UK is a Nation of Water Wasters

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New research reveals households are pouring money down the drain by wasting the UK’s precious water supplies

• 65% of households have no water saving products in their home
• Over a third of people admit they don’t know enough about water saving products to install them in their home
• Northern Ireland are the least environmentally conscious with less than 30% of households having water saving products in their home

New research out today by leading bathroom manufacturer Ideal Standard reveals there is a lack of awareness when it comes to our water usage. Whilst many homeowners want to limit their water use, many are unaware of how much water they use and waste on a daily basis.

Half the nation thinks they use only 60 litres or less of water a day, when in reality some are using more than 200 litres – 50 litres above the daily average. Behaviour such as leaving the tap on when brushing teeth and letting the water run before getting into the shower are also factors that contribute to water wastage. Three quarters of households don’t have a dual flush toilet, which alone saves two thirds of the water used in flushing a regular toilet. This high wastage means water and money are being wasted in households across the country on a daily basis.

Statistics by Waterwise show that London is drier than Istanbul, and the South East of England has less water available per person than Sudan and Syria. Keeping water waste to a minimum is imperative from a long term perspective and whilst three quarters of those surveyed said they wanted to save water, they aren’t prepared to spend money on water saving products to do so.
Tony Rheinberg, Marketing Manager at Ideal Standard said: “Although the summer has come to an end and we’ve seen rain in the last few weeks, 2010 has been an exceptionally dry year overall. Our national water usage survey highlights the lack of awareness around sustainable water usage in the UK.

“Less than a third of households have water saving products such as a dual flush toilet and click CLICK technology. The single lever basin mixer and bidet mixer incorporate a CLICK feature that encourages water saving – the user lifts the handle until they feel a slight resistance. This resistance informs the user that the fitting is delivering only 50% of its maximum flow potential. Lifting the handle further enables the fitting to deliver maximum flow. CLICK technology is available on Idyll Two, Ceramix, Ceraplan and Melange.technology taps in their bathroom, which can help cut water waste and save money. The great news is that there are plenty of options for people wanting to save water and money at the same time.”

Ideal Standard has the largest range of water saving products in the industry with over 100 products on the Bathroom Manufacturer Association’s (BMA) water efficient labelling scheme. The BMA scheme is designed to help consumers identify which product is water efficient and give them the variety of choice and price ranges to suit every household’s needs. Products such as the water saving bath Water saving baths are the future of eco-aware bathing. For homes where water-usage is an issue this bath’s ingenious, softly sloping interior and tapered foot end reduces the amount of water needed to enjoy a deep, indulgent soak.with a lower step in height and installing a dual flush toilet are just small ways people can save money on their water bills long term, as well as helping the environment.

5 top tips for reducing water waste and money:

1. Fitting a meter is free of charge and can save you money! The installation of a water meter usually reduces water usage by an average of 10%. The less water you use, the less you pay, so permanent water-saving solutions make sound financial sense.

2. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day – that’s almost 5,500 litres a year* – and can drive you mad in the process.

3. If an average person spends 7 minutes in the shower, using an average of 9 litres of water a minute, that’s 63 litres per shower. Showering for just 1 minute less can reduce the tally to 54 litres, a simple way to save over 300 litres a year. Easy!

4. Plug in! It’s no bother to use the plug in when washing your hands or shaving. A running tap can deliver up to 8 litres of water a minute when an average basin holds only litres. That’s a 50% saving in no time at all. Sorted!

5. Not the goldfish! Don’t use the WC as a waste bin. The more waste you flush down the toilet – make-up wipes, hairballs, dead spiders, etc – the more energy has to be expended to process the waste.

The Ideal Standard water saving survey was conducted by One Poll among 2,000 participants in June 2010.

For more information on Ideal Standard’s water saving products please visit:
ideal-standard.co.uk

MyTub now sell “EDDY” an alternative to a Water Softener

Posted on by Posted in Plumbing Industry News

What Makes Water Hard?
Acid in rain
Most people have heard of acid rain produced by absorption of sulphur and nitrogen oxides by rainfall; however, the presence of pollutants like these gases is not the only source of acidity. Carbon dioxide constitutes 0.3% of the Earth’s atmosphere, and is readily absorbed by water to form carbonic acid – the acid found in carbonated beverages. Therefore, all rain is acidic to some extent, and has a strong tendency to dissolve minerals and rocks with which it comes into contact. Water is a good solvent and gathers impurities easily. Pure water, which is tasteless, colorless, and odourless, is often called the universal solvent. As rain falls it becomes slightly acidic as described above. As the water travels through soil and rock, it dissolves small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. As already mentioned, Dissolved calcium and magnesium in water are the most common causes of hard water. The level of hardness increases as the magnesium and calcium increases.

Eddy – The Descaler
Why you need a descaler?
Scale, or limescale is a hard, whitish coating that builds up on surfaces that come into contact with hard water. Hard water causes limescale because it contains calcium carbonate (lime) and other minerals that stick to pipes and water heaters as water is heated. The accumulated limescale inside water heaters reduces their life and energy efficiency.

Water from a groundwater source is usually harder because minerals drain into it from the soil. Water from river sources is generally softer.

