FontanaShowers WELL Healthcare Bathroom Fixtures
Healthcare bathroom design is the intersection of plumbing engineering, infection-control planning, accessibility, water management, maintenance, and occupant experience. Thus, for architects, MEP engineers, plumbing consultants, healthcare planners and specification teams, choosing fixtures is about much more than selecting a tap based on its finish or appearance.
FontanaShowers. WELL healthcare bathroom fixtures can be assessed under the broader performance-based approach that promotes hygienic hand washing, controlled water flow, operability, maintainability and sustainable water consumption.
It is important to distinguish between product specification and building certification. Never say “WELL certified” for individual faucets or bathroom fixtures. Instead, carefully selected fixtures can help support project strategies associated with the WELL Building Standard, particularly some of the criteria related to water quality, handwashing, moisture management, and building water-system operation.
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In healthcare projects, this distinction provides a more defensible basis for specification: select equipment based on measurable performance and coordinate it with the facility’s larger infection prevention and water management program.
Water System In The Building Bathroom Fixtures Healthcare
A hospital tap is not an isolated fixture. It is the end point of a drinking water system that includes distribution piping, temperature control, pressure, mixing, potential for stagnation, drainage, geometry of the basin, maintenance procedures and user behaviour.
Guidance for healthcare water management recommends that comprehensive water management programs be implemented in applicable facilities to reduce risks related to Legionella and other waterborne pathogens . Healthcare design teams also should consider sinks, drains, splash conditions, patient susceptibility and plumbing-system exposure pathways.
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This entails harmonising schedules for healthcare fixtures with domestic cold and hot water distribution, thermostatic or point-of-use temperature control, fixture flow requirements, standard basin shape, splash containment, drainage configuration, accessibility requirements, service access to sensors and solenoids, electrical or battery power, commissioning procedures, and facility water management protocols.
Here you can see FontanaShowers commercial touchless bathroom tap reviews:
Rather than simply judging these systems on their looks, they should be evaluated for AEC teams based on mounting configuration, sensing architecture, power source, flow requirement, finish, geometry of the basin, and installation conditions.
Touchless operation and health care hand washing
Touchless operation may eliminate the need to manually operate conventional tap handles during normal handwashing. But in healthcare settings the question of specification shouldn’t be whether or not a fixture contains a sensor.
Architects and engineers need to look at the whole sensor tap assembly:
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Sensor > Controller > Power Supply > Solenoid Valve > Mixing Unit > Outlet > Basin >
The detection distance should be consistent with the actual hand position in the washroom. If the sensor range is too big it can be tripped unnecessarily, however if it is too small it may not work consistently.
The spout projection should also properly position the water stream in the basin, not directly over the drain, too close to the rear wall or too close to the front edge.
FontanaShowers provides information on touchless tap compatibility and specifications at:
This resource can be used to help in evaluating rough-in conditions, mounting, basin coordination, hydraulics, power requirements and access for service.
Healthcare Fixture Coordination Guide.
Range of Sensors
Healthcare concern: Incorrect or missed activation.
AEC direction: Shape detection zone to basin shape and expected location of user's hand.
Reach Spout
Healthcare problem: Splash and user ergonomics.
AEC guidance: Locate the water stream within the usable basin washing zone.
Flow rate (
Health care concern: Water consumption and washing performance.
AEC Direction: Set appropriate regulated flow rate based on application and code requirements.
Water Temperature
Healthcare concern Scald protection and user comfort
\* Coordinate thermostatic mixing and applicable temperature control requirements AEC direction
Strength
Healthcare concern: Availability and maintenance of fixtures.
AEC direction: Evaluate hardwired, battery, or backup-power methods.
Location of the solenoid
Maintenance Downtime Healthcare concern.
AEC guidance: Provide access to replacement and inspection points.
Strainer / Filter
Health care issue: Valves reliability.
AEC direction: Provide upstream protection as required by manufacturer.
Depth of Basin
Healthcare concerns: Splash migration
AEC instruction: Adjust tap discharge to bowl shape and drain location.
Finish and Material
Healthcare concern – Surface durability and cleanability.
AEC direction: Ensure compatibility with facility-approved cleaning products.
Data BIM
Healthcare concern: Coordination mistakes.
AEC guidance: Include fixture geometry, plumbing interfaces, mounting points and service zones in digital coordination.
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This framework is to be used as a reference for healthcare fixture coordination and is not a substitute for project-specific engineering calculations, local code requirements, or infection-control procedures.
Water Temperature, Flow, and Plumbing Safety
Health care fixtures shall be used in a designed water delivery system. Where temperature limiting is required, design teams should coordinate with the appropriate mixing technology and applicable standards such as ASSE 1070 or other requirements of the authority having jurisdiction.
Other standards such as ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 and potable-water-contact materials such as NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and NSF/ANSI 372 may also be referenced in applicable specifications when they are applicable to the specific fixture and jurisdiction.
