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Seattle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel Applauds ACE DuraFlo®
ePIPE® for Efficient and Timely Restoration


March 2009 -At The Fairmont Olympic, Seattle’s premier luxury hotel, everything is secondary to its exceptional levels of guest service. So when faced with the disruptive problem of recurrent pinhole leaks in their domestic water system, hotel operations and management agreed that a problem so serious required the best possible solution. David Gault, director of engineering, was charged with the responsibility of finding a solution to the problem. That solution led him to ACE DuraFlo’s technology, referred to as ePIPE®, which covers application to metallic and non-metallic pipes as small as 3/8" in diameter. The patented ePIPE method restores pipes “inplace” avoiding the typical destruction, interruption and a host of other inconveniences that are often associated with a traditional repipe. The types of pipes that can be restored include those carrying potable water, natural gas, heating and cooling systems and fire suppression systems.

Gault’s research included the extraction of pipe samples, which were sent for metallurgical examination by a corrosion engineer. “We were trying to understand the nature of the problem, but the only certaintyseemed to be that the problem was getting worse.”

Gault was familiar with past ePIPE projects completed by ACE DuraFlo. “Based on our evaluation, ACE was the only company with the certifications, solid references and past hotel experience to give Fairmont the confidence to move forward with the ePIPE project.” Once the decision was made to go with ePIPE, the challenge became how to complete the work with a minimum impact on guest services, on a very tight time-line, and without a significant effect on revenue.


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Seattle
’s Fairmont Olympic Hotel faced
 a disruptive problem of recurrent
 pinhole leaks in their domestic
 water system
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Project tailored to fit

The Fairmont, as Seattle’s home away-from-home to royalty, dignitaries and celebrities, only the very best will do. To tailor this project to a 5 Diamond level, ACE went to great lengths to disguise the evidence that a major renovation project was taking place in the midst of occupied guest areas. Outside, a sound deflecting wall was built and painted to hide the compressor and to minimize noise for the street level boutiques. Inside, “decorative hose socks and hangers” were manufactured to match corridor wallpaper so that air hoses could be hung like a scalloped work of art.

Operationally, the restoration schedule was set for the winter low season and was developed on a Thursday to Tuesday cycle so that the Olympic could actually sell out 100% of their rooms on their two busiest (and most valuable) nights of the week. As well, the ePIPE project had to be scheduled around special holiday events, holiday street use restrictions and a bathroom renovation that was also taking place.

The best laid plans

Adding an element of difficulty to the project was some of the worst winter weather that Seattle had ever seen. A December storm knocked out power for days to more than one million residents in Washington and the downtown core of Seattle was one of the few areas to remain operational. “Mid- December is typically a lower occupancy period and we had scheduled to restore a block of 60 rooms over that period,” explained Gault. “But when the power went out, the city’s hotels immediately sold out. The ACE crew instantly went into overtime mode and quickly returned 30 of those rooms to our inventory for an unexpected four night sellout.”

This would not be the last schedule adjustment for the project. With software giant Microsoft hosting their mammoth Comdex conference in Seattle, the city was once again oversold. With the certainty of a week-long sellout, every additional room-night sold makes a significant contribution to the bottom line. Fairmont contacted ACE management to discuss an adjustment to the schedule for the 30 rooms to be restored that week, without an option to extend the completion date! With some collaboration and a few creative adjustments the schedule was revised to return those rooms to inventory. Altogether, ACE DuraFlo was able to adjust and give back a total of some 250 room-nights during unscheduled sellouts over the course of the project.

A job well done

The flexibility of the ePIPE technology allowed ACE to successfully complete the project with no extensions to the original schedule. As a token of appreciation, Fairmont management hosted an appreciation luncheon for the ACE crew and management at the end of the project. According to general manager Dennis Clark, “With a project of this magnitude, we try plan for every conceivable problem, and then prepare to handle the inevitable guest complaints — but the phone never rang! We truly appreciate the care and commitment which the ACE DuraFlo crew showed to complete this important project.”

ePIPE for your toolbox

It has been 10 years since ACE DuraFlo introduced their method of epoxy lining small diameter pipes. Today, restoration of pressurized pipes is now recognized by the nation’s major model code officials, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the International Code Council, Evaluation Services (ICC-ES). Further afield, the ACE process is also approved in Canada, Europe, Mexico and Asia.

In addition to developing the technology, ACE has built a network of franchisees and affiliates in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico and Asia. ACE’s, onsite, in-place restoration program features multiple market entry points starting with the miniE® program, a full residential package and a full commercial package. By developing multi level marketing and application programs ACE has been able to team up with companies like Mr. Rooter® and American Leak Detection®, both of whom have added ePIPE to their field of service.

About ACE DuraFlo Systems, ePIPE:  ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC, provides pipe restoration products and services in the US, Canada and Europe. ACE DuraFlo's patented 'in-place' pipe restoration technology restores failing copper and encrusted galvanized piping systems to multiple code requirements without the extensive demolition and downtime that accompanies a traditional repipe. The process uses heated, compressed air within an existing piping system to dry and abrasively clean the interior of the piping.  Next, the inside surface of the pipe is lined with a proprietary epoxy barrier coating that protects the pipe wall from future corrosion.  The result is a multi-code compliant epoxy lined pipe called ePIPE®. ACE DuraFlo offers a complete solution for pinhole leaks and corrosion control for both commercial and residential plumbing systems. Information on ACE DuraFlo and ePIPE may be obtained by calling 888-775-0220 or visit: http://www.aceduraflo.com/
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Contact:
ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC
United States and International Headquarters
1370 Reynolds Avenue
Suite 112
Irvine, CA  92614

1-888-775-0220
Outside of USA 1-949-724-0323
Fax 1-949-263-8771
http://www.aceduraflo.com/
[email protected]
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Also See: ACE DuraFlo® Nears Completion on $2.2 Million, 50,000 Foot ePIPE® project for Seattle Sheraton; Hosting Hotel Engineers Luncheon and Project Tour / March 2008

The Regal Biltmore Discovers a Long-term Solution to the Problems Associated with Replacing a Piping System Within a Historical Building / Jan 2001

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

Priyan Jayetileke, Director of Engineering at Vancouver’s 385 room, Four Seasons Hotel, Tackles Corrosion of Copper Water Lines Servicing the Hotel / Jan 2000
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