News
Time to take bath out of bathroom?
24/04/06
Is a long soak in the bath becoming a thing of the past? In some homes it is and research by Inta shows that it’s as much down to personal choice as it is to constraints of time and convenience. The research, which set out to discover temperature preferences for bathing and showering across a wide cross section of the public established a few things – that the difference in the actual temperatures people said were right for them, between those who said they preferred a cool shower and those who said they preferred a hot shower was only 4 degrees. And there was an equal split between the two when asked “When you have plenty of time to relax – would you rather take a bath or a shower?”
Surprisingly though, less than 5 percent of those Inta spoke to had abandoned the bath completely and opted for just a shower in their bathroom. The majority were using a shower over the bath and expressed a reluctance to get rid of the bath, even though they only used it as a shower tray. This was generally because of a perception of an adverse effect on their property value and desirability. Depending on whether people are climbing the property ladder or are sitting in a house that they view as a home for years to come should perhaps have some bearing on their choice of bathroom – if you plan to stay for a while, why not get rid of the bath and indulge yourself in a sumptuous shower if that’s what you like? It’s a trend that could be on the increase in years to come.
In the meantime, it looks like only the use of baths is diminishing, not their inclusion in the bathroom. The research also proved that the preference for showering isn’t just about convenience, it is about luxury too with the majority describing and ideal shower as having ‘plenty of water’. Stable temperatures were also mentioned as an important issue.
So Inta’s sample of the great bathing British public wants to keep their bath but prefers a shower, and their idea of ideal showering has plenty of water at a consistent temperature. Combine that with the prospect of up-coming legislation to limit the temperature of hot water in baths, the ideal solution is an integrated TMV2 thermostatic bath shower mixer.
Choosing an ideal bath shower mixer should be about not only TMV accreditation, but high flow rates and ease of servicing. Good ones should be serviceable from above, without the need to remove bath panels. Although accreditation isn’t compulsory in stand alone showers, a TMV2 or TMV3 mark does give a good guide to quality and performance standards, although flow rates can vary and so can ease of servicing. Units with cartridge systems tend to be the simplest and most effective and naturally, high flow rates provide a better showering experience.
There can be benefits for the less able in choosing a separate shower too – obviously accessibility is easier and with recent innovations in equipment, those who need an extra something to hold on to needn’t have a shower that looks like it’s in an institutional washroom either. There are showers on the market whose shower head riser rail doubles as a grab rail. Something simple yet ingenious to look out for.
As a guide for buyers, good tap, shower and valve manufacturers should offer all their customers a good choice and technical support and resellers should always look out for a combination of style and performance in product ranges and fitters and engineers should seek quality and ease of fitting and maintenance from a company they have confidence in. And finally, as a suggestion to Britain’s bathers – keep the bath if you like, but try to make more space for showering!
ENDS
For more information please contact Clive Reeves on 01543 501111 or email clive@wardlovett.com