keith hooton
22-Apr-2009 07:48 PM |
RE: On court heating |
Here is some feedback from Aylesbury Squash Club, who have this system installed:-
Our heaters sit approx 2 – 3 feet below the ceiling and don’t cause an issue for lobs (the lob is one of my favourite shots, so I’d be annoyed if the heaters were in the way).
The heaters are operated individually by an electronic timer which is similar to the type used in the home. We set the timers so that the heaters come on at approx. 9:00am – 10:30am and from approx. 4:00pm – 5:30pm to warm the courts up a bit should they need it. The units we have also have a boiler management connection which is connected to the lights so that the heaters will come on if the court is too cold when someone is playing. This seems to turn the lights on about 5 minutes before a session is due to start, which is a bit strange.
The units can also be pass-code protected to stop people from messing with the times / temperatures, etc, although we haven’t done this yet.
Overall I’m quite pleased with the way they work.
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keith hooton
21-Mar-2009 10:55 AM |
RE: On court heating |
The heaters are gas powered and are radiant heaters, so they don't blast hot air around the court, however they are apparently a bit noisy (which some players find off-putting) and they do make players hot. You can play while they are on, but the best method of operation is to have them on for an hour or so before you play.
The proposed system includes 2 AmbiRad SmartCom controllers and thermostats. The controllers would be mounted somewhere on the balcony and the thermostats would be mounted in the out-of-court area, one for each court. The SmartCom controllers are password protected and enable the administrator to set the cut-off temperature and the times of operation (similar to a central heating system). The plan would be to programme the controllers to switch the heaters on for about 1 hour per day, from 4pm to 5pm say. In addition, the controllers can be overridden with a boost feature so that the heaters operate on manual demand for a timed period. The boost feature is not password protected, so players can operate this feature if they want extra heating when they are playing.
The heaters themselves are 15kW each - for comparison, the existing electric heaters are 3kW each. I'm not sure what the cost would be, we could obviously try to estimate it, but I think it would be around £2 per day. You are supposed to have them serviced once a year as well, which I guess would be £100 or so.
I did ask the sales rep. for contacts of other squash courts in this area who have installed their system. The technology has apparently changed quite a bit recently and he was going to identify clubs that have installed or upgraded recently - he still hasn't gotten back to me, so I'd have to chase him if we are still interested.
I'm not sure, but from memory, the heaters on the courts at Hitchin college are of this type. It's well over 10 years since I played there and I never played whilst they were operating, but personally I hated them, primarily because they were so ugly and interfered with lob shots. It may be worth another look, but we should obviously try to identify clubs with a modern installation. |
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neil stevenson
19-Mar-2009 04:44 PM |
RE: On court heating |
| Heating of the courts is a great idea as long as the heating is a background type and not a blast at you type. The ambi rads are which sort? I would suggest that if we are seriously looking at ambi rad then we ask to view several installations at other squash clubs and even have a go on their courts with heaters working, may be difficult to arrange now the warmer weather is coming!! How much do these heaters cost to run per hour and how would they be controlled, would they be connected to the court lights or booking system? Court use is very sparodic and we don't want them on when courts not in use but you do want them on prior to playing so you get benefit, food for thought i hope? |
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laurence walker
02-Mar-2009 09:37 AM |
RE: On court heating |
| This may sound stupid, but how difficult would it be to hang something (e.g a couple of bits of cardboard) the same size and in the same position as the proposed heaters, on one of the courts, and get feedback on how often they get hit bt people ? |
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tony dean
02-Mar-2009 08:00 AM |
RE: On court heating |
I don't think that our ceilings are any lower than at other courts I have ever played at. I'm sure AmbiRad can optimise the gap required, perhaps they can adjust the location of the heater outlets on the centre line to minimise any potential obstructions to the lob. We could simply play a let if necessary (provided the ball doesn't get stuck in the heater!
I think that any heating system would be a major asset to the club. |
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keith hooton
01-Mar-2009 08:43 PM |
RE: On court heating |
The best location for the heaters in terms of heating the court and players is down the centre-line of the court. This is what AmbiRad have proposed, although I think it is also possible to mount them towards the side walls angled inwards.
Here is a drawing of the proposed installation for the two courts - http://forum.icklefordsquash.com/ambirad.jpg |
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rick loveday
23-Feb-2009 08:53 AM |
RE: On court heating |
| I suppose it depends where the heaters are - can they be placed at the front or rear of the courts or is centrally the best location (for heat -but the worst for lobs)? |
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keith hooton
18-Feb-2009 09:12 PM |
On court heating |
I obtained a quotation last year from a company called AmbiRad to install gas-powered heaters on the squash courts. The heaters are ceiling mounted and use ambient radiation to heat the court and players. This is a very efficient way of heating large spaces and is the method recommended by England Squash for heating courts.
The cost of installation would be around £6000 and we would need a grant to be able to afford this, however we stand a good chance of obtaining the money.
The main disadvantage of the proposed heating system, as I see it, is that the heaters hang down about 1 metre below the ceiling and may interfere with lob shots.
Should we proceed with a grant application for this system?
Details of the AmbiRad system can be found at http://www.ambirad.co.uk/htm/ambirad/php/pdfs/NewVision.pdf |
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