
Kevin Gates, Managing Director of Neoperl UK, is raising awareness around a precision-made water saving device that installers could be promoting to their customers.
Thirty years ago, they didn’t exist and people are still largely unaware of them, yet they play an enormous part in reducing the amount of water we use in the home. Today, these clever devices can be retrofitted so we can all now do our bit to help the environment. I’m talking about ‘flow regulators’, 90% of the supply of which are made right here in the UK.
Flow regulators ensure that a constant water flow rate is maintained through an appliance, regardless of water pressure fluctuations. They are used today in taps, showers, water heaters, boilers, and many other applications, and come in literally thousands of sizes.
Flow regulators are a small hidden component that reduces water consumption and/or controls water flow, and can therefore be used in a wide spectrum of technical and sanitary applications.
They are often coupled with aerators that can be found in the spouts of virtually all new washbasins, baths, and kitchen taps, which is a component positioned in the spout of a tap that shapes the water to produce a non-splashing stream and adds air to make the water pleasantly ‘soft’.
Combined, they regulate the flow of water, reduce plumbing noise and, most importantly, save water and energy.
As the world embraces the importance of sustainable living, understanding the opportunity in fitting these products for your customers is just one simple way to join the campaign to help save water and do your bit to help the environment.
Showering is one of the best areas to address when it comes to saving water in the home. If you consider that a European standard shower head will produce about 18l of water per minute at 3bar of pressure, that soon adds up when a family is showering for sustained periods of time.
Using a flow regulator would reduce this dramatically, by anything up to 70%, depending on the desired flow rate. It’s a great way to make a big difference in water saving and simply requires a standalone flow regulator incorporated into the shower head or shower hose.
A flow regulator is a technically engineered device that has an integral dynamic control ring (DCR) at its core. As water flows through it and the pressure fluctuates, the DCR deforms into the core of the flow regulator, either reducing or increasing the size of the orifice, to enable a stable and constant flow rate, independent of pressure.
Now made in huge quantities for the water industry, the flow regulator is precision tested on the production line so that each component passes stringent quality standards. The device offers a sealing function and replaces the washer when retrofitted into the shower hose or handle.
It’s really simple to assemble, well within the capability of any plumber, and they are available in various colour-coded flow rates to suit each application.
If a combined aerator with flow regulator was fitted into every tap you installed, the overall volume of water used could be substantially reduced. Just consider the circumstances in the home where the tap is left on when rinsing pots and pans, when watering the garden, when cleaning teeth etc.
If the flow rate in all these circumstances was reduced, there would be massive reductions in water usage. A combined aerator with flow regulator device is so simple to install and can be retrofitted to the many thousands of taps your customers are using every day. It’s simply a matter of raising awareness about the technology.
Encourage your customers to jump on a water saving drive for a sustainable solution, as they are probably not aware of the existence of these effective devices.
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