Insulating Nibco Valves at the University of Georgia

This article was written by Ryan White of Thermaxx Jackets

Established in 1785 as the nation’s first state-sponsored, land-grant and sea grant university, and with a current enrollment of over 35,000 students, the University of Georgia (UGA) has grown into one of the Southeast’s premier public institutions and a National Top 20 Public School, according to US News & World Report. A part of this success stems from their commitment to excellence in everything they do. This includes everything from academics to athletics to facilities. In the world of UGA Facilities Management, Nibco Valves are a vital part of what helps to continue this excellence.

According to their website, “NIBCO is a recognized leading provider of valves, fittings and flow control products for commercial, industrial and institutional construction as well as residential and irrigation markets. Founded in Northern Indiana, NIBCO has a manufacturing history that spans 110 years." With the massive influx of substandard valves and other piping components being manufactured in China and flooding the American marketplace, UGA has adopted a “no China” policy when it comes to their steam, hot water, chill water, domestic water and sewer systems.

Since NIBCO is based in the US and NIBCO products are manufactured under a Quality Management System conforming to the current revision of ISO-9001 International Standards, they meet UGA’s high standards and requirements for US-based quality. In fact, the University’s Standards Specification specifies that Nibco is one of only two manufacturers allowed to provide gate valves that are 1/8” to 2” in size on their 389 building, 759-acre main campus in Athens, GA.

From 2010-2015, UGA embarked on a focused mission to update their hydronics systems, in particular their steam and chill water lines. Part of that mission has been to replace old valves and piping with new in order to save valuable energy, and thus valuable budget dollars. In accordance with this mission, UGA has contracted Thermaxx Jackets, LLC to be the main source of reusable, removable insulation jackets. In our dealings with UGA, we have noticed that the University has replaced the old valves with highly effective and efficient Nibco valves.

The combination of replacing the aging valves with Nibco valves and insulating those valves with Thermaxx Jackets has resulted in the University saving thousands of dollars in saved MMBTUs, according to one UGA Facilities supervisor.  In addition, UGA is still in the process of replacing, updating and insulating systems and projects to save thousands more in the coming years with Nibco Valves and Thermaxx Jackets.

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