• Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Call Me Back
  • About
  • Knowledge
📞 Call us on 0330 223 31 31
  • 0Shopping Cart
Water Treatment Services
  • Home
  • Water
    • Applications
      • Boiler Water Treatment
      • Cooling Water Treatment
      • Closed Loop Water Treatment
      • Legionella Control
    • Services
      • Cooling Tower Cleaning
      • Cooling Tower Maintenance
      • Chlorine Dioxide Water Treatment
      • Commercial Water Softeners
      • Pre-Commission Cleaning
      • Tank Reline & Repair
      • TMV Servicing
      • Water Chlorination & Disinfection
      • Water Leak Detection
      • Water Testing
        • Drinking Water Testing
        • Metals Testing
        • Pool Water Testing
        • BSRIA Closed System Testing
        • SDI Testing & Analysis
        • Trade Effluent Testing
    • Training
      • Water Treatment Training
      • Basic Chemistry of Water
      • Industrial Treatment
      • Pre-Treatment
      • Boiler Treatment
      • Cooling Systems
      • Closed Systems
      • Wastewater Training
      • Advanced Treatments
      • Training Dates 2021
  • Wastewater
    • Metals Testing
    • Trade Effluent Testing
    • Wastewater Training
  • Air
    • Ductwork Cleaning
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • Local Exhaust Ventilation
    • Mould Testing
  • Energy
  • Legionella
    • Legionella Risk Assessment
    • Legionella Training Courses
      • Legionella Awareness Training
      • Responsible Person Training
      • Water Hygiene Awareness
      • Pseudomonas Training
      • Training Dates 2021
    • Legionella Testing
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / Knowledge2 / Air3 / TMV Valves – Preventing Scalding & Legionella Control
TMV valves - preventing scalding and legionella risks

TMV Valves – Preventing Scalding & Legionella Control

The use of Thermostatic Mixing Valves or TMVs is now recognised as an essential tool, helping to protect young children and vulnerable adults from serious injury caused by scalding hot water. While such plumbing valves can offer significant protection to their users, they can also create some serious water safety issues if they are not serviced and maintained correctly. In this guide our water safety specialists explain what a TMV is, where they are fitted and how they work. The guide then looks at UK Building Regulations, safety laws and guidance; and how the additional risks from waterborne pathogens such as Legionella bacteria can be managed through effective maintenance and servicing.

What is a thermostatic mixing valve or TMV?

A thermostatic mixing valve, or TMV, is a special valve used in plumbing systems which mixes hot and cold water together to control the water temperature to safe levels.

TMVs are an essential piece of equipment used to minimise the risk of scalding from very hot water and are now used in all sorts of situations.

Where are TMVs fitted?

UK Building Regulations demand that TMVs are fitted in all new buildings which have baths… they are commonly found fitted to taps and showers too.

In many schools, hospitals, and health and social care settings they are also essential to protect children, patients and other vulnerable people from the dangers of scalding hot water.

TMVs are usually installed close to the point where the shower or bath water comes out, so that it is mixed just before discharging from the tap or shower head.

The Building Regulations also detail exactly how thermostatic mixing valves should be installed.

Incorrect installation and poor maintenance of TMVs needs to be avoided as this can cause further problems including increased risks from bacterial contamination, including the dangerous Legionella bacteria which can cause Legionnaires’ disease.

  • Learn more about Legionnaires’ disease

How do thermostatic mixing valves work?

First, the installer of the shower, tap or other water outlet decides on the desired water temperature and pre-sets this on the valve… this would normally be between 39°C and 43°C.

TMVs are designed to deliver safe water temperatures between 39°C and 43°C

The hot and cold water then flows into the mixing valve when the tap or shower is switched on.

A special thermal element inside the TMV valve starts to expand and contract as the water temperature changes.

As the valve expands and contracts, this constantly adjusts the temperature of the water coming out of the tap, blending the hot and cold water to exactly the right temperature.

If for whatever reason the cold water supply fails the TMV will shut off the flow of water completely.

This fail-safe shut off feature eliminates the risk of scalding from a very hot shower or tap.

  • Ensure your TMVs are correctly maintained so they work to keep people safe

Why is hot water scalding protection so important?

The UK safety charity ROSPA highlight that thirteen children under the age of four are burned or scalded every single day in the UK.

Having TMVs fitted to taps, showers and baths helps to minimise this serious risk.

Installers using TMVs know that water only ever comes out of the valve at a safe temperature, which protects all customers and users against scalding injuries which in the worst cases can be fatal.

Very young children, the elderly and people who are unable to react quickly to a hazard are at particular risk from water supplies which are not fitted with a TMV.

