A ‘state-of-the-art’ dental school in Bristol that opened in September 2023, and is enabling students to put theory into practice using the most modern equipment available in a renovated building in the heart of the city, features a number of Saniflo components.
Bristol University is among the UK’s leading dental teaching institutions, and its move to a new, purpose-built school in 2023 – with numerous clinics and 119 dental chairs, allowed the expansion of student places, and the availability of new courses, while also creating new jobs.
The three-year project to build the new School was awarded to Kier Construction, who appointed Briggs and Forrester Engineering Services to complete the fit-out. To support the discharge of grey water waste at certain points, two of Saniflo’s Sanifos underground lifting stations were specified by Briggs and installed in the basement, along with a Sanivite grey water pump.
The first Sanifos 610 lifting station takes the water from a 20,000-litre booster tank in an adjacent plant room during routine maintenance and cleaning. It also provides an overflow for excess water. This is pumped up to street level drainage directly above the unit. The second Sanifos 610 is sited directly beneath the clinical rooms, and takes waste from compressed air and suction drainage tools used by the trainee dentists. The condensate waste from several air-handling units installed in the same section of the basement, but on a higher elevation, is also discharged into this Sanifos, which again pumps the waste up to the mains drains.
The use of the large, 610-litre Sanifos underground pumping stations was recommended by a Saniflo pump specialist following a site visit, where the job was scoped out. The units were ordered from local builders’ merchant, Bristol Building Supplies, who organised a swift delivery for installation by the Briggs team.
A third unit – a compact Sanivite+ grey water lifting station, was specified to take waste water samples once a week from side stream filters that monitor the heating and chilling systems throughout the whole building. Water is frequently tested, and the resulting waste water pumped out through the Sanivite+ to mains drains. This automatic operation is designed to ensure there is no rust contamination in the pipework, to maintain optimum efficiency of the temperature controls.
