University Technical College, Reading

UTC Reading is a University Technical College that offers computer science and engineering courses to up to 600 students, aged 14-19 years.

In common with most large commercial buildings, the college is provided with cold water from the rising main via a ground-floor tank which guarantees an uninterrupted supply of drinking quality water whatever the demands placed on it by its many occupants.

The tank had been divided into two chambers for easy maintenance with water intake controlled by two independent equilibrium valves, but they were not working simultaneously. This meant one side of the tank filled and emptied faster than the other, meaning the latter was in danger of becoming static which can lead to bacterial growth and stagnant water.  Water quality was a major concern.

The decision was made to install Keraflo’s Tanktronic system for managing water quality and to act as valves, controlling the water influx into both sides of the tank.

Tanktronic is an electronic tank management system which provides a complete solution to managing and controlling tank filling, as well as monitoring/reporting water levels and temperature.

Where required, it can be integrated into a building management system to alert the management team to any changes in the stored water.  It also has a very useful calendar (holiday) setting so that the building management team can vary tank capacity to match demand.

Its smart functionality includes a Repeater Panel, which enables control from up to 100 metres away (meaning tanks housed in basements or roofs can be controlled from the comfort of the management office) and the Battery Module, which provides up to two days of normal operation in the event of a power failure.

Tanktronic is now installed in many prominent UK buildings including The O2 Arena.