Let's answer with an example application. A large industrial manufacturing plant may have four separate cleaning areas throughout their facility that require 120°F water to wash off products between production steps. A central hot water system is installed to supply hot water to these areas. The system itself has to operate at 140°F (for reasons we'll explain below), so thermostatic mixing valves are installed at each cleaning room to blend 140°F hot water and 60°F cold water together to create the 120°F tempered water desired. With this example in mind, now to explain the challenges being addressed by setting the central hot water system at a higher temperature than the end-use temperature:

Thermostatic Mixing Valve28mm

Vantage® M43 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M43 units are single pass RO systems.

Vantage®MFX Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses.

Reverse osmosis (RO) and Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are commonly used as a filtration method to remove many types of dissolved solids (large molecules and ions) from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and the pure solvent is allowed to pass to the other side.

Vantage® M83 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M83 units are single pass RO systems.

Vantage® M41 GP Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M41 units are single pass RO systems.

• OSHA - federal and state-level Occupational Safety and Health Administration offices issue standards that often reference other regulations, integrating these requirements together for the specific purpose of protecting worker safety.

Many commercial and industrial applications call for heated water at a temperature safe for human contact. Facilities often install high-temperature central hot water systems for a variety of technical reasons, and this high-temp water produced must be tempered down to safe levels before connecting to sinks, showers, hose stations, and manufacturing equipment. To perform this tempering work, we turn to thermostatic mixing valves, a class of valves that blend hot and cold water streams together on the fly to achieve a desired intermediate water temperature. In this article, we'll discuss the purpose and function of thermostatic mixing valves, including installation tips and regulatory considerations.

Thermostatic mixing valveoutside tap

There are key differences between reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane technology and conventional filtration (i.e. media filtration). The predominant removal mechanism in conventional filtration is straining, or size exclusion, so the process can theoretically achieve perfect exclusion of particles regardless of operational parameters such as influent pressure and concentration. Reverse osmosis, however, involves a diffusive mechanism so that separation efficiency is dependent on solute concentration, pressure, and water flux rate.

• Industry Guidelines - a wealth of information specific to certain industries and applications can be found through industry trade associations, non-profits, national laboratories, and academic sources.

Reverse osmosis (RO) and Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are commonly used as a filtration method to remove many types of dissolved solids (large molecules and ions) from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and the pure solvent is allowed to pass to the other side.

Thermostatic Mixing Valvetap

To recap, hot water systems used in commercial and industrial applications often generate hot water at a higher temperature than needed for reasons rooted in energy efficiency, water-borne illness defense, and regulatory compliance. Large systems may produce over 140°F water in order to stave off legionella blooms, but this water must be stepped down to safer temperatures before the water is discharged for human contact (typically 80°F to 120°F). Other process applications will have different temperature profiles. Thermostatic mixing valves provide a simple mechanical solution for blending hot and cold water streams to create this tempered discharge. When installed correctly, in full compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, and properly maintained, thermostatic valves can operate behind the scenes providing safe, consistent, on-demand tempered water for the life of your commercial or industrial application.

• ASSE - the American Society of Sanitary Engineers publishes standards aimed at preventing unsanitary design in plumbing systems. Most thermostatic mixing valves will be specified as compliant with an ASSE standard, as this is the most widely adopted spec by manufacturers and code inspectors.

Thermostatic Mixing Valve22mm

Vantage® M41 GP Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M41 units are single pass RO systems.

3. Minimize Discharge Leg Distance - once tempered water is produced through the mixing valve, it must flow to the point of use through its discharge piping. If this discharge leg is too long, tempered water will take a relatively long time to push out the residual cold water in that leg and make it to the point of use. Especially for sinks and eyewash stations where immediate tempered flow is expected, mixing valves should be installed as close to the fixture’s inlet connection as possible.

Vantage® M86 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M86 units are single pass RO systems.

Thermostatic Mixing Valve15mm

Different manufacturers will have different requirements for the installation of their thermostatic mixing valves, though there are a handful of universal best practices to keep in mind, including:

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• Local Municipal and Public Health Codes - local building departments are the most direct regulators of hot water temperatures in new and remodel construction projects. Local and regional public health departments are often the regulating bodies charged with ongoing enforcement where public health is involved, such as with food manufacturing and restaurants.

• Energy and Consumption Efficiency - compared to non-recirculated hot water lines from hot water heaters, thermostatic valves cut water waste and energy consumption by reducing the amount of time an operator has to draw water before it hits the desired temperature.

Vantage® M83 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M83 units are single pass RO systems.

• ANSI - the American National Standards Institute is a nonprofit organization that publishes voluntary consensus standards that many code enforcers, manufacturers, installers, and end users choose to adopt.

Vantage® M286 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M286 units are two pass RO systems.

Vantage®MFX Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses.

