OVERVIEW: TIMEFLOW CONTROLS

Water conservation is at the top of everyone’s agenda at the moment as the government and water authorities have realised that the UK water reserves must be managed in an economical and ecologically sound way if we are to avoid almost constant water shortages and hose pipe bans. Reliance Water Controls has a long history of providing high quality products to meet the changing demands of the marketplace and the Auteau range of timeflow valves is the ideal solution for the system designer to use to control the flow of water whilst giving maximum reliability and economy in use.

In commercial water systems there is arguably an even greater likelihood of water being wasted than in the domestic arena due to the added factor of abuse and vandalism that can occur to water fittings in public places. Stories of vandals  plugging up sinks and turning on taps full bore and then running off while rivers of water cascade down hallways in schools, sport centres, cinemas, etc are all too common.

The Auteau® basin taps and shower controls are of solid brass construction, chrome plated to a high standard. The push button is also made from solid brass with separate blue and red inserts to denote ‘hot’ and ‘cold’. This simplifies ordering and saves confusion as there is only one part number for ordering both hot and cold versions. The internal timeflow mechanism incorporates a unique self-cleaning cartridge which is designed to provide a flow of water for 15 seconds as specified by BS EN 816, which is the standard for automatic shut-off valves. The cartridge also incorporates a strainer to protect against debris from the mains or system entering and damaging the internal working components of the cartridge. For further water economy, the controls are supplied with adjustable flow regulators for use to ensure maximum efficiency and to smooth out pressure and flow fluctuations within the system.

The unique design of the timeflow cartridge makes the Auteau range different from other manufacturers’ controls. Most if not all valves of this type use some sort of controlled bleed through from one side of a diaphragm to the other, the length of time that the bleed through takes determining the amount of time that the valve will stay open. Obviously this bleed hole needs to be very small to obtain equalisation across the diaphragm and here lies a problem in that a very small hole is susceptible to becoming blocked up with scale or other debris from the system or mains. If the hole becomes partially blocked the time settings of the valve can change dramatically, usually becoming longer and thus defeating the object of water saving. Instead of a small bleed hole, the Auteau cartridge has a fine groove cut into the side of the delay case so that the action of actuating the tap or shower pushes the rubber washer down the length of the groove, effectively cleaning it each time the tap or shower is operated. This gives the Auteau range unrivalled reliability in environments where other valves can fail.

Showerheads

The Tonic Jet™ Vortex range of commercial showerheads uses a unique vortex action to produce a spray pattern. Rather than the typical plastic or metal plate with holes drilled in it, the spray head of the Tonic Jet Vortex shower head is a conical shaped adjustable fitting with grooves channelled on the inside of the cone. This creates the swirling action inside and when the water reaches the end of the cone it sprays out in a powerful jet. The antiscale advantages of this type of device are obvious since there are no small holes to block up.

Even systems with the hardest water will have absolutely no effect on the Tonic Jet Vortex showerheads. This means less maintenance, fewer user complaints and greater customer satisfaction. The anti-scale design is also helpful in preventing a breeding ground for legionella bacteria from forming. With no small holes and a very small surface area in contact with water, the Tonic Jet range can also be considered as anti-legionella. 

Tonic Jet shower heads are also designed to be anti-vandal and anti-ligature. The concealed versions have locking pins to prevent a potential vandal from being able to turn the head and the streamlined shape prevents a user from tying anything to the shower head.