Hand And Sensor Operated School Taps

Different Tap Controls

Wall mounted taps (bib taps) are often used above utility sinks to fill buckets, or above medical basins to aid cleaning and sterilisation of the sink. The water connections for bib taps are supplied through the back wall or the supply can be converted to an exposed water supply with wall plate elbows.

Cross head taps - are supplied in pairs and have a traditional four pronged cross patterned head to operate the valve. Both hot and cold valves will operate in the same direction for on and off. Available as deck and wall mounted models.

Lever operated sink and basin taps - are supplied in pairs and have a 3 inch or 6 inch lever to turn the valve on and off. Hot and cold valves will operate in opposite directions to each other. The taps can be mounted on the sink / basin or alternatively on the wall.

Lever Mixer Taps - are supplied as single taps. Available to suit single tap holes (monobloc) with one or two lever operation, or to suit two tap holes with one or two lever operation. Single lever mixing taps usually incorporate a sequential control starting at cold going to fully hot as the lever is turned. Two lever taps have separate hot and cold water control.

Infrared hands free sensor taps are quickly replacing manual taps to prevent water waste. The taps operate when the user's hands enter the handwashing area and trigger a proximity sensor which opens the valve. The taps are designed to turn off after a set period of time, or when the user removes their hands from the washing area.

Time flow taps dispense water when the press button is depressed, this opens the valve which runs for a set period of time before automatically shutting off. Soft touch time flow taps are designed to operate with less force, for use by infant and junior age school children as well as disabled users .

Knee valves are used in conjunction with basin spouts to offer a hands free tap which is operated by the user's knee and water is dispensed through the spout on the basin or trough. Designed for use with pre-mixed or cold water the knee operated valves offer a cheaper alternative to sensor taps when hands free operation is required.

Care should be taken to ensure hot water is supplied at a safe temperature to prevent the risk of scalding. Thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) should be used on all hot water supplies to taps to limit the maximum temperature of the hot water supply. Currently there is no legal hot water temperature setting for TMVs in schools, but each education establishment has a legal obligation to ensure that the facilities provided are safe to use. School are required to undertake risk assessments which will identify hot water provision risks and take suitable action to mitigate these risks.The Environmental Design in Schools document recommends a maximum hot water temperature of 43°C for infant and nursery school wash basins, this would be a good guideline for use in all other schools and colleges. TMV’s should be set to a lower temperature to allow for the usual 2 degree variation that can occur, and an assessment should be undertaken to assess if these  temperatures are too high for smaller school children, which will increase the risk of pupils not washing their hands.