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In This Edition of Reliance's Newsletter:
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- The Tenant Valve Assembly
- New Scottish Regulations regarding TMV2 valves: effective 1 May 2006
- Make savings with Reliance products on the Water Technology List
- Product Name Change
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The Tenant Valve Assembly
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Three years ago, Reliance Water Controls launched a new product range called the Tenant® Valve Assembly. In those three years, there has been considerable ongoing development of this range to the point where we now find ourselves at version 3. This article considers the original thinking and concept behind the valve - just as valid today as then – and looks at the way customer comment and the demands of the market helped to change and “fine tune” the product to meet their requirements more closely.
The concept of the Tenant Valve Assembly was born out of the need in most multi-unit buildings, be they residential or commercial, for an isolating valve and a double check valve to be fitted at the entrance to the unit. And, in a high proportion of cases, it was common practice to install pressure reducing valves and secondary water meters at this point as well. As with most good ideas the concept was simple: if all of these valves are being fitted anyway, why not incorporate them into one compact train of valves, connect them to a fixing bracket and supply to site “ready to fit”?
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Reliance Tenant Valve Assembly Version 1 | The first product, or version 1, was essentially all the individual components (isolator, double check valve, water meter and pressure reducing valve) bolted together and connected to a fixing bracket. Armed with this first version, Reliance went out into the market to sell the concept to system designers, specifiers, and contractors. The result of this first foray was some extremely valuable feedback: the designers and specifiers loved the product because it greatly simplified the design of the installation, and the contractors also appreciated the fact that as a pre-built unit it could be a great labour-saving device. But concerns were raised on two issues. First was the cost. With any multifunction valve the goal should always be to make sure that the cost of the whole does not equal more than the sum of its parts; but as this valve was essentially a string of components that were manually put together and fitted to a supporting bracket, this was never going to be the case. Second was the size: because the components were fitted in a straight line, accommodating the unit required a lot of space.
From this initial work it was clear that, for the valve to be really successful, we had first of all to address the issues of cost and size which contractors had raised, whilst keeping the quality and functionality that the designers and specifiers had liked.
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Reliance Tenant Valve Assembly Version 2 | Out of this came version 2. This product was much more compact than its predecessor and was a complete “clean sheet” design; the valve was built around the cartridge concept common to many of Reliance’s products. The water meter and the pressure reducing valve oppose each other in the design of the specially built DZR brass body, and neoperl check cartridges are utilised to form an integral double check valve. These innovations reduced the size and – importantly - the weight of the valve, which meant we could do away with the fixing bracket. Offering new features like cartridge construction, an insulated box, a flushing pipe and union connections built into the valve, together with the significant reduction of size and cost, Reliance went back to their customers. The feedback was very good and the version 2 valve was launched; it soon became highly successful at gaining specification and proved popular with the contractors as well.
So, where has version 3 come from, and why?
As stated earlier, most installations require an isolating valve and a double check valve and many also have a pressure reducing valve and secondary water meter. Feedback from the market has shown that only around 30 % of the installations request a water meter fitted as standard, although 100 % of customers like the idea of being able to fit one as an option. With this in mind, Reliance has removed the water meter from the assembly and capped off the meter connection point. If a meter is required, then the cap can be removed and a optional precalibrated water meter cartridge inserted; if a pulse output meter is preferred, then an optional clip-on pulse output cap can be retrofitted to the meter. Reliance has also reduced the size of the surrounding insulation to make access to the PRV and water meter cartridge easier for service, and changed the inlet and outlet connections to FBSP to suit a variety of pipe systems. In addition to this, the components of the product are now all rated to 80°C, allowing one design to be suitable for use on both hot & cold water circuits.
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Reliance Tenant Valve Assembly Version 3 | Evolution of any range of products is necessary for its survival in the marketplace; the key to improving and evolving the product is to listen and understand your customers needs and to act on them. At Reliance, we are constantly looking at ways of making our products better and bringing new and innovative products to the market.
For further information on the Tenant Valve Assembly including a specification sheet, click here.
©Reliance Water Controls 2006
Tenant is a registered trademark of Reliance Water Controls Ltd |
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Scottish TMV2 Legislation effective from 1 May 2006
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Thermostatic Mixing Valves for the Home
A further reminder that the Scottish legislation governing the temperature of bath water to a maximum of 48ºC in new build and refurbished properties is effective from 1 May 2006.
To comply with the new regulations, any domestic property being built new, or undergoing major alterations which include the bathroom must incorporate control of the temperature of the hot water supply to the bath to a maximum of 48ºC. Since it also a requirement that the hot water heater be run at 60°C and that the hot water system should circulate at not less than 55°C to prevent the growth of legionella bacteria, it is clear that some form of extra control will be required to ensure that the maximum allowable bath fill temperature is not exceeded. An ideal and simple solution is to fit a thermostatic mixing valve at the point of use.
 Look for the TMV2 mark: it is the guarantee that the product meets the required level of performance.
Reliance has 3 valves in its thermostatic mixing valve range that meet the requirements of the TMV2 Scheme:
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Heatguard
TMV2 |
Heatguard LS2 |
Heatguard
BF2-2 |
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Market leading TMV2 approved TMV.
Click here for further information and specification sheet |
Suitable for general purpose uses.
Click here for further information and specification sheet
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Suitable for high flow bathfill applications
Click here for further information and specification sheet |
Copyright: Reliance Water Controls 2006
Heatguard is a registered trademark of Reliance Water Controls |
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Product Name Change: Heatguard BF2-2
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Please be advised that in the previous edition of Reliance's Newsletter, sent February 2006, the Heatguard BF2 product was advertised as having been approved by Buildcert to the TMV2 scheme standard.
This information was incorrect at the time this newsletter was circulated. This product has now gained TMV2 approval and is now called the Heatguard BF2-2.
For further information on the Heatguard BF2-2 including a specification sheet, click here |
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