Drinking Fountains

Drinking Fountains

Wall-mounted drinking fountains offer the flexibility of installation at any height to suit the age of users, whilst floor standing water fountains are available in junior and adult heights, with a full shroud to conceal the plumbing and waste pipework.

With many years of experience dealing with the supply of commercial drinking fountains, we are happy to discuss your requirements for indoor or outdoor fountain products. Please contact us.

Drinking Fountains are defined as "a device in a public place that produces a stream of water for people to drink from". From this basic concept, today’s modern fountains have developed into different styles, these allow point of use water to be supplied and delivered in all locations to promote hydration.

Water Byelaws

All installed water fittings that carry or transfer water from the mains water supply in the UK, must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations or Scottish Byelaws. Regulation 4 1 (a) and (b) state, “every water fitting shall be of an appropriate quality and standard and be suitable for the circumstances in which it is used” The byelaws also stipulate that an installed water fitting should not cause waste, misuse, undue consumption or contamination of the water supply and must be “of an appropriate quality and standard”.

Local water authorities are responsible for enforcing the regulations, and each water authority will decide exactly how they manage the compliance.

WRAS and NSF Approved Taps

WRAS Approval is the easiest way to prove compliance with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations or Scottish Byelaws. WRAS (Water Research Advisory Service) is an organization that is owned and operated by the water utility companies in the UK. They undertake approval of products that have been tested to their criteria by approved laboratories. WRAS testing is based on the BS 6920 standard. BS6920: Suitability of non-metallic materials and products for use in contact with water intended for human consumption with regard to their effect on the quality of the water. It tests only non-metallic materials that are in contact with water to see if they:

• impart odour or flavour

• cause a change in appearance (colour or turbidity)

• promote microbial growth

• leach substances harmful to human health, or

• leach toxic metals

NSF Certification ensures that products have been evaluated and tested, and comply with all US public health standards. NSF tests and certifies products to NSF/ANSI 61. This includes an inspection of the manufacturing processes at the production facility and testing of the product to the requirements of NSF 61.

The main differences between the two approvals are:

• NSF 61: Drinking Water Systems Components – health effects,  does not address the odour or flavour or colour or turbidity effects on water. It also does not test for microbial growth.

• NSF 61 does however test metallic materials for metals leachate, and also requires a lead content below 0.25% on a weighted average basis for a device. (WRAS does not test for this).

• NSF tests include a regular inspection of the manufacturing processes at the production factory.

Whilst WRAS approval is not a legal requirement, some local water authorities will insist on the use of WRAS approved fittings. If you install other products you may be asked to prove compliance in other ways. Please ensure your installation and choice of materials meets the requirements of your local water authority. WRAS approved fountains are also available.