News
TMV’s – Making the Right Choice - By Stuart Gizzi
23/11/05
There has never been more choice in the world of thermostatic mixing valves (TMV’s) than there is right now. And it’s questions of choice that are increasingly creating a challenge, particularly for plumbers’ merchants right across the UK as installers, specifiers and fitters hunt for information on what’s what.
There are aesthetic choices, technical choices, performance and value choices. And for merchants, retailers and fitters, understanding the anti-scald choices right now is the only way to ensure a trouble free transition from scalding hot water as Scotland then the rest of the UK prepares to go thermostatic. It’s easy for us to say that the choice should be Inta, but here are the basics of the proposals and the things that you should be looking out for, if you have any responsibility for providing hot water outlets in bathrooms or washrooms in Scotland or the rest of the UK. Then choose for yourself.
Different manufacturers have taken different approaches, some have dusted off old products, or just tweaked with European specifications, others have refined and re-worked products, presenting something creditable to the market. But those of us who mean serious business have made significant investments into research and the development of brand new products, producing coherent ranges that will meet and in some cases exceed the demands of legislation.
And legislation there will be for Scotland from this coming April. Legislation for England and Wales is now expected early in 2007, delayed for a shot while as the powers that be conclude the debate on exactly what constitutes too hot or scalding. These are what we have always considered as common sense proposals, and right across the UK, fitting thermostatic control is becoming standard ‘good practice’ irrespective of directive! In fact the difference between the English/Welsh and the Scottish regulations are more or less just the appropriate top temperature.
We expect the regulations to actually say that in any new build bathroom or refurbishment, the temperature of hot water should be regulated according to the type of outlet. It sounds simple, and it is, although the choices of how to reduce scalding hot water down to safe temperatures can seem baffling. They’re not. There are two simple choices – a TMV that blends hot and cold water together before it reaches the hot water outlet, so that regulated temperature water comes out of the hot tap. The second choice is a tap or outlet that has the TMV built in. For example a built-in shower valve. There are perceived complications of inlet pressures and temperatures too, although the entire Inta range has a very broad spectrum, which takes away that particular problem. There is a third choice, a valve that will regulate hot water temperature for a whole bathroom. There are very few on the market that will do this, but of course, the Inta range has it.
At Intatec, we set ourselves two goals. The first to produce the most comprehensive range TMV accredited valves on the market. The second was to ensure that we provided competent technical information and support for anyone involved with their specification, supply or fitting.
And we believe that we have achieved both. The Inta range includes individual mixing valves that can be concealed beneath a basin, bath or other fitting, allowing the existing taps to be used. We have a particularly attractive range of thermostatic shower valves, shower heads and fittings to add function, style or drama to any bathroom. We even have combined bath shower mixers with probably the highest flow rate on the market that means a hot, but safe bath is easily achievable. And there’s our favourite at the moment, a product called Intatherm, a single thermostatic standard fit pillar tap. There are some exciting new products launching at next years’ KBB too. Each of our products has the appropriate accreditation, and here’s the part we’re particularly proud of – each product has the technical information and support to make sure that they are correctly specified, fitted and commissioned. The Intatec sales person has the knowledge, the merchant should have the knowledge. The information is in the box, on the website and available on the phone if anyone needs to talk about particular applications or situations.
TMV2 and TMV3 are accreditation standards, applied by BuildCert. They are an independent assessment of the product, its performance and the quality of the manufacturing process. There are two levels of assessment. TMV2 covers showers and thermostatic valves for domestic installations and the slightly more stringent TMV3 accreditation covers installations in care environments, the equivalent of the NHS Estates DO8 standard.
There are a couple of perspectives that have been given voice in the anti-scald debate, whilst the new legislation has been under consideration. The first, and most compelling is the safety issue. 20 people die every year as a result of bath time scalding. 570 more experience severe scalds, which for many mean years of painful restorative surgery. The victims tend to be very young, or quite old and sometimes infirm. On at least two occasions over the past twelve months, people in care environments have died as a direct result of scalds in baths. So scalding is a real and serious issue. On the opposite side of the argument, is the need for a hot bath. A traditional perception of thermostatic control one of cold water coming out of a tap very slowly and by the time there is enough water in the bath to have a good soak, it’s far too cold. That may be true of some other products, but it’s certainly not true of Inta. The flow rate even gives bathers the chance to top up with hot as the water cools naturally. The biggest engineering challenge facing any manufacturer is to design valves that deliver high flow rates at low inlet pressures and our engineering team have excelled themselves to produce valves deliver some of the best flow rates in the market.
Another important consideration, which at this early stage in the world of thermostatic, is largely being overlooked is maintenance. No matter what technology manufacturers are using, at some point in the future, a thermostatic valve will need to be serviced or maintained. Even ours. We use cartridge type valves which are the easiest and quickest to maintain, offering ongoing durability and reliability. The regulations have provision for regular inspection and maintenance, so we thought it best that it could be achieved without having to dismantle a bathroom to do it.
It’s easy to over complicate what the regulations will say, although in a few months time, it will be second nature to anyone who has any dealings at all with hot water in bathrooms. But in the meantime, where’s the information coming from? The answer is mainly from manufacturers such as ourselves. We know that there will be an education process for everyone in the chain, from client to contractor through to specifer, supplier and fitter. We have a specialist technical department, who are at the core of creating all of our products, as well as training our sales team, giving them the knowledge that they need to offer advice as well as providing a technical service to customers, whether it’s one shower or tap or a whole washroom full.
So the principal considerations are easy. Go for something that’s properly accredited, go for something that gives the performance, particularly high flow and go for something that looks good. And our technical recommendation is an extremely easy one, if you don’t know – ask. Information can be found in store and at www.intaco.co.uk and by calling 01889 207200.
ENDS
For more information please contact Clive on 07786 735010
PE & Corporate Communications
Broadway House, 60 Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TN
0121 452 8888 www.clivereeves.com