Hot water is a widely regulated utility, with many governing agencies having a say in the design and temperature setpoint of any given system regardless of the industry or application. Below are the most common regulatory bodies involved with water temperature, and readers are encouraged to confirm their applicable requirements with local building officials, licensed mechanical engineers, and/or licensed plumbing contractors.

Most applications looking for high salt rejection resulting in lower higher quality effluent typically utilize RO membranes. In some applications where high salt rejection is not required, Nanofiltration membranes (often referred to as softening membranes) can be used to selectively remove certain salts from the feed stream reducing the total dissolved solids to acceptable levels at lower operating pressures than RO membranes.

Vantage® M41 RS Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M41 units are single pass RO systems.

Vantage® M43 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M43 units are single pass RO systems.

CIP systems perform regular maintenance cleaning and sanitizing of reverse osmosis and other membrane systems to remove fouling and restore membrane system performance.

Vantage® M86 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M86 units are single pass RO systems.

Thermostatic mixing valvehow it works

Thermostatic mixing valvetemperature setting

• Microorganism Defense - domestic water is highly susceptible to microorganism and bacterial activity (notably legionella), especially at warm temperatures which drive rapid spore propagation. Heating water above this spore growth temperature range can inhibit and destroy these microorganisms.

Vantage® M286 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M286 units are two pass RO systems.

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2. Hydraulic Design - thermostatic valves are not just selected for their pipe size, but also for specific hydraulic conditions such as pressure, flow, temperature, and fluid properties. For example, hydraulically undersized valves can cause pressure and flow issues, and oversized valves can lead to poor temperature regulation.

4. Isolate from Other Thermal Sources - mixing valves rely on their internal or external thermostat to properly achieve the desired outlet temperature, but if the thermostat is being influenced by adjacent hot or cold thermal sources, the valve could miss its target.

Vantage® M284 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M284 units are two pass RO systems.

• Regulatory Compliance - given the above point, substantial regulatory and legal requirements govern water temperature as a function of public health and employee safety.

• Thermal Losses - hot water will drop in temperature as it sits in storage tanks and flows through distribution piping, so is often generated at higher temperatures in order to tolerate shedding heat during transit but remain above the desired minimum end-use temperature.

• National Industry Codes - certain nationally regulated industries will have their own requirements, such as the United States Department of Agriculture's standards for food manufacturing facilities.

CIP systems perform regular maintenance cleaning and sanitizing of reverse osmosis and other membrane systems to remove fouling and restore membrane system performance.

Thermostatic Mixing ValveBath

Vantage® M84 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M84 units are single pass RO systems.

Reverse osmosis is a continuously operating treatment technology that uses pressure to pass source water through a thin membrane and thereby separate impurities from water.

Vantage® M41 RS Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M41 units are single pass RO systems.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a special type of filtration that uses a semi-permeable, thin membrane with pores small enough to pass pure water through while rejecting larger molecules such as dissolved salts (ions) and other impurities such as bacteria. Reverse osmosis is used to produce highly purified water for drinking water systems, industrial boilers, food and beverage processing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical production, seawater desalination, and many other applications. It has been a recognized technology for more than a century and commercialized since the 1960’s.

1. OEM Requirements - follow the manufacturer's installation and maintenance requirements explicitly. Some details such as orientation and straight piping lengths can impact the valve's ability to reliably hit the desired outlet temperature, or worse, could risk dangerous failure. Even if two different models physically appear similar, check the manual - they may have important internal differences that impact installation.

Reverse Osmosis is the reversal of this natural phenomenon, by the application of external pressure on the solution that contains the higher concentration of dissolved ions, thus forcing water through the semi-permeable membrane in the opposite direction, leaving behind the dissolved ions and the suspended solids. In the reverse osmosis process, the water that passes through the membrane is commonly referred to as permeate, or product water. The water that remains behind the membrane along with the dissolved and suspended solids is referred to as the reject, brine, or concentrate water.

Vantage® M284 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M284 units are two pass RO systems.

• National and State Building Codes - nationally-recognized building codes such as the Uniform Building Code (UBC) and International Building Code (IBC) are adopted and enforced by states that don't otherwise publish their own state building code.

Vantage® M84 Reverse Osmosis (RO) units are pre-engineered and pre-assembled units designed for a variety of industrial and commercial applications. RO membranes typically remove 90-99.9% of suspended and dissolved solids and can remove bacteria and viruses. M84 units are single pass RO systems.

Thermostatic mixing valves are mechanical devices that connect to hot and cold water sources, and by regulating the proportion of hot to cold water blended together within the valve, they automatically provide tempered discharge water at a specific temperature. Inside the valve, a spring-loaded thermostat dynamically adjusts the amount of hot and cold water flowing through the valve, with the spring tension set to achieve the desired outlet temperature (either adjusted by an operator or set constant at the factory).