When specifying taps and showers for commercial bathrooms and washrooms, the top considerations should be hot water safety and water efficiency.
Each year, scalding hot water causes around 570 serious burns and 20 deaths. In the main these incidents involve baths, but hand washing and showering facilities pose a very real hazard too.
Richard Braid, head of commercial specification at Bristan, says the risk of scalding often occurs because hot water must be stored at 60ºC or above in order to limit the growth of harmful bacteria. The problem is, if water reaches a tap at this temperature, people can be scalded. Third degree burns can occur in just five seconds, but skin varies greatly, and some people – including children and the elderly – are potentially even more sensitive.
"The risk of scalding can be significantly reduced by fitting a thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) – or a product with a TMV built into its design," he said.
"TMVs allow water to be stored and distributed at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria such as legionella, but reduce it to a safe temperature at the point of use by mixing it with the cold supply.
"A TMV will maintain a preset, safe temperature even if the water pressure fluctuates (for example if a toilet is flushed or other taps and showers are used), and will completely shut down the outlet flow if the hot or cold water supply fails.
"It is best practice to install a TMV in all cases unless a risk assessment has established that is absolutely safe not to do so. There are two types of TMV available – 2 or 3 – and their specification depends on the application. TMV3 valves are tested in line with NHS Model Engineering Specification D08, making them suitable for use with society's most vulnerable, such as children.
"Water efficiency is another key issue, especially if taps and showers are being fitted in applications that use large amounts of water, such as schools and hospitals. Solutions include flow regulators, which enable flows of as little as one litres per minute for taps and four litres per minute for showers.
"Timed-flow taps and showers prevent water being left running, either accidently or deliberately. Manual timed-flow controls provide a set amount of water after a button is pushed, and switch off after a specific time. Meanwhile, electronic timed controls only operate when they sense the user is in close proximity. Bristan’s Pulse 8 non-touch taps and showers, based on capacitance technology, harness the electrical impulses naturally generated by the human body, automatically turning taps and showers on when they sense movement.
"Urinal infra-red automatic flushes can provide further water savings. The infra-red technology detects human presence and automatically flushes individual urinals after use, ensuring that only the required amount of water is used. This negates the need for an auto-flush cistern and associated plumbing used in traditional installations, which flush all urinals intermittently and waste water."
Bristan takes a partnership approach to specification, providing support throughout the whole process from initial design to post-installation.
