Horne Engineering has been providing thermostatically controlled hot water to the healthcare market since 1909. Its thermostatic technology is used to accurately mix very hot water (required to kill Legionella and other water-borne bacteria) and cold water, for hand washing, bathing and showering.
The Optitherm thermostatic tap, which won the Best Interiors Product category of the 2008 Building Better Healthcare Awards, is both a thermostatically controlled warm water tap and, by virtue of a cold water bypass of the mixing mechanism, is also a dedicated cold water tap.
The Optitherm has been specially designed to increase hand hygiene compliance. A pleasant user experience is created by the regulated flowrate, which reduces splashing to the user and local area. The water temperature is also accurately and consistently controlled by the internal thermostatic valve.
The dual lever arrangement allows for single touch operation – turn on with the thumb, then after hand washing, turn off with the elbow to avoid recontamination of the hands. As a mechanical device, the Optitherm is highly reliable and should continue to deliver thermostatically controlled warm water and dedicated cold water for an extended lifetime with minimal maintenance. If maintenance is required, however, the Optitherm’s modular construction enables a replacement tap to be substituted within a matter of minutes and without removing any wall panels, thus reducing disruption to the delivery of healthcare to an absolute minimum.
The Optitherm’s reliability, ease of maintenance and durability can make a significant contribution to reducing ongoing operational costs, while its accurate thermostatic performance can promote improvements in hand hygiene compliance – helping to reduce the human and financial costs of healthcare-associated infections.
Horne Engineering Ltd, Tel: +44 (0)1505 321455 Fax: +44 (0)1505 336287 Email: Sales@horne.co.uk Web: www.horne.co.uk
