Water efficient showers and mixing valves
March 04th 2008 Horne Engineering Ltd has been involved in the design,development and manufacture of thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) for almost 100 years. This thermostatic technology has been extended and incorporated into our range of surface mounted thermostatic shower panels and,more recently, a thermostatic tap
All Horne shower panels feature water saving fittings in the form of (8 litres per minute) flow regulators and/or pushbutton timed flow controls to ensure that an adequate, but not excessive volume of water is used.
In addition to the flow regulators and timed flow controls, the integral TMV also plays a role in reducing water wastage: the automated and uniform blending of water means that as the user spends less time finding a comfortable showering temperature, less wastage occurs.
Water saving features are not limited to our range of shower panels:every Horne 15 TMV is supplied with an 8 litre per minute flow regulator, which should be inserted during installation between the valve outlet and the pipe work. The flow regulator is not a factory fitted piece, however when fitted, the flow regulator can still contribute to significant water as well as monetary savings.
The enhanced specification of Horne TMVs also aids a reduction in water wastage where dripping taps (ceramic disc type) are a problem. The concept of our Horne 4th Connection TMV was conceived as a result of this problem. One of our customers noticed that his cold taps always leaked, whilst the hot tap (supplied with mixed water through the standard Horne 15) never leaked. Since the strainer on a Horne TMV is specifically designed (full bore and optimal aperture size) to catch debris and thus protect the internal mechanism of the valve, it also protects all the downstream fittings. The strainer collects any debris in the system and prevents it from passing through the tap where it can damage the discs and create additional pathways for water flow, leading to drips.
The 4th Connection T-piece is positioned downstream of the TMV’s cold supply strainer and therefore the cold tap mechanism is also protected.
A recent development is our thermostatic tap for healthcare applications, the OPTITHERM. An integral flow regulator maintains the flow rate at 6l/m. The steady temperature and optimum flow rate is conducive to good hand washing practices, which aid in the fight against hospital acquired infection. A narrated animated tour of the Optitherm in photo-realistic render is available to view on our website at: http://cgi.www.horne.co.uk/optitherm/700Kbps/index.html
One must not forget that the benefit of water saving devices goes much further than just saving water. Money savings can be achieved twice over as reduced usage also means reduced sewerage. There are also savings to be had when wastage of heated water is reduced since colder replacement water then needs to be heated to maintain stored hot water temperature. More articles from Horne Engineering Ltd: | 
