Water regulations have been clarified in 2019. Do you understand your legal obligations?

Following reports that blue water held in WC cisterns was potentially re-entering and contaminating the mains supply, several water companies raised concerns with WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) in 2018. As a result, water regulations are set to be stringently enforced.

The onus is on the installer to ensure product purchased is legal to fit in the application they will be used in. Thomas Dudley has developed an informative Essential Guide to WC, Cistern and Inlet Valve Regulations which can be downloaded here

When it comes to inlet valves, there are two main points to consider upon purchase.

Firstly, height adjustable bottom inlet valves, typically referred to as ‘Telescopic’ are only considered compliant when their joint is above the critical waterline. Installers should not fit Telescopic bottom inlet valves if the joint is below the waterline.

Secondly, there must be a visible unobstructed and completely physical air break between the lowest level of water discharge from an inlet valve and the critical water lever in a cistern, known as a Type AG air gap. Thomas Dudley does offer eight different height bottom inlet valves in order to comply that also are a Type AG.

Fixed height inlet valves do not have a joint below the waterline that can be adjusted or dismantled. We recommend 241mm (9 ½”) and 267mm (10 ½”) variants as suitable for the majority of applications.

One of the traditional disadvantages of a Type AG inlet valve is that the water discharges from the top into the cistern and is therefore noisy. Thomas Dudley in the past used a ‘silent fill tube’ to reduce cistern filling noise however this is no longer acceptable under clarified water regulations. Thomas Dudley has therefore removed the silent fill tube but developed a patent pending unique quiet fill mechanism that has an in built 6lpm flow regulator; meaning no more need to remove the old fashioned flow restrictor depending on supply water pressure. It also ensures even cistern filling when a bank of cisterns is fed off one supply line.

Finally, Thomas Dudley has combined this updated time-tested inlet valve design with market leading delay fill technology. Not only does delay fill float save water, it is a highly compact captive float that ensures fitment into even the tightest of spaces.

All fixed height and side inlet Hydroflos are WRAS approved in section 2075 of the WRAS Product Directory, suitable for potable water supplies.