How To Install A Thermostatic Mixing Valve

Faced with the legislation and red tape involved with any commercial environment, you’re sure to run into items, phrases and requirements that you’ve never even heard of before. Enter the washroom and you’ll continue to be faced with a litany of Building Regulations and environmental health concerns that make the whole ordeal seem quite daunting. 

However, while you’re navigating your grab rails and figuring out whether you need to comply with Document-M of Building Regs, it’s worth getting to grips with thermostatic mixing valves as these are used throughout all commercial washrooms settings.

What is a thermostatic mixing valve?

A thermostatic mixer valve, also known as a TMV3 valve is a small device that blends both the hot and cold water feeds into one warm water feed. The TMV3 plays a critical role in protecting your users against scalding themselves, and also goes a long way towards conserving your hot water supply. 

How To Install A Thermostatic Mixing Valve

For best practice, a thermostatic mixing valve should be fitted to each tap or shower outlet in your washroom. It is worth noting that the regulations covering the installation of a TMV in a domestic setting differ when compared to a commercial washroom environment. The Commercial Washrooms sales team will be able to help guide what is needed, however further clarification can be read in one of our earlier blogs.

We suggest leaving adequate space beneath the washbasin, and take your TMV3 and fit both the hot and cold feeds to it. Your valve will have an outlet left, which is where the resulting warm water is to be fed and installed to your hot tap. 

In some instances, people have installed one thermostatic mixer valve to the hot feed supplying a whole row of washbasins. However, this is poor practice and if the TMV3 fails or gets blocked, then the whole row of washbasins will be out of action. 

Thermostatic mixing valves and showers

Installing a TMV3 for a shower requires a professional and is fundamental to the health and safety of your users. Of course, at peak times in somewhere like a gym or leisure centre, the draw and demand for hot water are excessive. In certain circumstances, this can lead to your hot water being drained entirely. However, with the required use of a thermostatic mixer valve, the hot feed to your shower has already been blended with cold mains water. This warm water feed now pulls less hot water for the shower, helping to protect your reserves, while simultaneously preventing scalding. 

If you need further help understanding TMV3 valves, or would like to talk about our design and installation service at Commercial Washrooms, please get in touch with one of the team on 01202 650900.