ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Direct flush – a fresh approach to washroom hygiene
Carole Armstrong, Marketing manager at Delabie, considers how cistern-flush toilets, originally designed for domestic applications, can increase the risk of bacterial contamination in public washrooms. She argues that direct flush technology – increasingly popular in commercial applications – ‘provides a hygienic and sustainable alternative for healthcare facilities’.
In the fight against bacterial contamination, the toilet is an obvious source of harmful pathogens. In healthcare facilities, this is exacerbated where the toilet is a receptacle for vomit and faecal deposits from infected patients. Current hygiene practices focus on cleaning surfaces and waste management. However, in 2015, an American study1
reinforced the hypothesis
that flush toilets play a role in the airborne transmission of infectious disease by producing microbe-contaminated bioaerosols when flushed.
Lifting the lid on cisterns Following a contamination episode, a French hospital found that the epidemiological source of infection was the toilet cistern. Cisterns increase the contamination risk because water is stored at ambient temperatures in ideal conditions for biofilm development. This, in turn, provides a safe haven for bacteria to
proliferate. These bacteria are released in an aerosol plume during flushing, but they can also spread back through the pipes and colonise the system. Flushing is essential for effective hygiene. While airborne pathogens cannot be eliminated completely, removing the cistern will reduce the risk of infection. The alternative to a cistern-flush mechanism is a direct flush system which connects directly to the water supply. A self-closing valve discharges a predetermined flush volume without the need for stored water. By employing system pressure to rinse the pan, there is no water stagnation, scale deposition, or build-up of impurities upstream of the flush mechanism.
Direct flush improves hygiene The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 19992
require the pan content
to be ‘cleared effectively by a single flush of water’. Gravity-fed cistern-flush
mechanisms may not have sufficient dynamic pressure to ensure a hygienic rinse with a single flush, and a 40 to 60-second refill time exacerbates the problem. Replacing the cistern with direct flush valves has several hygienic advantages. Firstly, the flush volume can be adjusted to the dynamic pressure to ensure an effective single rinse. Where necessary the flush can be adjusted for ecological or smaller children’s WC pans. This reduces the aerosol flush plume, prevents unhygienic splashing, and avoids the risk of slipping on wet floors. In addition, since there is no refill time, the full flush is instantly available for subsequent users, delivering an effective flush every time.
The TEMPOMATIC Dual Control automatically determines the flush volume and duration.
The TEMPOFLUX 3 direct flush valve with hydraulic timing.
Hygiene can be further improved by installing an electronic flush mechanism. For example, DELABIE’s TEMPOMATIC Dual Control direct flush valve has a user- activated conventional push-button flush. However, an automatic sensor also detects the individual’s presence, and flushes the valve automatically if the user forgets. An intelligent rinsing system identifies the duration of use and flushes accordingly. There are three programme options, including an ecological setting, with a reduced flush length equating to a lower flush volume. Electronic flush systems have the additional benefit that no manual contact is required, so the toilet is accessible to any user, regardless of age or level of independence. Furthermore, an automatic duty flush can be programmed to flush the pipework every 12 or 24 hours when not in use, preventing stagnation and reducing biofilm development.
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