After experiencing a multitude of issues with their gas pool heaters, The Salvation Army partnered with Sentry to resolve them for good. Below is a detailed account of this project from Ross Wheeler, Kroc Center Capital Renewal Plan Manager, explaining the partnership with Sentry, their successful solutions, and the resulting impact on the organization and local communities.
Identifying the Problem
Around 2011, The Salvation Army commissioned seven Kroc Centers in the Southeastern United States, four of which had natatoriums with leisure pool space and spa/hot tubs for general public use.
The pool heating systems commissioned at the time of building had a poor performance record that often caused them to fail. Although the existing pool heaters were considered the best-in-class, they created several challenges:
- Constant unplanned outages and pool closings
- Loss of membership and/or revenue due to the inability to maintain consistent water temperatures in the leisure pools and hot tubs
- A constant maintenance and repair burden on the facilities maintenance staff
- Unplanned capital expenses for repairs very early in the asset’s useful life cycle
- Exorbitant gas utility expenses to operate inefficient equipment
- Pool liner staining due to minerals being extracted from the direct contact of pool water and the heat exchangers
Discovering the Solution
“The solution to the organization’s latent pool water heating challenges came to us incidentally while exploring options to replace the pool filtration systems in December 2019. During this time, we met the Sentry Aquatics team, and we were introduced to the Sentry pool water heating system.” – Ross Wheeler
The Sentry team shared the “new technology” or “New Class/Category” to heating pool water and their confidence in solving the challenges above. While Wheeler wanted to install one of these heaters at a pilot site to “test drive” the operations and performance of this new technology, he knew it would take a strong business case to justify a larger upfront capital expenditure in a non-profit operations arena.
Heater Replacement
In April of 2021 The Salvation Army was able to purchase and install their first Sentry brand pool heater at the Kroc Center in Biloxi, MS. Equipment installation was simple and completed with minimal impact on the Kroc Center’s patrons and staff.
Examining the Results
The benefits of the new Sentry pool heater were almost immediate. During the first observation, pool water temperatures had stopped fluctuating and remained stable. Additionally, it continued to deliver trouble-free operation after several weeks, while the previous heaters would have likely broken down. The onsite facilities management team now has additional time, and members are happy due to consistent water temperatures and not to mention, no more unplanned pool closures!
“We were so pleased with the immediate results, that moving forward with installing this Sentry equipment at more Kroc Centers was no challenge. We proceeded with installing the equipment at additional sites, not yet knowing the full extent of the long-term benefit that would soon be discovered.” – Ross Wheeler
The new Sentry pool heaters have reduced gas utility costs for the Biloxi Kroc Center by an average of $1,500 per month.
“We expected savings, just not on this order of magnitude. A $1,500 a month savings for a Kroc center is transformational to say the least.” – Ross Wheeler
The Sentry Brand pool heaters have been in service for two years now, during which The Salvation Army has not experienced one service outage, nor have any of the pools been shut down unexpectedly.
“The Sentry Brand heaters have made an exponential positive impact not only on the pool operations, but the heaters have also created efficiencies that are impacting how the entire Kroc Center operates to better serve local communities. We truly treasure our partnership with Sentry Aquatics!” – Ross Wheeler
Visit Sentry Aquatic Innovations to explore the innovative aquatic products that were developed to optimize pool operations and leave a positive impact on operators everywhere.
Sentry Aquatics provides multiple patented products including a modulating float valve for creating fast pools, an ultra-high efficiency gas fired pool heater and a customizable, touch screen smart controller developed to manage every aspect of the pool mechanical room. With more than 60+ years of combined industry experience, our focus is on the entire pool operations, rather than specific features, to solve the problem. With a hands-on approach, advisory, and guidance, we develop a collaborative relationship with all our clients.