For this reason, it is standard practice to have TMVs (TMV3) fitted to all water outlets in hospitals, healthcare facilities and care homes.

The Department of Health’s guidance document HTM 04-01 has a section dedicated to the use of TMVs in health and social care settings.

  • Learn more about HTM 04-01 and the use of TMVs

UK rules and regulations covering the use of TMVs

The UK has a range of laws, regulations and guidance which cover how TMVs should be installed and used on business premises.

The best place to start your search for relevant guidance is on the Health and Safety Executive website or speak to an expert such as Water Treatment Services.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, companies have a legal duty to make sure that they are following the HSE codes of practice and guidance properly to ensure people are safe from harm.

If they fail to follow the HSE’s advice, there is a greater risk of scalding together with other risks including the build-up of dangerous waterborne pathogens.

TMV maintenance and legionella control

A good example of the types of contamination of the water systems that can occur in poorly maintained TMVs is Legionella bacteria.

Legionella is the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease and it can grow and multiply very quickly in water systems with TMVs which are not installed or maintained properly.

If the bacteria is present in the water system, people who are exposed to the contaminated water are at risk of developing the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease.

If there is an outbreak of disease because of negligence on behalf of the person responsible for managing that risk, this can result in civil prosecution and litigation.

Penalties can include heavy fines, or even imprisonment… so it’s best to understand the law and follow it to make sure people are kept safe from both scalding and legionella.

Expert water safety and legionella control solutions

Water Treatment Services offer a comprehensive range of water safety solutions including TMV servicing and maintenance, and the management of legionella risks to support businesses and those responsible for the safety of engineered water systems in the workplace.

Find out how our water safety experts can help you manage your water systems, maintain regulatory compliance and so keep people safe..

With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, water specialists and technicians we offer cost effective legionella risk assessments, training, water testing and other risk management solutions to businesses throughout the UK and Internationally.

Contact us today to learn how our expert water safety and legionella control solutions can help you.

Contact Us Today

Further reading…

Learn more about our TMV servicing and maintenance.

Tags: Legionella control, TMV Servicing, water treatment
You might also like
Testing water for lead Testing Water for Lead – The Dangers of Lead Pipes & Plumbing
HSE ACOP L8 Download HSE ACOP L8 Download – Guidelines for Controlling Legionella in Water Systems
Biocides for closed systems Choosing Biocides for Closed Systems – Closed Circuit Heating & Cooling Systems
Borehole water wells Borehole Water, Wells & Private Water Supplies
Types of cooling tower All About Cooling Towers
Role of the responsible person for legionella control Taking on the Role of the Responsible Person for Legionella Control
Water softeners - All about water softening Water Softeners – All About Water Softening
All About Industrial Cooling Towers

Search…

What’s New

  • What is Trade Effluent?

    What is Trade Effluent?

    Trade effluent is defined as any liquid waste which …
  • Troubleshooting Problematic Closed Water Systems

    Troubleshooting Problematic Closed Water Systems

    This technical troubleshooting guide looks at closed water systems, …
  • District Heating – Heat Distribution Networks Explained

    District Heating – Heat Distribution Networks Explained

    This technical guide explains the concept of district heating …
  • Legionella Guidance for Landlords

    Legionella Guidance for Landlords

    In the UK landlords have a legal responsibility to …
  • Water Tube Boilers – Industrial Steam Generation Explained

    Water Tube Boilers – Industrial Steam Generation Explained

    This guide considers the use of water tube boilers …
  • Improving Water Efficiency in the Food & Drink Sector

    Improving Water Efficiency in the Food & Drink Sector

    This guide considers water efficiency in the UK food …

REVIEWS

4.8
4.8 rating
Water Treatment Services is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (based on 94 reviews)
Read our reviews

Free Newsletter

Receive exciting features, news, latest research and special offers! Just add your email address and we'll do the rest.

Contact us

Water Treatment Services

[email protected]

Tel: 0330 223 31 31

© Copyright 2021 - EDG Ltd. Operating as Water Treatment Services
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Home
  • About
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • Environment
  • Reviews
  • Sitemap
Wastewater Treatability Study – Understanding Your Industrial Effluent St... Wastewater treatability study Wastewater treatment for metal fabrication industries Wastewater Treatment for Metal Fabrication & Finishing Industries
Scroll to top

WTS response to Covid-19. As a responsible organisation we have robust Business Continuity Plans in place to ensure business as usual whatever the circumstance. In response to Covid-19, our aim is to ensure continued operations whilst protecting both our people and our clients. To this end we have initiated a number of practical measures that will allow us to continue to support our clients in the most appropriate way. Rest assured that we are making every effort to prevent or minimise any impact on our services during this public health challenge.

OK

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy
Accept settingsHide notification only