Digital water management at TSV München-Ost

Based in the Haidhausen district of Munich, TSV München-Ost’s range of sports now comprises 16 different disciplines. These range from traditional team sports such as football, handball, basketball, table tennis and volleyball, through various martial arts, to gymnastics and athletics – all offered to children and adults. The range of activities is complemented by the club’s own gym. To meet these diverse requirements in the long term, TSV München-Ost carried out a comprehensive refurbishment project, which included the existing sports facilities as well as the construction of a new triple-purpose sports hall.

Greater capacity, new requirements

The structural extension was deliberately designed to go beyond mere capacity considerations. Against a backdrop of highly fluctuating usage patterns, the sports facility was to be made future-proof in both technical and hygiene terms. Drinking water hygiene is becoming an increasingly important focus, particularly in sports facilities with fluctuating usage levels: longer periods of stagnation, such as those that occur during school holidays, increase the risk of significant Legionella growth and entail a particular responsibility on the part of the operator.

Against this backdrop, the drinking water system was specifically redesigned as part of the refurbishment. Three key requirements were central to this: the fittings used should support user hygiene and reduce the risk of contact infections, enable resource-efficient operation and, at the same time, help maintain drinking water quality – even during periods of low usage. To meet these requirements, those responsible opted for electronic fittings from Schell, which are integrated into the SWS digital water management system. This allows hygiene-related operational processes to be specifically controlled and reliably supports the correct operation of the drinking water system. According to the manufacturer, the digital control system is more economical, saves more water and requires less staff and time than manual flushing.

Digital water management system: flushed safely and documented

As part of the refurbishment of the TSV München-Ost sports facilities, SWS installed a water management system that enables targeted and automated flushing of the entire drinking water system. A total of 15 electronic washbasin taps and 28 concealed shower heads were networked via the SWS server into flushing groups that can be controlled simultaneously. Stagnation flushing takes place on the basis of defined parameters such as time or temperature. This ensures that the system is flushed regularly even during periods of low usage. “By flushing all units simultaneously, high flow rates and turbulence in the water can be achieved, which ensures water is replaced even in the peripheral areas of the pipes, prevents potential deposits in the pipework and stops microbiological problems from arising in the first place,” says Christian Lerch, sales representative at Schell, describing the benefits.

The structured documentation of all measures also provides operators with a robust basis for internal checks and for providing evidence to the authorities as part of hygiene inspections or risk assessments. “As all data, including stagnation flushing and calculated water consumption, is recorded entirely digitally using SWS, the operator can, in the event of an inspection, provide complete evidence that all measures to maintain drinking water quality have been implemented correctly and professionally,” confirms Christian Lerch.

Electronic fittings in shower and toilet areas

In sports halls in particular, the activation mechanism of the taps plays a major role: frequently changing groups of users and soiled contact surfaces can increase the risk of contact-transmitted infections. For this reason, Celis E electronic washbasin taps have been installed in the sanitary facilities of the sports centre. The water flow is activated touch-free via an infrared sensor and stops automatically as soon as the hands are outside the detection range. This means the taps do not need to be touched. Furthermore, the automatic water shut-off ensures water-saving operation when washing hands, as only as much water flows as is needed.

In the shower rooms at TSV München-Ost, 28 Linus D-C-T concealed shower units were installed and also networked via SWS. Here, the CVD-Touch electronics ensure improved user hygiene and water savings, as the water flow shuts off automatically after a preset time. As only the flush plate is visible, the shower fittings can withstand the wear and tear caused by different sports groups. Thanks to integrated ThermoProtect technology, club members are protected from scalding even if the cold-water supply fails or there are pressure fluctuations in the system – this also reduces the risk of secondary injuries, e.g. from falls resulting from a startled reaction.

Conclusion

By refurbishing its sports facilities and constructing the new triple-purpose sports hall, TSV München-Ost has not only created additional capacity but has also tailored its drinking water system specifically to the requirements of a modern, high-traffic sports facility. The combination of SCHELL electronic fittings and Schell’s SWS digital water management system makes it possible to ensure the system operates as intended, even with fluctuating usage levels, and to control hygiene-related processes. At the same time, operators benefit from a significant reduction in workload during day-to-day operations, as well as from transparent documentation to fulfil their operational obligations. The project demonstrates how drinking water hygiene, resource efficiency and operational safety can be combined as part of a refurbishment project.