It's OK on the skids

Fulton Boiler Works is supplying its new 440LDC and Series J boilers as packaged and skid-mounted systems for laundry and drycleaning applications. The packaged systems are prepared and fully tested in the Fulton factory to the PM5 standard of control for unmanned plant rooms and are designed to be delivered to site and installed on a prepared concrete base. Final installation is made easier by connecting to termination points, pre-installed by the customer, to ensure that the new boiler plant matches existing site services.

The convenience of this fast-track packaged concept has been chosen for a number of hospital installations to provide steam for laundry, sterilisation and heating. For one PFI project, a purpose-built, double-skinned steel boiler room was designed, built and installed within a 12-week programme. The plant was equipped with two gas-fired boilers - chosen for their reliability, efficiency and fast recovery for steam raising - and included ancillary equipment. Steam from the boilers is also used to provide hot water for the hospital's theatre and burns unit. Typically ancillary items include water softening and chemical dosing equipment.

While the efficiency of Fulton's boilers and their fast recovery for steam raising makes them suitable for large scale hospital laundries and the fluctuating demand of hospital sterilisers, the drycleaning sector has also made use of them.

Blackpool Laundry, which recently made its fourth move into larger premises in 10 years, turned to Fulton to ask it to provide a centralised steam system for its laundry processing. Proprietors Joan and Brian Oldroyd say the move to a new location provided a chance to re-organise the laundry and look for more efficient and cost-effective equipment in all areas of the business. The company, which previously used gas to provide hot water, has switched to steam for washing, ironing and finishing processes. The two gas-fired Fulton 30E vertical boilers installed by Blackpool Laundry provide a total output of 960kW/h and were chosen after Joan and Brian visited a similar installation at Bexhill.

Known reputation

"We already knew Fulton's reputation as the leading UK manufacturer of steam boilers and they were recommended by Scotts of Halifax, who installed the boilers and our other new equipment," says Brian. "But seeing a working installation and talking to a satisfied customer helped make the decision an easy one." More recently, a 440LDC, designed as a replacement boiler for the laundry and drycleaning markets, was bought by Peter Finch of Classic Cleaners at this year's Clean UK show. The package, which was supplied with water softener, chemical dosing tank, condense recovery tank and pump, is being used to generate steam for presses and finishing equipment and to heat water for washing machines. The company also intends to use the boiler to produce steam for drycleaning stills.

Commenting on the purchase, Mr Finch says: "When I heard about Fulton's new state-of-the-art boiler, I decided to buy one. I visited the Clean UK show to confirm my order and the boiler package was delivered on the Monday following the show." Peter Finch, who has always used Fulton boilers, goes on to say that the new boiler is replacing an existing 30-year-old Fulton 30E, which is too big for his requirements. He says he had been looking for a secondhand Fulton boiler for some time, but the 440LDC offered such a good deal, both financially and technically, he couldn't refuse. The 440LDC and Series J boilers are based on the well-known Series E model, which offers reliability, performance, a five-year warranty on the pressure vessel and a competitive price.

Gordon Bareham, sales and marketing director with Fulton, says there are many advantages to specifying a packaged or skid-mounted system, an important one being that Fulton takes overall responsibility for the design, manufacture and delivery of a turnkey product, as well as providing the all important aftersales support.