New generation of flush valves won school district over

New generation of flush valves won school district over — When Gerard A. Guilmette School in Lawrence, Mass., opened in 2001 it was state-of-the-art, especially the restrooms. The school was an early adopter of touchless Sloan flushometers, which offer the advantages of ADA compliance, water conservation, increased hygiene and protection against vandalism. But as with any new product, each new generation proves better than the last. When the flushometers were installed, sensor technology had not hit its stride. And in Lawrence’s harsh water environment, it lagged in performance.

“The water in Lawrence is unclean and poor,” says Greg Hinchcliffe, head engineer at Guilmette School. “We have high pressure and a lot of sediment. As a result, the battery-operated flushometers could not take it.”

The first valves that were installed had a short unit life because of water run-on. The staff would clean them, change the batteries and still have the same problems.

“It seemed we worked on them two hours every day, and we would still have problems,” Hinchcliffe says.

Nevertheless, Hinchcliffe decided to give Sloan another try. He selected the G2 Optima Plus battery-powered flushometer. The mechanics of the G2 — most notably its patented isolated operator that shields the solenoid from water exposure — sets this flushometer apart from past generations of sensor-operated valves.

Since the G2s were installed they have been nearly maintenance free. They were installed right out of the box and required minimal field adjustments. Batteries only need to be changed when an LED flashes, and the water doesn’t have to be turned off to change them.

Air Delights, Inc. is a national distributor of Sloan Valve products and repair
parts including the G2 Optima Automatic Flusher for toilets or
urinals. Please visit our website at www.airdelights.com
or call us toll free at 1-800-440-5556 for more information or to purchase Sloan Valve products or repair parts.