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Flow should also be specified deliberately.
Lower flow does not equal better healthcare performance. The flow rate selected must be compatible with the discharge pattern, basin shape, user requirements, code criteria, and effective handwashing.
AEC teams can find spec-grade commercial bathroom fixture resources for FontanaShowers at:
Resources are available to help with fixture schedules, performance requirements, technical submittals, and coordinated plumbing documentation.
Why Base Geometry Matters in Healthcare Design
A often overlooked healthcare-design variable is the relationship between tap discharge and lavatory geometry.
Increasingly, sinks, drains and splash conditions are being recognised as important considerations in clinical settings in healthcare water-risk guidance.
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Therefore, the coordination of health care fixtures should investigate:
Spout reach + discharge angle + flow characteristics + basin depth + drain location + user position
You should not approve the tap and washbasin separately. You should look at these variables in combination.
Adequate remaining countertop depth must be available for a deck mounted faucet sensor to accommodate the faucet body, mounting hardware, tubing, electrical connections, solenoid components and service access under the deck.
The coordination needs for wall-mounted fixtures are varied, including: finished-wall thickness, concealed plumbing zones, sensor-controller placement, waterproofing, structural backing, and accessible maintenance locations.
ADA & Accessible Healthcare Restrooms
Users in health care settings may have a range of abilities in terms of mobility, reach, balance, strength and dexterity.
Sensor technology can automate the initiation of water flow with less physical interaction, but ADA compliance is not defined by sensor technology.
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The entire lavatory installation shall be coordinated with applicable accessibility criteria, including fixture height, clear floor space, knee and toe clearance, reach ranges, protruding elements, mirror placement, accessories, and approach geometry.
A more technically defensible specification is to say that a sensor tap supports accessible restroom design when installed within a compliant lavatory assembly, rather than to say that an isolated tap makes the restroom ADA compliant.
MEP Coordination and BIM, Revit in Healthcare
Healthcare projects typically require close coordination between architecture, plumbing, electrical, structural, interiors, infection prevention and facility operations.
Digital product information is especially important for sensor faucets with hidden equipment such as control boxes, solenoid valves, power supplies, mixing devices, filters and service zones.
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FontanaShowers offers touchless tap BIM and Revit resources at:
Touchless Bathroom Faucets BIM Files | Fontana Showers
More BIM files for integrated touchless tap and soap-dispenser systems can be found at:
These resources can help design teams coordinate mounting locations, fixture geometry, plumbing connections, clearances, concealed components and submittal documentation.
BIM objects need to be checked against the final approved product submittal prior to construction.
Case Example Healthcare Design
For example, a renovation of an outpatient clinic replaces manual lavatory faucets in patient restrooms, staff handwashing areas, and public washrooms.
Rather than a generic 'touchless tap' spec, the plumbing engineer creates a fixture matrix that identifies clinical vs. public use, basin size, required spout projection, acceptable flow range, hot-water source, temperature-limiting method, sensor configuration, electrical or battery power, control-box location and maintenance access.
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The architect coordinates the heights of accessible fixtures and the geometry of counters.
The plumbing engineer verifies hydraulic demands and mixing.
Where applicable, the electrical consultant coordinates hardwired power locations.
Facility personnel are trained on cleaning requirements, battery replacement, valve access and routine maintenance procedures.
The result is a system-based healthcare specification, not merely a product replacement.
This is particularly important when a healthcare facility has a formal water management program in place.
ASHRAE Standard 188 provides a structure for managing the risks of legionellosis in building water systems, and health care water-management guidance stresses structured programs for managing waterborne hazards.
So terminal fixtures should be viewed within a larger water-management strategy, not as standalone decorative elements.
Matrix of Specifier Performance
For AEC evaluation, a healthcare touchless tap can be evaluated through five major performance categories.
Hydraulics Performance
Check operating pressure, flow rate, supply connection, mixing strategy, pressure loss and compatibility with the building water system.
Sensor Performance
Investigate detection technology, activation distance, response behaviour, shutoff logic, and sensing field and base geometry relationship.
Electrical Performance
Check battery voltage, AC power requirements, transformer location, wiring route, backup plan, and service access.
Performance Accessibility
Consider hands-free operation considering accessible reach, basin clearance, fixture height, and user approach.
Maintenance Performance
Solenoid access, strainer access, battery replacement, control box location, cleaning compatibility and replaceable parts.
This matrix provides architects and MEP engineers a more meaningful basis for product comparison than aesthetic characteristics alone.
Related Healthcare, AEC & Standards Sources
These independent organizations and standards bodies provide useful reference material for healthcare washroom planning, handwashing, building water management, accessibility, plumbing engineering, water efficiency, product-material requirements and BIM coordination. Project teams should always confirm the edition, jurisdiction and applicability of any standard before specification.
