SMART.SWS: Remote monitoring and maintenance for water management systems

According to a current study, a shortage of specialists continues to be the biggest challenge facing facility management. Efficient and reliable building management therefore needs smart solutions that save time, personnel and costs in day-to-day work, while effectively cutting workloads for building operators and facility managers. In the field of drinking water management, modern water management systems like SWS from SCHELL offer valuable support. Combined with an online service like SMART.SWS, these systems offer decisive help for maintaining drinking water quality while optimising facility management workflows – with end-to-end data logging, for example, and more efficient maintenance work scheduling for a portfolio of properties.

In their day-to-day work, facility managers often encounter obstacles to ensuring compliance with the 2023 German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) and legal obligations for building operators. Among other things, building operators are required to take steps to maintain drinking water quality and prevent the spread of bacteria such as Legionella in the drinking water system. The most important code of practice to follow here is the routine and complete exchange of water across all tapping points every 72 hours. At the same time, the drinking water installation needs to be safe and economical. How can this be done effectively – and fully documented? The answer to this is the SCHELL SWS Water Management System, which enables the centralised networking and control of all electronic fittings in a building, so as to ensure the hygienic and efficient operation of the drinking water installation. The system prevents the dangerous proliferation of Legionella and other bacteria by means of automated and resource-friendly stagnation flushes.

Water management on the go or when working from home

SCHELL’s SMART.SWS online service makes things even easier and more efficient for building operators or facility managers. This browser-based application solution offers remote access from anywhere in the world to SWS systems with all of their fittings and sensors, even across multiple properties at the same time – just log in from home or while out and about. As the solution supports user roles with different access privileges, the dashboard layout varies according to this role, so that each person only sees the data that is relevant for carrying out their duties.

SMART.SWS as a building operator:

• View all key data and operating parameters, such as stagnation flushes, temperature curves and water volumes, with the solution’s clear-cut visualisations
• Monitor properties whenever necessary and get the Facility Management team involved if necessary

SMART.SWS as a facility manager:

• View assigned properties with all SWS systems and networked subscribers – e.g. electronic fittings – round the clock, with the solution’s clear-cut device list
• Get information about software versions, connection statuses and percentage battery charges

Save time, costs and personnel resources: plan maintenance work more efficiently with SMART.SWS

Scheduled maintenance such as battery replacements can be planned predictively with SMART.SWS. This makes sure that on-site work is organised to be meaningful, efficient and time-saving, so as to support cost-effective operations. All of the connected devices can also be selected individually to view even more detailed information about the fittings – such as fitting data, battery charge and temperature curves – and to make any adjustments as necessary.

Top 5 and Flop 5: keeping tabs on fittings to safeguard drinking water hygiene

The ‘Analysis’ menu level in SMART.SWS provides operators, facility managers and technicians with key details about water consumption and the number of flush operations per fitting. This part of the interface also shows the ‘Top 5’ and ‘Flop 5’ (i.e. the five fittings that are used most often and least often) so that operators and managers can quickly take appropriate action – such as bringing maintenance forward for fittings used especially often or decommissioning tapping points whose low level of use could potentially endanger drinking water hygiene.

SMART.SWS: the all-inclusive package for intelligent water management

SMART.SWS does not need to be integrated into the central building control system. The only requirement for using the smart SCHELL online service is mobile network reception. To ensure that access is possible for any device with internet access, SCHELL has created its own platform at the Azure EU cloud host. All data transfer is naturally encrypted for all communication to and from this platform. SCHELL’s SMART.SWS consists of two packages. The one-time Setup Package comprises the installation of the SMART.SWS components and the commissioning of the cloud solution by expert SCHELL service technicians, and also covers travel expenses. The Usage Package, which is kept at a consistently low price, covers system usage and mobile network fees. The return on investment for SWS, including SMART.SWS, is achieved in no time at all, as it cuts the personnel costs otherwise incurred by manual flushing and associated record-keeping, while offering a long-term reduction in workloads for operators, facility managers and technicians.

Try an online demo

With the innovative SCHELL SMART.SWS extension, users can now keep an eye on water consumption and legally compliant use in their buildings at any time – register for a free trial.

Try out SCHELL SMART.SWS today!

Summary: Boosting reliability and efficiency for operators and facility managers

Perfectly complementing the SCHELL SWS Water Management System, the SMART.SWS online service enables global remote access to SWS systems, even across multiple properties, from any internet-capable device. By providing a quick overview, opportunities for remote management, and optimising the planning of on-site maintenance work, the service saves costs, call-outs and time, while boosting the cost-effectiveness of the overall system. For building operators, combining SWS with SMART.SWS offers the best-possible support for maintaining drinking water quality, plus an effective way to reduce effort for routine tasks. Users of the networked tapping points also enjoy an optimum level of hygiene.