How Limescale Forms
When mains water is heated, it causes the dissolved salts to attach themselves to any metal they come into contact with, forming a creamy-coloured hard crust called limescale or scale. It’s a familiar sight on the heating elements in electric kettles and other boilers. In areas of the country where the water is naturally soft, the build-up takes a longer time to be noticed. In hard water areas, the limescale build-up can be relatively quicker.

The Descaler will minimise the Cause of lime scale formation
Unlike most substances, most calcium salts become less soluble as the temperature rises (commonly known as inverse solubility). Such salts are naturally present to some degree in all mains water supplies. Hence, any system where mains water is heated is liable to suffer from limescale formation. Consider a mains water containing 300 milligrams per litre (mg/l) of calcium carbonate hardness. The potential weight of limescale produced in a 100 litre central heating system is 30 grams, and this is from only the initial fill of water. Once formed, calcium scale tends to not redissolve, and water lost from the system for whatever reason will leave it behind.

The fresh make-up water will then bring more calcium salts into the system to begin the process again producing an ever-increasing thickness of scale. Being a direct result of increased temperature, limescale will form in the hottest part of the system, usually the heat transfer surface in the boiler. In contrast, iron oxide first forms as sludge at the point of corrosion, and only turns into limescale if it is carried by the water to the heat exchanger where it can become hardened by baking. You need a descaler.

GROHE launch low pressure range

Posted on by Posted in Plumbing Industry News

GROHE launch low pressure collection

Further to demand, June 2010 sees GROHE launch their first ever range of low pressure, deck mounted bath fillers, bath shower mixers with coordinating basin mixers. This long awaited collection incorporates key euro lines and features world renowned GROHE technologies.

Jay Phillips, Sales Director for Retail at GROHE said "The deck mounted, low pressure collection will ensure the GROHE product portfolio is even more accessible to showrooms and consumers alike."

Available from June 2010 across five ranges, include;
GROHE Eurosmart product range
GROHE Eurostyle product range
GROHE Eurodisc product range
GROHE Concetto product range
GROHE Lineare product range

GROHE continually develop and improve

Posted on by Posted in Sanitaryware

GROHE Products deliver a superior water performance , ensuring the same luxurious experience everytime there customers interact with there products. See, touch, feel and experience the perfect water flow.

The last seven decades has seen GROHE continually develop and improve there unique innovative technologies allowing us to deliver the perfect water flow, which guarantees unique flow and precision. No one has invested as much as GROHE to ensure that the world can experience water at an optimum performance.

Indeed you will notice three things that makes Grohe different to other manufacturers;

• Long lasting quality – they strive for perfection, but they don’t just stop there, they practice a culture of continuous improvement.
• Innovative Technology – delivering the best of the best, every time.
• Design – enduring design that has received international acclaim.

Grohe combine these three key elements of there water philosophy to ensure there customers enjoy the perfect water flow delivered by perfect looking products.

2010 will see Grohe continue to develop innovative ways to deliver the perfect water flow, water is precious to us and they are investing heavily into research & development to ensure that theye look at ways to protect the environment whilst continuing to deliver outstanding water performance.

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Have Ideal Standard have perfected showering technology?

Posted on by Posted in Bathrooms and Kitchens

Why Ideal Standard Trevi Showers?

Total reliability and quality every time. That’s what Trevi technology gives you. We think Ideal Standard have perfected showering technology, in fact, we have the confidence to offer a five year guarantee on all parts.

Lets take a look inside the Trevi Ascari

Solid brass body
All Trevi valves have a solid-cast brass body. Why brass? Because it’s durable and reliable. This, in addition to precision engineered parts such as the casings for the ceramic disc cartridges, thermostat and non-return valves, means a Trevi shower never fails to deliver. Ideal Standard’s commitment to quality is unrivalled.

Thermostatic cartridge
Ideal’s thermostatic wax capsule cartridge is manufactured to the highest standards, with a solid brass outer and a shuttle that ensures precision temperature control. The shuttle regulates the mixture of hot and cold water in the mixing chamber of the valve. If either the hot or cold water supply fails, the shuttle closes the relevant port within 1.5 seconds, thereby preventing the risk of scalding. Pivoted on a unique, patented rubber membrane which allows it to move freely, even when limescale has hardened around the cartridge, the result is a market leading, maintenance-free thermostatic shower valve, making Trevi shower valves true ‘fit and forget’ products.

Ceramic disc
The ceramic discs used in Trevi valves are the most efficient and reliable way of ensuring a consistent and precise water flow. What’s more, all of Ideal’s products are drip-free and resistant to the build up of limescale which affects performance. The smooth, easy to turn operation of ceramic disc cartridges adds to the quality feel that is synonymous with Trevi.

Five year guarantee
It’s simple. All of Ideal Standard’s shower valves, kits and accessories are guaranteed for five years. This covers all products used in the manner that they were designed for. If any product has a fault, just return it to us, with proof of purchase, and Ideal Standard will replace it within 48 hours.

Lifetime limescale-free on all valves
Thanks to Ideal Standard’s unique membrane technology, they can offer a 100% guarantee against failure of there thermostatic cartridge due to internal limescale build-up. No other manufacturer can give you this guarantee, so no other manufacturer can give you the same peace of mind. However periodic/regular maintenance will need to be undertaken to clean the filters and thermostat moving parts.

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