This is a great question that should be asked by all clients looking to get a Safety Shower or Eye/Face Wash unit for their site. If you live in Australia, you have no doubt felt the heat and damage the Australian sun can do. You can view Youtube clips on frying eggs in Melbourne on a summer's day, using just the sun. This should make you aware of the potential danger of water that has been laying around in the sun all day.
Scalding water is a real danger in a Safety Shower or Eye/Face Wash unit where the user needs an emergency stream of water within 1 second to flush the affected area. Scald Protection Valves mitigate this risk when the water temperature rises above safe limits, and a danger of scalding exists, the thermal actuator modulates the valve open. A small sample of the water from the pipe system then flows past the sensor. If the water is above the acceptable range, the valve will continue to modulate open until the over temperature water is eliminated. There are a number of points to consider to determine if you should get a Scald Protection Valve for your emergency Safety Shower or Eye/Face Wash unit.
- The environment where the Safety Shower or Eye/Face Wash will be used. What are the temperatures on the hottest days of the year? You need to prepare for worst case.
- Where will the pipe work leading to the unit be? eg. Is the pipework laying on top of the ground, is the pipework underground, is it insulated. Keep in mind that even if the pipework is underground, the water in the Shower unit can still heat up and require insulation or a scald protection valve.
- Is the Shower (and pipework) protected from the sun? eg. in a continually shady location, under cover, inside.
