Scalding can be really painful. Hot water can burn flesh very fast and for children, the burning occurs more rapidly. Older people who react more slowly are more susceptible to burn as a result. In various countries, legislations have been introduced to require thermostatic mixing valves on any new or replacement water heater installation. But what are these valves?
A thermostatic mixing valve combines hot and cold water to produce a temperature-controlled flow of water before it reaches the taps, showers and other hot water outlets. In buildings, conventionally the hot water of a building is above 60 degree Celsius which is constantly maintained to ensure that harmful organism like legionella bacteria cannot find a suitable breeding ground. But this again poses a risk for people to get scalded skin and to prevent this, TMV valves are essential within accessible bathrooms, washrooms, changing rooms and any other location with a hot water outlet.
These valves bring down the temperature to a safe and comfortable 43 degree Celsius to ensure the water in washrooms is safe for use.
Well now that we have got an idea about this equipment, let’s take a look at how do they work.
There are four main parts of a TMV which are –
Thermostatic element
It is an element inside the valve which is sensitive to the temperature of the water flowing through it and increases or reduces in size depending on the temperature of the water. This is attached to a piston.
Piston
When the thermostatic element expands with an increase in heat, the attached piston will move across the entry portals for hot and cold water flows and will reduce the amount of hot water and increase the amount of cold water to maintain a constant temperature.
Return Spring
This part of the valve effectively works in the opposite way to the piston. With the contraction of the thermostatic element due to the decrease in heat, the return spring will move the piston back across the entry portals for the hot and cold water flows to increase the amount of hot water and reduce the cold water.
How to adjust a thermostatic mixing valve?
Present in some cases, this part allows the user to control the amount of heat or cold in the water. This dial shaped knob manually moves the piston, changing the proportions by which the hot and cold water flows are mixed.
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