Albion Valves Ltd, one of the UK’s leading valve suppliers is introducing a new range of Thermal Balancing Valves (TBV) to their building services product portfolio, to help safeguard against water borne diseases such as Legionnaires, which can be problematic in public buildings.
According to Public Health England there are hundreds of cases of Legionnaires reported every year in the UK with many more cases going undiagnosed and unreported. Symptoms are flu like to most of the population but can be more severe in vulnerable groups such as the very young or elderly.
Legionnaires disease can occur when water is allowed to cool in pipework where the bacteria can flourish at temperatures of between 20°C and 45°C, especially where dirt, scale or biofilms are present.
Thermal Balancing Valves (TBVs) are designed for use in hot water systems to accelerate hot water delivery to the tap, reduce water wastage and conserve energy. However, TBVs are also increasingly being specified in public building installations to help protect against the growth of Legionella bacteria.
The TBV provides thermal balance in hot water systems to keep a constant water temperature generally above 50°C. This provides thermal disinfection against Legionnaires while limiting the flow in pipes to a minimum required level.
Improving operational performance, whilst simplifying installation and commissioning compared to traditional approaches makes this an obvious choice for specifiers to guarantee peace of mind.
Les Littlewood, Sales Director at Albion Valves UK Ltd commented:
“Showers, baths, pools and hot tubs are the main breeding grounds for the bacteria, which can cause severe illness. So it is imperative that TBVs are used in hot water systems to ensure the temperature is never allowed to dip to ambient, taking this one simple measure can prevent almost all of the risk.
Hospitals, care homes and other health care providers are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks and should ensure their hot water systems are appropriately safeguarded against the risk.”
For more information on the thermal balancing valves visit www.albionvalvesuk.com
