36 TECHNICAL
Balanced water and mixing points
Contributed by Patrick Gordon of Calafrica ( technical @ calafrica . co . za )
This month Patrick Gordon takes a look at water pressure being balanced at all mixing points .
SANS 10254 clarifies that the water pressure shall be balanced at all mixing points . Most installations these days have at least one – if not more – points where the water can mix before leaving the final outlet .
You may say , “ I don ’ t have any mixers in the installation .” But ask yourself , is there a shower installed ? Even though you have two separate stop taps , the water is still connected via a “ T-piece ” before reaching the terminal point , namely the shower rose . This is then a mixer , and the water must be the same pressure at the hot and coldwater stop taps .
So , only installations where there are no mixing points throughout the whole installation may be unbalanced .
However , it is still recommended that the installation is always plumbed for balanced pressure to all terminal points as you do not know when a DIY person may change the taps in an installation to a mixer .
Q : How can I see if the water pressure is balanced ? A : It is not always easy to just see if the system has balanced pressure . The best way to check this is to use a pressure gauge and to physically check the pressure at the taps . You will need a gauge set that has the required adaptors to suit your relevant taps / mixers . If you do not have a pressure gauge , you can open the taps ( hot and cold ) fully and see if the flow is the same for both . This method could be very messy with water splashing everywhere and is not always accurate as there may be other factors that can cause a reduced flow . PA
Images supplied by Patrick Gordon
Watch out : if there ’ s a shower , there ’ s a mixer !
Pressure gauge .
“ You will need a gauge set that has the required adaptors to suit your relevant taps / mixers ”
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www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline January 2024 Volume 29 I Number 11