Facilities Management (Leak Detection & Washroom Management)
Even with the best team supporting you, we understand having responsibility for the operation and maintenance of building systems and services is a big job. Whether you’re planning and coordinating installations and refurbishments or managing a single building or an estate day to day, taking a strategic approach to planning and management tasks will help you to deliver value to your business’ profitability while enhancing company culture, business reputation and engagement with employees.
Working with facilities managers we understand that taking a strategic approach is so much more than scheduling grounds maintenance, coordinating teams and the management of the upkeep of equipment and supplies.
Given the extent of the facilities management’s responsibilities include:
- Building and grounds maintenance
- Cleaning
- Catering and vending
- Health and safety
- Procurement and contract management
- Security
- Space Management
- Utilities and communications infrastructure
We understand the value of peace of mind and ‘fit and forget’ solutions to head off potential costly problems.
Watersavers specialises in water leak detection systems, valves & PIR controls, Legionella prevention and urinal controls.
By adding water solutions to your strategic thinking, you’re likely to:
- Have fewer emergencies
- Manage fewer contractors
- Save time
- Reduce costs
- Keep staff safe and well
- Conserve our precious resource of water
- Benefit from BREEAM credits
Fewer Emergencies
Although accidents and emergencies are a fact of life, prevention is often more effective and certainly better than cure. It’s also less costly. There are number of water-saving and leak detection systems that can alert you to a problem on a large or small scale. Having to dig up real estate to find a leak that isn’t visible is time consuming, inconvenient & costly, and unnecessary.
The cost of flood goes beyond just the cost of water and remedial work to pipes, it can cause irreparable damage that can extend to costly electronic equipment, data and reputational damage, not just the damage to buildings and soft furnishings.
By fitting a cost-effective easy to fit water leak detection system you will be alerted to any problems immediately, in real time.
Manage Fewer Contractors
Dealing with a water leak of any size isn’t fun in anyone’s book. In the case of a flood the water is often contaminated with effluent which causes even greater damage. The urgency of the repair can often carry additional emergency call out costs, particularly if the leak is detected out of hours.
By fitting a leak detection unit and shut off valves you’re in control and can minimise your risk of flood or a slow undetected leak. Products in the Watersavers’ range include pulsed water meters, water leak detection systems based on your water flow rate, solenoid shut off valves, timers, PIR controls and urinal flushing controls that save water.
Save Time
Any problem takes up valuable time and resource to resolve. We understand that your environment is fast-paced and demanding. From keeping executives happy with air conditioning levels, to managing the seasonal cycles of building management and maintenance and having a duty of care – time is possibly your most precious resource.
We hope you’ll agree that by having some simple to fit, robust and long-lasting devices that will prevent floods and conserve water is a good idea. They’ll not only save you time, but you’ll save money too.
Reducing Costs
If a leak goes undetected the effects can be devastating and can result in:
- Unnecessary cost of unused water
- Costly water damage to property, structure and contents
- Business interruption
- Loss of equipment and data
- Reputational damage
According to The Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) the maintenance and operation costs of a non-domestic building ranges from £4,850/100 m2 to £11,000/100 m2.
Zurich insurers report that Escape of Water (E0W) claims are consistently the most expensive for insurers and the cost of these claims is rising. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) say EoW claims are costing UK insurers £2.5 million per day – which is nearly £1 billion a year.
In the commercial sector losses of over £1 million have been seen, compared to the average cost of domestic homes which us just under £3,000.
One of the reasons why the impact is so huge is due to commercial buildings having more water features than we tend to have in our homes, such as large heating systems, air conditioning, coffee machines and water coolers.
The building design in commercial buildings can turn a small leak into and expensive loss. For example, the location of washrooms is often the same on each floor and as such any problem on upper floors can have repercussion in the storeys below.
If a building is unoccupied for any length of time, there is a greater risk of undetected water losses due to fewer people being on site.
