systems will certainly have a higher first cost, but will save operational costs and could very likely save legal costs and revenue losses from poor public image.