Getting rates right
Domestic bathrooms are set to get safer with the introduction of legislation governing the installation of anti-scald valves this autumn. The valves, also known as thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) or blending valves, mix hot and cold water to deliver water at safe temperatures at the outlet. The valves have to be accredited to TMV2 standard, which sets minimum performance requirements.
According to Cynthia Fisher, Commercial Director of anti-scald valve manufacturer Intatec, there has traditionally been some resistance from the trade to fitting TMVs because of poor performance; “It’s important that an anti-scald valve doesn’t diminish a bathing experience, particularly by the bath taking an absolute age to fill. Our engineers have taken great care to develop a range of valves that work just as well at low pressures as they do at high. If a bathroom suffers from low pressure to begin with, there’s nothing that an anti-scald valve can do to improve it, but it’s vital that the valve doesn’t make it worse. It’s something important to look out for when choosing a valve.”
“With a very small amount of practice, the bath user can work out how to fill a bath to exactly the right temperature for them, just by turning on the taps. Anti-scald valves mark an end for most people’s highly skilled but still very random ‘bit of hot, bit of cold, bit more hot again’ performances before getting into the bath. What they’ll get now is a hot bath that’s just right to step into.
“For children and the elderly, anti-scald valves make bathrooms much safer. For able bodied adults, they make bathrooms more comfortable and easier to live with. We would encourage installers to fit anti-scald valves now, in advance of the legislation and regard their fitment as best practice, rather than a legislative necessity.”