Säntis is a unique mountain in the first range of the Alps – it is the only one where you can sit and admire the views from an altitude of more than 2500 metres above sea level. From here, the soft blue waters of Lake Constance can be seen stretching out to the south and those of Lake Zurich to the West. Look north and you will be greeted by a sea of 2000 majestic mountain peaks. On a clear day, the panoramic view even extends to the Zugspitze and Ortler, as well as the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Säntis is also a constant hive of activity, both day and night. Right at the top of this rocky giant, there is a long finger pointing heavenwards in the form of the 123 m Swisscom mast, which is responsible for transmitting radio, TV, phone and mobile network signals. While the winter frost is busy transforming this into an outlandish sculpture, the guests at the nearby Alter Säntis inn are all comfortably holed up in the lounge.

At his inn, Ruedi Manser, the great-great-grandson of the original owner provides shelter for “wayfarers, stargazers, mountaineers, full moon worshippers and those who are seeking peace or sanctuary from the fog“, as he himself likes to put it. The cable car once hauled two Hoval Uno-3 boilers up the mountain for him. They have been doing their job reliably ever since, which is important because Hoval service technicians cannot be deployed here as quickly as they can to other locations.

The Hoval Uno-3 three-pass boiler is designed for the medium power range – and, like all Hoval products, for people who care about the environment but don’t want to sacrifice comfort in the process.

With the Hoval Uno-3, there is one less problem to worry about because it keeps the heating surface that transfers the fuel heat to the heating water free of the soot deposits that would otherwise reduce the output. The soot particles undergo thermal decomposition straight away and so the heating surface cleans itself. As a result, the boiler consistently consumes less fuel while consistently emitting fewer pollutants.

The thermolytic heating surfaces are patented – just one of the many clear signs of Hoval’s innovative strength that customers like Ruedi Manser up on Säntis have been benifitting from for years.