Project Overview
Highland Game, a food production facility in Dundee, was experiencing hot water shortages, pressure drops, and failure to meet Legionella temperature compliance standards. The existing system was unable to maintain consistent temperatures, creating both operational and hygiene risks. A full system upgrade was required to restore efficiency, ensure compliance, and prevent production downtime.
Challenges Identified
- Hot water shortages – The system was frequently running out of hot water.
- Pressure drops – The existing pipework restricted flow, causing pressure fluctuations.
- Legionella compliance failures – Monthly temperature requirements were not being met.
- Avoiding downtime – Work needed to be completed without disrupting factory operations.
Solution Implemented
- Increased Hot Water Capacity
- Installed two 400L unvented cylinders connected in parallel to provide greater storage and faster recovery times.
- Upgraded Pipework for Improved Flow & Pressure
- Boosted cold pipework upgraded from 28mm to 35mm for higher flow capacity.
- Hot water distribution pipework increased from 22mm copper to 28mm for better pressure maintenance.
- New secondary return system installed in 22mm to maintain hot water circulation and eliminate stagnation risks.
- Enhanced Insulation & Identification
- Installed foil-faced mineral wool pipe lagging to improve efficiency and temperature retention.
- Applied pipe identification (ID) labels for easy system maintenance.
- Zero Production Downtime
- All works were carefully scheduled and completed over two weekends, ensuring no shutdown or loss of production.
Outcome
The upgraded system now delivers reliable hot water with stable pressure, fully meets Legionella compliance standards, and ensures the factory can operate without interruption. By increasing storage capacity, improving distribution, and implementing a secondary return system, the pressure and temperature are now consistently under control.
