Two of Alpha Heating Innovation’s ProTec Plus 50 light commercial boilers and a number of Alpha accessories have been installed in St Peter’s Church in Salesbury, Blackburn. Selected for its high efficiency and stainless-steel heat exchanger, the 50kW ProTec Plus proved to be a reliable alternative to the previous boiler system.
Originally built in 1807, with later work completed in 1887, St Peter’s Church had previously been fitted with a single oil-fired boiler in the 1980’s, which had suffered due to the life expectancy of an oil-fired boiler being exceeded. After experiencing issues with its boiler, a project was undertaken to bring the heating system up to date. The Church met with John Book of JRBook MCIBSE FRSPH Consulting Engineers, who acts as a Heating Advisor for a number of Church Authorities.
John specified the Alpha ProTec Plus boilers for St Peter’s Church and commented: “The previous boiler system had begun to fail, so I provided advice on the most efficient way to replace their oil-fired boiler system. This was to switch to and secure a gas supply into the building as this would provide better operating efficiency with reduced running & maintenance costs.”
The Alpha ProTec Plus 50 kW boiler was selected due to its high efficiency and low NOx. The stainless-steel heat exchanger was a key influence in John’s specification as the material ensured the ongoing durability of the two boilers. Stainless steel not only performs well with a wide range of pH levels but also offers resistance against corrosion.
Due to the age of the pipes in the church, it is possible that the heating system may have been suffering from poor water quality, preventing it from working effectively. However, the age of the system and potential for weak pipe joints in concrete floors, meant that power flushing was not a viable option as this could damage the system further, and prove costly and difficult to repair or replace.
As a result, the two wall-hung 50kW boilers were installed onto the existing church pipework via a plate heat exchanger (PHE), this would allow the two boilers to operate on their own small pressurised system preventing the clean boiler water from being contaminated by possible particulates in the existing heating system. Water treatment was used on the church heating system and a magnetic filter was used to help prevent further deterioration of the churches pipework and radiators.
Keith Smith of J.W. Moore Mechanical Services was responsible for the installation of the two boilers at St Peters Church. He commented: “I was already familiar with the ProTec Plus range of light commercial boilers as I have worked with Alpha products for over 25 years. Alpha’s boilers are competitively priced, reliable and easy appliances to fit. With the selected set-up we were also able to offer a 5-year warranty by using the plate heat exchanger – which was a bonus.”
The ProTec Plus boiler range is designed for larger output requirements and can be installed individually or in cascade formation. The system is available in four models with outputs from 50 to 115kW, which can be increased to 920kW when cascaded.
To ensure flexibility with the boiler, the ProTec Plus was also installed with an Alpha pressurisation unit, expansion vessel and Alpha’s horizontal concentric flue kit and extension kit.
In addition, as the church was an extremely old building, the existing walls in the basement boiler room were not strong enough to hold the weight of the new boilers sufficiently and safely. To overcome this challenge - two Alpha mountable frame kits were used instead.
