Exeter College Oxford reviewed its shower-head maintenance programme in response to the significant limescale challenges associated with Oxford's hard water.
The College was maintaining a large number of shower heads on a regular basis. Following a successful trial of Multi-Shower in a shower cubicle known to be problematic, the College developed a business case for wider adoption and subsequently rolled the system out across the estate.
The existing maintenance challenge
The College's existing process involved maintenance staff visiting each room, removing the shower head, soaking it in a chemical cleaning solution, thoroughly rinsing it and then reinstalling it.
When repeated across the estate, this represented a significant maintenance commitment.
The College also reported that repeated chemical cleaning contributed to shower heads breaking and requiring replacement over time.
Trialling a different approach
Before considering a wider rollout, Exeter installed a Multi-Shower head in a shower cubicle known to experience problems.
The College reported that the trial unit performed well in that location, providing confidence that the system was suitable for wider use across the estate.
Reducing the routine maintenance burden
Multi-Shower uses removable, colour-coded inserts that can be changed independently of the complete shower head.
For Exeter, the approach offered an alternative to repeatedly removing and chemically descaling the complete shower head as part of its routine maintenance programme.
The College's business case identified potential benefits including reduced maintenance time, lower chemical use, fewer replacement shower heads and less non-recyclable waste.
Building the business case
Exeter compared the ongoing maintenance requirements of its existing shower heads with the proposed Multi-Shower approach.
The review considered labour, chemical use, replacement cycles, water-flow management and waste as part of the wider estates decision.
Following the trial and business-case review, the College proceeded with the Multi-Shower rollout.
Water-flow considerations
Water-flow management was also part of the College's assessment.
The business case considered how flow control could be incorporated into the Multi-Shower system rather than relying on separate components across the estate.
From business case to rollout
Following the trial and review of the maintenance, operational and sustainability implications, Exeter College proceeded with the Multi-Shower rollout.
The project provides a useful example of how shower-head specification can form part of a wider estates decision involving limescale, maintenance time, consumables, replacement cycles and waste.
Source
Exeter College Oxford - Shower Descaling: Sustainability Improvements and Cost Savings.
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