Plumbing Connection Summer 2016

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PLUMBING CONNECTION

SUMMER 2016

BLADES OF GLORY

s society becomes increasingly environmentally

conscious, many plumbers have been replacing

standard taps with water saving aerating nozzles.

That simple change-over will generally more than halve the

water usage from a tap. A standard tap uses ~10 to 20 litres

of water per minute and a water saving tap with an aerating

nozzle uses ~5 l/min. A new product yet to hit Australian

shores allows taps to operate at ~2.5 l/min.

The product is simply a piece of plastic that can be

screwed onto a tap nozzle and it’s called the Waterblade.

The Waterblade takes a trickle of water and shapes it into

a paper thin sheet of water as wide as the human hand. This

‘jelly fish’ shaped stream gives a very efficient distribution

of water allowing users to wash their hands using minimal

water.

The flow modification device not only reduces water bills

but it can dramatically reduce energy heating costs by

reducing the amount of hot water used.

Waterblade creator Nigel Bamford said his company did a

commercial test at the Royal bank of Scotland in Edinburgh.

“We ran a feasibility study, installing the Waterblade in six

washrooms each with five basins,” Nigel says.

“It is a modern building with aerating water saving nozzles

already installed which operated at 6l/min, so it already had

good environmental credentials.

“The test showed the Waterblade reduced water

consumption by 60%, which equates to about a £26.5

(~$45AUD) saving, per tap, per year. There was a £10 water

saving and a £16.5 energy saving.”

“Obviously there are so many factors to determine

payback periods such as water and energy costs, water

usage habits etc. but in the UK, with standard usage, the

estimated payback period was around 4 months.”

Nigel says the benefits of the Waterblade extend past

water and energy savings, explaining the health benefits the

product can bring.

“Aerating nozzles have been taken out of medical

environments because they have been implicated in

harbouring and spreading pathogens,” he says.

“They can suck in contaminants then mix the air with the

water and blow it out again, in a way vaporising it.

“With things like Legionella, breathing it in is the worst

thing you can do, so you won’t have an aerating nozzle in an

environment where you have vulnerable people.

“The water blade has laminar flow, so it’s a good choice

for those environments. We are in discussion with relevant

people regarding that as well.”

However this still presents an opportunity to plumbers.

Once distribution avenues become available in Australia

plumbers can carry the Waterblade and offer it as a small

up-sell when installing taps.

Nigel is looking for distribution partners all over the world

and hopes to have the Waterblade in Australian plumbing

retailers shortly.

THEY SAY THE BEST IDEAS IN LIFE ARE SIMPLE AND SUCH IS THE CASE WITH A PRODUCT CALLED THE

WATERBLADE. JUST A SMALL PIECE OF PLASTIC, THE COMPANY BEHIND THE DEVICE CLAIM IT CAN DRAMATICALLY

REDUCE WATER AND ENERGY USAGE AS WELL AS HAVING HEALTH BENEFITS.

JOE YOUNG

REPORTS.

The Waterblade takes a trickle of water and shapes it into a

paper thin sheet of water as wide as the human hand.

SIMPLE INNOVATION

Waterblade