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Horne Engineering conducts 100% product testing to ensure that every thermostatic unit we deliver to the customer is operating correctly; this is of paramount importance for safety critical devices designed to prevent scalding, and to safely and reliably facilitate hygienic practice in clinical settings. Scalding is a NHS “never event” the risk of which is often controlled by the use of high-performance Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs), such as those manufactured by Horne Engineering Ltd.
Using water allows us to test the thermostatic performance of our products; by far, the most effective method for functional testing is using the working medium. All of our test procedures use potable mains water, that is fed directly to drain after every single test. This is highly unusual in a factory setting, where recycled (stored and recirculated) test water would be customary. All products post-test, are purged with filtered [to ISO 8573 Class 1:4:1] compressed air, to remove standing water.
Our test procedures notwithstanding, deliberate contact with water and water-based processing and cleaning products during component manufacturing, is ubiquitous and unavoidable.
If customers seek a higher level of microbiological risk mitigation for specific projects, we can offer a supplementary process of thermal disinfection of the wetted areas of our products post-test, and subsequent purging with nitrogen gas.
Whilst this measure provides additional assurance that microbiological risk from our products (as despatched) is as low as reasonably practical, it is not a process that is intended to deliver wholly sterile equipment. Moreover, there is considerable opportunity to introduce contamination to our products during the installation and commissioning stages of a project. Our position and promoted strategy for pathogen management remains unchanged. What we strongly recommend to customers seeking disinfected appliances, would be to install our ILTDU (Inline Thermal Disinfection Unit) in conjunction with our water products:
This device allows the user to exploit their own system hot water (60°C+) to safely thermally disinfect downstream components, upon installation, and whenever the need arises subsequently (as determined by operator risk assessment). It is therefore a disinfection solution for the full lifetime of the product. This is particularly pertinent in combatting pathogens in built environment systems – the success of which, we understand, is not dependent on a single event (or absence of) during component part manufacture, but relies on the continued control and maintenance of efficacious disinfection processes when the facility is operational.