The necessary costs associated with managing and maintaining a building are high enough so it makes sense to put simple measures in place that will prevent unnecessary costs due to water loss of any kind.
Keep Staff Safe and Well
Having a duty of care to staff and customers extends to slips and trips and preventing an outbreak of Legionella.
Legionella is a genus of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria that causes legionellosis including Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. The bacteria can develop in stagnant water at temperatures between 20 and 50 degrees* Celsius.
Legionellosis is an infection that is caused by bacteria that live in small drops of water and moist conditions which are usually associated with water systems and pipes. When ingested the bacteria causes a pneumonia-type illness, Legionnaires’ disease, which can result in respiratory failure, and milder flu-like illness, Pontiac fever. It is important to carry out legionella water testing on a regular basis.
The most effective, non-chemical, and kinder to the environment, treatments to prevent Legionella include:
- Flush water pipes to reduce or remove instances of stagnation
- Maintain cold water temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius and hot water above 50 degrees Celsius
- Monitoring scale and sediment in the water
Water testing and maintenance of water systems is an effective prevention of Legionella. This can be easily and cost effectively achieved by installing a time discharge valve, to flush pipes, or perform a controlled discharge of water above a preset temperature to lower the water temperature to a safe level.
Conserve our Precious Resource of Water
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) describes management of natural resources as reduce, recycle and reuse. Why is this necessary for water? Water conservation is necessary because the more extreme weather we experience the more unpredictable our water supply is becoming.
The UK’s reputation for having a rainy climate distracts from how the relationship between rainfall and the water available to us really works.
Our water companies capture much less rain for our domestic and commercial use and 12 out of the 23 water companies operating in areas of England are rated as being under ‘serious’ stress. To compound the situation the demand for water in the UK is forecast to rise.
Although efficient water processes in industrial and commercial water consumption has resulted in a decline of water used at work, unfortunately, water leakage equates to more than 10% of the total demand in most water resource areas.
Urinal Flushing Controls
Urinal flushing controls can save up to 80% consumption.
The Autosave B01 urinal flushing control saves water by flushing urinals only after use. A sensitive built-in infrared PIR (passive infrared) sensor detects individuals in the washroom area and initiates a cistern fill and flush cycle a preset time later. A programable 12 or 24-hour hygiene flush is initiated when the urinals are unused such as during the night or at weekends.
By preventing avoidable leaks and reducing water for washroom flushing you’ll be helping to reduce the risk of water loss due to leaks.
Benefit from BREEAM credits
Working with facilities managers to achieve BREEAM credits Watersavers products are a perfect fit for BREEAM Wat 02 assessment criteria for the monitoring and management of water encouraging reductions in water consumption and BREEAM wat 03 assessment to reduce the impact of water leaks that may otherwise go undetected.
Embracing continuous improvement, we pride ourselves on being agile and responsive and are trusted by the range of customers we serve, providing excellence as standard.
The growing awareness in the value and potential scarcity of water means that demands are growing for preventative solutions to address unnecessary water leaks that not only result in environmental damage due to loss of water and the associated cost, but also the cost of the catastrophic impact of damage to buildings, electronic equipment, data, the building occupiers’ reputational damage and inconvenience, particularly where buildings are occupied by multiple companies.
Founded in 1985 Watersavers specialises in the design and manufacture of flow rate and pressure monitoring water leak detection solutions, valves & PIR controls, legionella prevention solutions and urinal controls. Designers of the first, award winning, water-saving infrared urinal flushing control, we continue to develop products that reduce water consumption and unnecessary leaks.
If you’re looking for a partner to provide you with leak detection solutions, valves & PIR controls, Legionella prevention or urinal controls that you can trust, please get in touch, we’d love to explore how we may be able to help. Either call an expert on 01603 720999 or email info@watersavers.co.uk
- leak detection systems – leak detection solutions
- small scale – pulsed water meters
- time discharge valve – TDV-100 Time Discharge Valve