Ideal Standard Taps
Which tap range is Ideal Standard's biggest selling this year, and has this always been the case?
Our best selling range of taps is Ceraplan. It overtook Waterways which had been our best seller for several years up to 2007. Cone has been our second best seller for 3 years now. The success of Ceraplan is because it combines sleek modern styling, click cartridge, ceramic disc flow control and top fix all at a competitive price.
Which of Ideal Standards tap ranges incorporate the Click cartridge, and what benefits does the Click cartridge bring to the customer?
Click technology is a feature on some of our single lever mixer taps which gives easier control over how much water you use. This is important as water becomes more precious and there is increasing pressure on us to use less, for example water meters. The user lifts the lever until they feel a slight resistance, which indicates they are using 50% flow. Lifting the lever beyond the resistance allows up to 100% flow to be obtained. This 50% flow rate is ideal for brushing teeth or rinsing hands and reduces the amount of water used. The following Ideal Standard brassware ranges contain taps fitted with a click cartridge: Melange, Idyll 2, Ceramix and Ceraplan. Other ranges, including Active and Cone will also have this feature very soon.
Do all Ideal Standard taps work on both high and low pressure systems?
Most Ideal Standard taps are designed to operate on both low and high pressure systems. The UK is quite unique in Europe by having many low pressure water systems; however we are slowly moving over to European-style high pressure systems. This means that we need to offer products suitable for both types of systems: products designed for high pressure systems could be too restrictive on low pressure systems, and conversely those designed for low pressure could flow too much water when fitted to a high pressure system. Many competitors 'European' products are offered for sale in the UK but will only offer a satisfactory flow rate on a high pressure system, and this is not made clear in their literature. However, only a few of our products are designed to operate only on high pressure systems, such as the new melange thermostatic bath fillers, and this is clearly identified in our literature.
What are the added benefits of choosing a thermostatic bath filler such as the Melange over a Cone 2 Hole Bath Filler for example? Is it worth spending the extra money?
The real advantage in choosing a thermostatic bath filler is safety. Every year in the UK around 20 people die and 570 suffer serious scald injuries due to hot bath water. The under fives and the elderly are most at risk. These injuries and deaths are preventable by the installation of thermostatic mixers to regulate the maximum hot water temperature to 48 degrees. (Refer to www.hotwaterburnslikefire.org.uk for more details). All our thermostatic fittings are designed to comply with the TMV2 or 3 standards, and many are approved to these standards, ensuring that they meet the necessary safety requirements. They also have adjustable maximum temperature stops which allow the maximum temperature to be set between 40 and 48°C. In Scotland it is a legal requirement to only fit TMV2 or 3 approved products, and this is expected to become law in England and Wales in the future.
If a person doesn't want to spend more than a £100.00 on a basin tap, which ranges would you advise looking at?
The obvious choice would be our best selling Ceraplan range. This range offers sleek modern styling and a host of features including click cartridge, ceramic disc flow control and top fix, and the single lever basin mixer with pop-up waste retails at around £80 inc VAT!. At just under £100 there is the designer Active basin mixer, also with pop-up waste; which also offers ceramic disc flow control and top fix.
What has the response been to your latest addition to the Ideal Standard tap portfolio - Melange?
Melange has been very well received since it was introduced earlier this year. It is positioned towards the top of the Ideal Standard ranges of brassware with a wide range of products including single lever basin, bath and bath/shower mixers, and thermostatic bath fillers, showers and bath/show mixers. The Melange range offers the superb combination of being beautiful to look at, a joy to use and a delight to touch! Ceramic disc, top fix and click cartridge are all featured. The single lever basin mixer uses a new design of cartridge which ensures higher flow rates for low pressure water systems, and the showers feature cool body technology to remove the risk of having a hot valve body.
Why should a customer buy an Ideal Standard tap over another manufacturer?
When you buy Ideal Standard you are getting brassware form the largest supplier and manufacturer of integrated bathroom and brassware solutions. It is essential that bathroom and brassware products work together to optimise your bathroom, and this can only be assured when they are manufactured by the same company. To demonstrate our confidence we offer a 5 year guarantee on all brassware products. We also help with product selection by matching our brassware ranges to our bathroom ranges; for example we would suggest Active brassware for use on the Washpoint bathroom range, and this is shown in our product literature.
Many plumbers and DIY enthusiasts moan about having to tighten the tap behind the basin on installation. How has Ideal Standard overcome this 'installer's nightmare'?
'Top fix' is a feature of many of our taps and bidet mixers, and has been mentioned a number of times already. This innovative patented feature does exactly what it says: it allows the installer to fit and tighten the mixer without having to reach under the basin as the tightening is done from above. Not only is it much easier, it also makes installation much quicker. We offer a timed trial to installers at various trade events and installers unfamiliar with this technology have installed a basin mixer and pop up waste in less than 30 seconds! Academy, Idyll 2, Ceramix, Ceraplan (SL, Disc and Duo) and Active all incorporate this feature.
If the customer doesn't want a conventional bath tap, what would be their option?
Ideal Standard offer a wide range of bath tap designs, both modern and traditional. Traditional tastes are met with the Kingston range, and also the Art Deco Plaza range. Modern designs include the more usual pillar taps and two hole bath fittings, but also usually include single lever bath fillers to meet the trend towards this type of fitting. We also offer single lever bath fillers with a shower facility. Thermostatic bath fillers are also available for those who are more safety conscious (Active and Melange ranges). The Melange range also includes a 4 hole bath shower mixer where 2 low profile taps fit onto the bath deck alongside a sculptured bath filler and a shower handspray. For a more uxorious bath fill solution then we can offer Idealfill which consists of an integrated bath fill and waste system which does not require a conventional spout, along with 2 discreet handles on the bath deck. Idealfill is designed to work on low pressure systems giving a flow rate of 23 litres/minute - faster than any other bath filling system! Idealfill handles are available to match a number of our brassware ranges including Silver and Cone.
What benefits does Ceramic Disc Technology give to Ideal Standard Taps?
Ceramic disc technology offers you a quarter or half turn operation from fully open to fully closed. It also gives very precise control of the flow rate whilst ensuring reliable drip free operation for many years. With this technology water wastage through dripping is prevented and the hassle of changing tap washers is history! A dripping tap that wastes 1 litre of water per hour is equivalent to wasting 1460 full WC flushes a year!
To purchase Ideal Standard Taps from Bathrooms365, click here.
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