Drop-In Central DHW Plant Systems for Multifamily or Commercial Projects

The WaterDrop is a drop-in DHW solution for large buildings.  It is a by-product of years of research using the SANCO2 CO2 heat pump water heater and its efficiencies to meet the needs of numerous single family as well as multi-family or commercial projects.  The SANCO2 WaterDrop is a ready-to-install system which is designed to meet the specific hot water needs of your project. 

It’s Not Just a Heat pump – It’s a Full-Service Solution

The WaterDrop system is a full solution from “sizing” to “start-up”. A WaterDrop system starts with sizing the plant to the buildings needs, providing a sizing and recommendation report, along with drop in piping schematics for the heat pumps, tanks, swing tanks and controls. With specification complete, bidders and installers are able to access online training and earn a WaterDrop “bidders certificate” that confirms basic understanding of the system components and piping to ensure accurate bid scope and pricing. At installation all of the key system components of heat pumps, tanks, controls are supplied by Small Planet Supply. Our expert staff are on hand to help the contractor thru the installation. Once the plant is ready for start-up, a Small Planet Supply Commissioning Agent will arrive on-site to start the plant up, confirm and adjust controller functions and turn over the plant to the building operator.

About WaterDrop Systems

WaterDrop heat pump water heating plants are the result of years of CO2 water heating research by American public electric utilities jointly funding research by engineering partners focused on successful building electrification. The result is the development of North America’s first market ready large building CO2 based central water heating solution: WaterDrop. At the core of the system operation is the SANCO2 heat pump. This simple CO2 refrigerant heat pump, used in a modular array, will consistently produce 150F potable water in all climate conditions even in the very cold Canadian north. Using multiple Sanco2’s in an array, provides multiple redundancies to ensure the building always has hot water when the failure of a single large heat pump would leave building cold.

Full System Approach

Heat pumps work differently than boilers. One result of the publicly funded research is a solid understanding of how heat pump requirements differ from boilers. Providing a reliable heat pump solution for a large building requires new approaches to sizing, storing, piping, and controlling. It’s not just a new set of parts. It’s a new water heating concept. The WaterDrop system was created to deliver all of the mechanical parts of the system, but it’s really a “system” because it captures all of the sizing and design requirements that are unique to CO2 large building water heating.

The research confirms through trial projects that a successful plant starts at sizing and design, has an installer that understands the system and is using approved components, and is started-up by a manufacturer approved agent who will confirm the implemented design and controls

WaterDrop: Fully Packaged or Site Assembled

Depending on your project’s needs, WaterDrop systems are available in skid packages or site assembled.  Both approaches include sizing, drop in schematics, training and start-up. 

Skid packages are a full system that is ready to connect to the building. Just bring power and water. The skid package includes the building pump, mixing station, expansion tanks in addition to the basic system of heat pumps, tanks and controls.  The skids are self-contained, insulated, exterior rated can be placed on roofs, parkades, adjacent at grade, or in nearby exterior parking structures.

Site assembled system systems include the key components of heat pumps, tanks, controls, and start-up.  The project starts with sizing and design and provides the required bidder and installer training as well as start-up. There is a wide range of tank sizes that are the “retrofit friendly” solution. Control options include customizations to allow for existing tanks to be re-used and incorporated into the system operation. 

WaterDrop system modules are assembled at our Small Planet Supply Tumwater warehouse to your project’s specification using SANCO2 heat pumps, storage tanks and swing tanks.  Each module is placed on a skid that can simply be “dropped in” to the building. The result is assembled heat plant modules arrive at a construction or standing building site basically ready to be joined (if using more than one) and placed.  Once this is done, the last step is making connections to the building electrical, cold water and domestic hot water lines. Then, the plant is ready to fire up and serve the building.

WaterDrop Systems Include All the Pieces You’ll Need for Your Project’s Hot Water

All WaterDrop Systems include:

• Building sizing and plant recommendations

• Drop in schematics and specifications

• Bidder and installer training

• Start up and commissioning

• Key system components, to include: heat pumps, tanks, swing tank and controller.

Moving Forward with Your WaterDrop Project

After the Small Planet Supply recommendation is approved:

• For modular plants: Small Planet Supply will reserve a slot in production. 

• For assemble-on-site systems: Small Planet Supply staff will order the components for your assemble-on-site WaterDrop system.

You can also fill out the WaterDrop interest form to be notified about future developments and to be notified when we hold a webinar in the future on these systems.

How to Get Started

If you are interested in a WaterDrop system for a specific project , you can use the form to the right to give us the basic information we need to be able to estimate what will be needed to assemble a WaterDrop for your build. To get started on your estimate, Small Planet Supply will need the number of apartments, occupants, a fixture count or a simlar level of detail. With this information we should be able to provide a recommendation about the right system design for your project.   

More Information About WaterDrop Systems

More information about WaterDrop Systems is available at the product website. The website covers more about each of the WaterDrop system models, more about the ordering process and product updates.

SCHEDULE A COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION

Have questions about these systems and want more control of your schedule? You can schedule a complimentary WaterDrop Consultation with one of our engineers.

WaterDrop Interest Form

Commercial Retrofit Utilizes SANCO2 WaterDrop

Last month, a webinar held by ZebX in conjunction with Colliers Canada on Deep Emissions Retrofits highlighted the decarbonization of commercial domestic hot water at 1075 West Georgia Street.

The West Georgia Street project utilized Small Planet Supply's SANCO2 WaterDrops to transition from gas boilers to heat pump water heaters for the building's domestic hot water.

Small Planet Supply's SANCO2 WaterDrop Systems gang together multiple heat pump water heaters and tanks to economically handle the hot water needs for multi-family or commercial projects.

A case study on the project covers the reasoning behind the WaterDrop selection, the retrofit process, and results to date.