WASHROOM WASHROOM CONSIDERATIONS W
hen it comes to product specification in the washroom, it is no longer a case of one type suits all. With mounting
legislation around legionella control and hot water safety coupled with the growing need for water efficiency, choosing the correct washroom product is an increasingly complex process for the facilities manager. Here, Chris Tranter, product manager at Bristan, tells you what you need to know. Anyone specifying taps and showers for commercial and public sector applications will have many issues to think about – but for the facilities manager the principal concerns are hot water safety and water efficiency, coupled with functionality and maintenance. In terms of safety, hot water temperature control is paramount. Each year, 20 people die and almost 600 are seriously injured from scalds caused from hot water. In the main these incidents involve baths, but hand washing and showering facilities pose a very real hazard too.
The risk of scalding often occurs because hot water must be stored at 60ºC or above in order to limit the growth of harmful legionella bacteria. The problem is, if water reaches a tap at this temperature, people can be scalded and, in severe cases, third degree burns can occur in just five seconds. This is particularly pertinent for children and the elderly, where there is increased potential for scalding due to skin sensitivity. The easiest way to alleviate this risk is to use a thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) anywhere that hot water is delivered. TMVs
allow water to be stored an distributed at a high enough temperature to kill harmful legionella bacteria, but reduce it to a safe temperature at the point of use by mixing it with cold water supply. More so, TMVs can maintain the desired water temperature even when the incoming water pressures/flow rates change. Notably, the Water Supply (Water
Fittings) Regulations 1999 recommend The use of TMVs for safety in public buildings and other public facilities. It is now considered best practice to install a TMV in all cases, unless a risk assessment has established that it is absolutely safe not to do so, and current legislation in healthcare and education makes the use of TMVs a must. There are two different types of TMV (2 or 3), which offer vital protection to people against scalding when showering, bathing and hand washing. However, TMV3- approved valves offer the highest level of protection, being the only models considered suitable for NHS and healthcare applications. As such, they are the obvious recommendation in areas where safe hot water is vital. Conversely, water efficiency is a major consideration. With more and more businesses realising the financial and reputational acumen of water-saving, facilities managers must ensure all taps and showers have strong eco credentials. This is especially important in applications that use large amounts of water, such as schools, hospitals and large commercial builds. Any water reduction can translate into major cost savings. Solutions include flow regulators for taps and showers, which enable flows of as little as one and four litres per minute respectively. Showerheads with additional spray inserts provide water economy, and some taps are fitted with a device that offers subtle resistance at the halfway point, to raise the user’s awareness of the flow.
Meanwhile, timed-flow taps and showers prevent water being left running unnecessarily. Manual timed-flow controls provide a set amount of water after either a button is pushed, and switch off after a specific time.
At the next level, facilities managers can employ non-touch capacitance technology. This pioneering innovation harnesses electrical pulses from the body to detect human presence and switch on the water accordingly for a set amount of time to eliminate unnecessary waste. One example is the Pulse8 series of
automatic controls from Bristan. Utilising the latest generation of capacitance technology, these products harness the electrical impulses
16 PUBLIC SECTOR ESTATES MANAGEMENT • MAY 2014
naturally generated by the human body, resulting in an exceptional level of detection. Pulse8 taps operate when a hand comes within their range and the water flow is automatically switched on. As long as the hand is moving with the action of washing, the water continues to flow. When the hand is removed from the sensor’s range, the control automatically operates for a pre-selected period to cleanse the basin and then automatically switches off. The result is significant scope for water saving and, in turn, cost efficiencies. For further water-saving, a urinal infra-red automatic flush is a solid recommendation. Working in a similar way, the infra-red technology detects human contact and automatically flushes the individual urinal after use, ensuring the minimum volume of water supplied directly from the mains. Plus, the direct flush removes the need for an auto-flush cistern and associated plumbing used in traditional installations which flush all urinals intermittently. Again, this means substantial water savings.
More so, a further benefit of both non-touch systems is optimised hygiene. People’s hands are the most common way in which microorganisms, particularly bacteria, might be transported and cause infection, especially to those who are most susceptible, such as young children and the elderly. By alleviating the risk of cross-contamination, employing non-touch operation helps significantly minimise the risk of cross-contamination. This is especially important in buildings where hygiene is high on the agenda such as education, healthcare and care homes.
And the specification considerations do not end there. Commercial and public sector environments, of course, are subject to high volumes of people using the washing facilities on a regular basis, so product durability is an absolute must.
As such, many leading manufacturers have developed solutions specifically for the commercial sector featuring extra robust design to withstand tough treatment. Plus, corrosion-resistant finishes on most ranges also prolong the life of the product. Indeed, these are testing times for the facilities manager, with the collected pressures of sustainable strategy, optimised safety and reducing end costs. However, the good news is that as leading manufacturers continue to invest in bringing new innovations to market that will help facilities managers achieve the full scope of washroom requirements.
For more information, please visit
www.Bristan.com.
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