Copper-Fin 2 Pool Heaters Keep Wisconsin Aquatic Center Comfortable

Case Studies

by Lochinvar Marketing Department | 08/19/2021

About

Designed and built in 1998, the Village of Weston Aquatic Center features an outdoor 350,000-gallon pool with two lap lanes, three slides, diving board, a play structure and ample space for up to 867 guests. With a footprint of nearly 14,000 square feet, the aquatic center hosts up to 30,000 people in a single 12-week season, offering families and young adults in the area a place to swim, play and relax. 

As part of the Village of Weston’s Parks, Forestry & Recreation Department, led by Director Shawn Osterbrink, the aquatic center remains an integral part of the community. Incorporated in 1996, just over 15,000 people call the Village of Weston home.

The Challenge

The aquatic center’s previous pool heaters, both Lochinvar Copper-Fin2 Commercial Pool Heaters ran for almost two decades without needing to be replaced. With the units reaching 20 years in service, Osterbrink wanted to ensure there wouldn’t be an untimely failure during the pool season, so he opted to proactively upgrade the center’s water heating technology. Pool heaters often last around 10 years when properly installed and maintained, but the original units had significantly surpassed expectations. 

The new units needed to not only fit in the designated space at the aquatic center, but they also needed to stand up to freezing Wisconsin winters, as they are stored in a non-heated building. The need for simple retrofit, high-efficiency and proven performance made Copper-Fin2 the perfect solution.

The Solution

One of the aquatic center’s two pool heaters was replaced with a Copper-Fin2 Commercial Pool Heater in 2017 and the other in 2019. The new installation allowed the aquatic center team to rethink their design to maximize efficiency when it came to future replacement or maintenance.

“We rebuilt the racking system prior to installation,” Osterbrink says. “We designed it to allow the bottom heater to be pulled out from the side to make servicing easier.”

The Copper-Fin2 pool heaters are also built to withstand the tough conditions of the unheated mechanical room where they’re stored, which can dip to 20 degrees below zero in winter. With semi-annual maintenance and careful winterizing procedures, the Copper-Fin2 units are primed for performance.

Osterbrink also appreciates the efficiency of the Copper-Fin2 pool heater with its automatic bypass feature.

“It took some work out of our hands,” he says. “They self-monitor and adjust the bypass to make sure they’re heating the water as efficiently as possible.”

Prior to installation, Osterbrink’s team wasn’t always able to adjust the bypass manually, which led to inefficiencies. Now, they can ensure proper flow and return temperatures to the heat exchanger, which will help preserve the life of the pool heater and help maintain efficient operation. 

The Copper-Fin2 units also feature SMART SYSTEM™ operating controls, which help simplify troubleshooting and maintenance. Osterbrink finds it useful that the unit shows a data code on its LCD display that corresponds with a specific error, so problems can be identified—and fixed—as quickly as possible.

The Results

“We know the Copper-Fin2 is more efficient than most pool heaters, and with the previous units giving us 20 years of standout performance, replacing like-for-like was a natural fit,” says Osterbrink. “They’ve served our facility well, and we’re confident in their performance.”