The Hydro Majestic in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, has undergone a major renovation and restoration. With views across the Megalong valley to the escarpments beyond, the Hydro Majestic is not only luxury accommodation but a destination full of history, architectural interest and proximity to all the Blue Mountains offers.
The task of maintaining the Hydro Majestic and sister properties falls to Chief Engineer, Peter Redman. On a visit to the Hydro Majestic for a weekend break, Peter very generously provided a tour into the back of house operations of the hotel including the hydronic heating system.
Hydronic Heating Solutions
Heating the Hydro Majestic is a mixture of hydronic floor heating, hydronic floor mounted cast iron radiators, Air Handling Units with hydronic heating coils and huge gas open log fireplaces. A building management system controls all services within the Hydro Majestic including the heating systems.
Centralised boilers are used to provide heated water to the kitchens, accommodation and the hydronic heating system. Due to the age of the heritage buildings, the existing cast iron radiators were maintained to heat the wooden and brick structure. Additions were built to the Eastern side of the existing property which included a renovation to the old boiler house as the Boiler House Café, and the creation of the Pavilion which is a gift shop, gallery, café and commercial kitchen. The new additions have new slab floors which allowed hydronic floor heating to be installed.
The hydronic floor heating was set at 25 deg C when we visited and the Café was warm and light on a cold clear day. Sun was streaming through the picture windows, adding solar gains to the interior. Similarly, the Pavilion was a warm retreat from the cold even though doors were open. Peter is keen to decrease the energy usage of the hotel, and finds the energy use of the hydronic floor heating to be minimal. He is planning to incorporate hydronic floor heating in future projects of the hotel group.
For the spaces heated with the floor heating they were clean, dust free, quiet and warm. The BMS ensured only the energy needed to heat the spaces comfortably was used. The hydronic floor heating installed by Comfort Heat Australia is working well for the hotel and will continue to heat the Boiler House Café and the Pavilion, maintenance free, as long as needed into the future.