KBB - January/February 2012 - (Page 48)

EDUCATION New Control Is there a new democracy in the world of shower valves? Thermostatic valves are known in the decorative plumbing trade for providing safety, comfort, performance and flexibility. In Europe, they have gained immense popularity for everyday use, as they boast an impressive list of features not available in pressure balance systems, such as the ability to dial in exact temperatures, volume control (instead of diverters) to allow greater volume and flexibility in the shower and a safety override to avoid scalding water temperatures—an especially comforting feature for the elderly and parents of young children. Given these advantages, one would expect a similar embrace of thermostatic systems on these shores, but this has not been the case. Instead, the U.S. market has been slow in its adoption of this technology, reserving it for luxury installations, while maintaining pressure balance as the standard. low cost, pressure balance valves became the standard in this country. Meanwhile, the European public was facing a different set of issues. Most water systems in Europe were gravity-fed, low-pressure affairs, so safeguarding against changes in pressure was less of an issue. The bigger challenge was protecting against large deviations in temperature, as most water heater and storage systems had poor consistency and control. The need to control water temperature fluctuations, which could range from scalding hot to freezing cold, positioned the thermostatic valve as the technology of choice for creating a safe shower environment, and codes and standards developed in Europe to reflect this. Early thermostatic valves utilized either a bimetallic element or a gasfilled element to control temperature, methods that were relatively expensive and unreliable. This led to the advent of low-cost, reliable and long-lasting paraffin wax elements in the early 1990s, which helped usher in a new era of moderately priced thermostatic valves in Europe. A BIT OF SHOWER HISTORY To better understand why this is so and how pressure balance became the accepted standard in the U.S., while Europe enjoyed the benefits of thermostatic shower technology requires journeying GREATER ACCESS back to the early part of the 20th century when U.S. consumers did not benefit from this two-handled valves were the norm for mixing hot development, and as a result, luxury pricing has and cold water in the shower. These valves did not deterred the widespread use of thermostatic safeguard against scalding or thermal shock, nor did systems in this country. Historically, manufacturers they offer protection from sudden changes in water large and small have validated the higher cost by temperature resulting from pressure fluctuations citing features absent from their pressure-balance when, for example, a nearby toilet was flushed. counterparts, including: In 1939, Symmons developed the first pressure • High flow rates, allowing for multiple shower balance valve, but usage was not widespread, as applications (e.g. showerhead with handheld the price was prohibitive. Over time, manufacturers shower and body sprays) developed their own pressure balance valves, which • Full volume control allowing precise, independent in turn created healthy competition and positioned The CALGreen version of California Faucets’ control of each showerhead for on/off and flow rate pressure balance as the affordable consumer StyleTherm thermostaic shower valve allows • Dial-in ability for precise temperature settings for standard in the U.S. But while pressure balance exact temperature dial-in and offers all the each user (e.g. 99 degrees for him, 103 degrees valves succeeded in protecting against thermal benefits of thermostatic valves. for her) shock, they did not control the maximum water • Safety stop button to prevent accidentally setting temperature, which led to the development of a variety of mechanical an excessively high temperature means, such as limit stops or cams. This, however, may begin to change, as companies, such as Grohe, Early federal plumbing standards mandated the use of single-handled Cifial, California Faucets and Hansgrohe, have introduced competitively shower valves, including pressure balance, thermostatic and simple priced systems to compete with old pressure balance technology. “We mechanical valves, which offered no thermal shock protection. Ultimately, questioned why thermostatic technology is affordable in Europe and then the American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) developed a cohesive set out to provide the same luxury to the average household here in the national standard (ASSE 1016), which eliminated simple mechanical valves U.S.,” said Jeff Silverstein, president and CEO of California Faucets.“Through and required either pressure-balance or thermostatic valves to protect a three-year process, we were able to achieve our goal by controlling every against thermal shock and scalding. Because of its wide availability and step of the engineering and manufacturing process. We also learned there 48 + K BB January/February 2012 / www.kbbonline.com / The Official Sponsor of KBIS www.kbis.com Continued on page 51 http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - January/February 2012

KBB - January/February 2012
Contents
Online Contents/News
Editorial
Show Director’s Note
Road to KBIS
Consumer
Web Savvy
Focus
Abroad
Trends
Products
Design
Mid-century Makeover
Modern History
Education
Ad Index
Last Word

KBB - January/February 2012

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