Hotel Online Special Report


    The Regal Biltmore Discovers a Long-term Solution 
to the Problems Associated with Replacing a 
Piping System Within a Historical Building
Los Angeles, CA - January 2001 -   A historic landmark, the Regal Biltmore with 683 guest rooms and 52 lavish suites, has been home to presidents, kings and Hollywood celebrities since it opened in 1923. It is the only hotel in downtown Los Angeles that has been awarded four stars and 4 diamonds for seven consecutive years. 

To meet the demands associated with maintaining a world class and historical hotel facility, Director of Engineering at the Los Angeles Biltmore, Mr. John McIver is often challenged to solve unique engineering problems.
 

One of the most challenging problems he was faced with involved the replacement of the complex system of water supply lines servicing the hotel, while preserving the historical heritage of the hotel. 

The water supply lines required replacement. Pinhole leaks were developing in the copper lines and encrustation build up in the galvanized lines reduced water supply to rooms. 

At first, the so-called traditional quick fix methods were used to stop pinhole leaks: gear clamps and replacement of sections of badly corroded or encrusted pipe. These fixes were at best, temporary and involved cutting into walls, repairing the pipe and finally repairing the damaged walls/ceiling areas. This usually resulted in a direct loss of room revenue as the rooms were not available to let during this period of repair.
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Recognizing the scope of the problem he faced, Mr. McIver looked for a long-term solution to the problems associated with replacing a

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The Regal Biltmore Hotel opened in 1923

Problem: Corosion of piping system, dissimilar metals. 
Limited access to piping system. Historical, ornate and
irrreplaceable structures and wall fixtures.

piping system within a historical building. Typically the method of repair was re-piping. Re-piping meant long time lines associated with the project, extensive, expensive and messy renovation/repair work. Re-piping was deemed unacceptable and a modern long term, healthy and cost effective solution was sought.

Researching the causes and cures of pipe corrosion, questions and answers surrounding matters such a health, corrosion prevention and product durability in the search of a long term solution were addressed.

It was clear that from a health perspective that internal corrosion of piping systems raised significant health concerns. A study in the Wisconsin Medical Journal stated: �copper contaminated drinking water maybe a fairly common cause of nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and headaches especially among residents of new or recently remodeled homes.�   The issue of harmful heavy metals leaching into the drinking water showed that the source of lead poisoning from water contamination was generally not in the community water supply but in the buildings piping system.   The American Water Works Association (AWWA) outlined actions to limit exposure to the leaching of harmful heavy metals and among those actions was the lining of water service lines. 

Understanding how corrosion worked in metallic piping systems showed that the best method of corrosion control also was to prevent water to metal contact. 

The most effective solution to stopping corrosion was to apply a barrier coating to the interior of the walls of the piping system. With what and how could it be done was the next series of questions.

The answers to those questions was pipe restoration, a process developed by ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC, headquartered in Orange County, CA. The ACE DuraFlo system restores piping systems right within the walls of a building. No walls to cut out, no pipes to take out or replace, no asbestos to handle or dispose of.  In the case of a hotel, little, if any, lost room revenue was an added benefit.

Working in a fully operating historical hotel facility was an added challenge. ACE DuraFlo Systems had iust that experience having recently completed the restoration of 2 major historic hotel properties in Seattle WA.

Engineering staff at the hotel were now convinced that pipe restoration was the answer and a project schedule and project cost was worked out with ACE EnviroTech, Inc., a licensee for ACE DuraFlo� Systems, LLC.

The restoration project at the Regal Biltmore encompassed a combination of hot and cold water lines ranging in size from ½� to 3�, metallic make up included copper, brass and galvanized. Water service lines to 81 rooms were restored over a 10 day period. 

No restorative work was needed to walls, ceilings or bathroom areas. Asbestos abatement was not an issue as pipes were accessed away from any asbestos coverings.

No direct loss of room revenue was attributed to the pipe restoration process, as the rooms identified to be taken off line were excess inventory owing to seasonal occupancy. The pipe restoration process was quiet enough so as to not disturb any of the on location filming that was being done at the hotel. Pipe restoration was being completed on the same floors as the filming of the TV series West Wing. Even the Back Street Boys new video was shot on location and on the same floor as the pipes were being restored. 

The ACE DuraFlo System of in-place pipe restoration epoxy coating is listed by UPC®. The ACE DuraFlo internal pipe coating process and product are approved for use by The City of Los Angeles.

WISCONSIN MEDICAL JOURNAL. Gastrointestinal Upsets and New Copper Plumbing- is there a Connection? KnobelochL., January 1998
MDX HEALTH DIGEST. Is Your Tap Water Safe to Drink? CliffordC. Family Circle June 1989
AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION. Minimizing Public Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water. August 28, 1995
AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION JOURNAL. Evaluation of Corrosion in Distribution Systems. May 1964, pp 621-631. Schneider, Carl R and Stumm, Werner

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Contact:

ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC
United States and International Headquarters
711 West Kimberly Avenue
Suite 100
Placentia, CA 92870
888-775-0220
Outside of USA 1-714-256-0220
Fax 1-714-854-1833
[email protected]

ACE DuraFlo Canada, Inc.
1-888-775-0220
[email protected]


Also See Priyan Jayetileke, Director of Engineering at Vancouver�s 385 room, Four Seasons Hotel, Tackles Corrosion of Copper Water Lines Servicing the Hotel / Jan 2000 
A Hidden Time Bomb - Corrosion of Piping Systems / The Causes of Corrosion in a Piping System, Traditional Repair Methods and the Modern System of Pipe Restoration / Jan 2000 


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