Making better use of water in bathrooms and washrooms
March 04th 2008

It is in the bathroom/washroom – where much of any household’s or business’s daily water usage occurs – that most water savings can be made.As the leading provider of bathroom products, Ideal Standard offers a number of Top Tips and products to help save water, and money in any bathroom or washroom

Showering

Generally,showers are considered to use less water than baths.Typically a 7 minute shower uses 63 litres of water, whereas an average size bath uses 195 litres of water up to the overflow. Usage in the shower is dependent on the length of time taken and the volume of water delivered per minute, this in turn is determined by water pressure.Flow restrictors can be fitted between the shower valve and the shower hose set to reduce the volume of water used.Where space is limited, shower baths – allowing showering and bathing in the same area – are increasingly popular, these also have a water saving advantage.

Eco-baths

Invest in an eco-friendly bath.Ideal Standard’s Alto eco-bath takes 149 litres of water up to the overflow, which is a saving of 23% compared to a standard bath. All this bath water can be re-used to water garden plants – an efficient alternative to sprinklers which can use up to 1000 litres of water per hour.

WC

Dual Flush Cisterns The WC is one of the largest consumers of water in the household. Because a full flush is not always needed, Ideal Standard has developed a dual flush cistern. These have two buttons – the small button delivers 4 litres, the large one 6 litres. The short flush will save water compared to a conventional cistern.

4.5 Litre Flush

Flushing with a smaller cistern is one of the most effective ways to save water. Ideal Standard’s newly developed 4.5 litre single flush saves up to 8.5 litres of water per flush – compared to an older large capacity cistern. By switching to a water-saving WC you could earn your money back within 3 years – easing the pressure on your pocket as well as the environment. Whichever water saving cistern is chosen, remember not to use the WC as a bin. People have been known to throw all sorts of items down the toilet, but with each flush valuable water is being used.

Water Saving Taps

Ideal Standard has developed the Ceramix Alto single lever basin mixer using the revolutionary Click Cartridge technology. The Click cartridge creates a resistance when the flow is at 50%, which is more than enough for hand washing and particularly useful in high pressure installations. Savings of up to 5,000 litres per year can be made in bathrooms using this type of click cartridge technology.

Dripping taps, which waste a lot of water, can also be remedied – and the sooner the better. By installing taps with a very durable ceramic disc cartridge,water control is more precise and dripping eradicated.

Self Closing Taps

Self closing taps can be set to run for a pre-determined amount of time – typically 10 to 15 seconds.This is carried out at installation.This means taps are not left on by accident as well as ensuring washrooms are not flooded.

Sensorflow Taps

Sensorflow taps use intelligent technology that can detect hands within a sensing range and turn off three seconds after hands are removed.