Aqualisa Quartz Case
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Aqualisa Quartz: Case Study Bryant Shetler
Case Background
Aqualisa Company is a plumbing supply manufacture, run by Harry Rawlinson in the U.K, which specializes in shower systems. The U.K. is a much older country than the U.S., and many of the houses have obsolete plumbing installed. This leads to low water pressure and temperature fluctuations with the old systems. Not all of the homes have showers either. Only 60% have showers installed (Moon, Y. 2006). Low water pressure is due to the gravity fed systems where a reservoir was installed high in the ceiling or roof to supply cold water, and a boiler was located elsewhere to supply hot water. These systems have a low water pressure of 3-4 liters a minute as opposed to the average U.S. system of 18 liters/min (Moon, Y. 2006). If the water pressure fluctuated between hot and cold, the cold water pressure would increase to compensate for the loss of hot water pressure, or vice versa. This caused the temperature fluctuations in these Victorian era houses. This is like when someone would flush the toilet, the shower would spew boiling hot water to compensate for the loss of cold water pressure. When someone on the U.K. wants to install a shower, they have the choices of an electric, mixer, and power system.
These 3 systems each have their own benefits and drawbacks compared to each other. The electric system does not require a hot water supply to operate. It consists of a box installed on the wall in the shower supply by a cold water gravity system. The unit heats the water, but does not address the water pressure issue. The main benefit of this system is the low price of 95-230 €, and the plumber did not have to tear up the bathroom walls to install (Moon, Y. 2006). The mixer system consisted of a valve system located in the shower walls to blend the water. This system regulates temperature and required the plumber to tear up the shower wall to install resulting in a 2 day install....
Case Background
Aqualisa Company is a plumbing supply manufacture, run by Harry Rawlinson in the U.K, which specializes in shower systems. The U.K. is a much older country than the U.S., and many of the houses have obsolete plumbing installed. This leads to low water pressure and temperature fluctuations with the old systems. Not all of the homes have showers either. Only 60% have showers installed (Moon, Y. 2006). Low water pressure is due to the gravity fed systems where a reservoir was installed high in the ceiling or roof to supply cold water, and a boiler was located elsewhere to supply hot water. These systems have a low water pressure of 3-4 liters a minute as opposed to the average U.S. system of 18 liters/min (Moon, Y. 2006). If the water pressure fluctuated between hot and cold, the cold water pressure would increase to compensate for the loss of hot water pressure, or vice versa. This caused the temperature fluctuations in these Victorian era houses. This is like when someone would flush the toilet, the shower would spew boiling hot water to compensate for the loss of cold water pressure. When someone on the U.K. wants to install a shower, they have the choices of an electric, mixer, and power system.
These 3 systems each have their own benefits and drawbacks compared to each other. The electric system does not require a hot water supply to operate. It consists of a box installed on the wall in the shower supply by a cold water gravity system. The unit heats the water, but does not address the water pressure issue. The main benefit of this system is the low price of 95-230 €, and the plumber did not have to tear up the bathroom walls to install (Moon, Y. 2006). The mixer system consisted of a valve system located in the shower walls to blend the water. This system regulates temperature and required the plumber to tear up the shower wall to install resulting in a 2 day install....