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Bob Purdom of Douglas Delabie calls on building services professionals to be conscious of their responsibility when providing efficient water management solutions which go hand-in-hand with enhanced hygiene.
With our underground resources threatened by increasing consumption (water usage has doubled in the last 20 years), water supply is fast becoming an unpredictable, unevenly distributed resource. Effective water management control must be incorporated into all new commercial buildings and as part of building upgrades and refurbishments.
Climate change is a global issue which is affecting us all, with the likelihood of increased frequency and intensity of droughts and flooding. So during these times of fiscal restraint it’s no surprise that everyone’s talking about sustainability.
While sustainability presents a green challenge and an opportunity for building services professionals it also has benefits for the occupants of buildings because ecological sustainability comes with the need for responsibility.
Where water related applications are concerned, it’s not just about providing a sustainable water solution because other key issues need addressing too such as hygiene and safety - and with them comes the need for those involved to take appropriate action.
Through initiatives like BREEAM, the Government is actively promoting effective water management, urging proper evaluation of proven water saving point control solutions such as point-of-use electronic or self closing basin taps and showers, which deliver regulated water saving flow rates. Electrical interlock is also being encouraged to isolate the water supply and prevent wastage when a washroom is not occupied, as well as cost/benefit evaluation of rain water harvesting as a separate supply resource.
Effective management
Buildings account for 50% of the UK’s Carbon Dioxide emissions. BREEAM’s environmental assessment initiative enables Government departments, and private sector building owners and designers to review and improve the environmental performance of a building’s design.
BREEAM recognises that effective water management alone is not the answer, but is part of the total building solution, which can make a significant contribution to reducing building energy/running costs. As well as delivering a greener building, more attractive to potential clients and demonstrating an environmental commitment, it also provides a management checklist of building performance, creating a better, healthier working environment for staff and building users.
Hygiene
Hygiene, and the increasing risk of cross infections, is not exclusive to healthcare areas. It also concerns those in industry, food preparation, commercial offices, education and even motorway services facilities. Studies reveal that effective hand wash protocols are not always followed – most surprisingly not even by healthcare staff.
There have been many fatal outbreaks of antibiotic resistant bacteria super bugs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium Difficile, and around 90% of hospital acquired infections are due to bacteria transmitted by hand contact. But these can be reduced by the application of strict hand wash protocols.
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (PA - also known as Blue Pus) is responsible for approximately 16% of hospital pneumonia infections and 12% of urinary tract infections, putting at risk patients with immuno-suppressed systems where invasive surgical protocols have breached cutaneous and mucous barriers. PA multiplies at temperatures between 10 and 45°C in the biofilm found in water pipes and taps. Spouts and aerators are most at risk. In the established phase, colonised within the biofilm, it is resistant to temperature and disinfection, and difficult to kill.
Today, time flow and non-touch taps are recognised as best practice in commercial and public buildings, providing building owners, users and facilities managers with simple, effective control of water and lower energy costs, while reducing potential hygiene risks for staff.
In healthcare, special solutions are now available for critical care and surgical areas where hands-on nursing is a key requirement for delivering a successful prognosis.
Simple solutions
New generation time flow and non-touch taps incorporate integral flow regulation to maximise water savings. For example, the Douglas Delabie Tempostop time flow basin tap is factory set to deliver an economic four litres per minute. In some public buildings where there may be the potential for deliberate abuse, the Tempostop AB (anti blocking) allows water to flow only after the push button is released. It self closes after 15 seconds.
For the very young and older people, the hand pressure required to operate a traditional time flow tap can be difficult. Our solution is the aesthetically appealing, Temposoft tap and mixer offering soft touch push action taps, which require only 50% operational force, compared with other time flow taps. The self-close action eliminates the need to touch after hand washing and prevents any cross contamination of bacteria. With flow regulated at four litres per minute, water savings of approximately 70% can be achieved compared with the traditional basin tap.
Infra red electronic taps and mixers are now used extensively, and some incorporate an anti-bacteria automatic flush device preventing water stagnation and bacteria development in the supply pipes. Designed for public and commercial applications, Tempomatic 3 provides automatic shut-off after hands are removed and an automatic one-minute duty flush cycle, 24 hours after last use. The pre-set flow rate of 5l/min enables water savings of up to 80% compared with traditional mixers and taps.
For critical healthcare markets, our Bioclip basin taps and mixers offer an innovative solution where the basin mixers, or their spouts, are removable to simplify cleaning and sterilisation. A revolutionary manufacturing process ensures smooth surfaces within the mixer and spout, reducing or delaying Biofilm development. High quality chrome plated spouts ensure continuous in-service operation and a disposable spout is also available.
Urinal flushing systems can also be major water users. The traditional domestic cistern with its historic problems of long fill times, poor flush power and fragile mechanism is affected by accumulation of impurities. However, direct flush solutions, used extensively throughout Europe, offer self-closing or non-touch infrared operation, providing successive, powerful, flushing essential for heavily used washrooms without the need for high frequency maintenance.
Safe anti-scald control
Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs), independently tested/certified under the BuildCert TMV3 scheme, are now a standard feature of modern commercial washrooms, providing safe hot water temperatures and preventing scalding.
The latest Building Regulations Revision Part G sets out the new requirement for TMVs to be installed in all new homes in England and Wales as an anti-scald device for filling domestic baths. This is already included in Scotland’s Building Regulations.
Better-built environment
With water costs continuing to escalate (hot water costs between five and eight times the cost of cold water) the impact of potential water savings on the bottom line for high water users can be dramatic.
Effective water management and improved hygiene go hand-in-hand, and when combined with anti-scald safety, deliver building owners and users with a better-built environment, enhanced performance, improved hygiene and energy/water savings.
In many areas, responsibility for the selection and specification of sanitary ware and shower product solutions has been relinquished to architects and interior design teams. Yet in practice it is invariably building services professionals who have the knowledge, experience and the network of manufacturer contacts to provide building owners and managers with simple, cost effective and proven solutions addressing water sustainability and hygiene.
The technology is proven and the solutions are readily available – now is the time to make the most of them.
