Die Kita Spitzholz in Sindelfingen.

Spitzholz public day nursery, Sindelfingen

SCHELL sanitary equipment improves nursery school hygiene, comfort and safety

For the renovations to the sanitary facilities dating from the 1960s, management at the Spitzholz day nursery were especially keen to protect the health of their children: intelligent sanitary equipment from SCHELL now helps to maintain drinking water quality, optimise user hygiene and offer reliable anti-scalding protection. 

Project data:

Property type: Day nursery

Requirements: Renovations

Completion: September 2022

Location: Sindelfingen

Country: Germany

Technical planning: Achim Krahl – Ingenieurbüro für Versorgungstechnik

SCHELL products:

SWS server, SMART.SWS

PURIS E electronic wash basin tap, CELIS E electronic wash basin tap

GRANDIS E electronic kitchen tap

Angle valve thermostat set
 

Challenge

The flat-roof construction of the Spitzholz nursery school dates from the 1960s, and renovations to the outdated WC facilities and kitchen had therefore become urgently needed. Maintaining good drinking water quality was a key criterion here: the school owners were looking for a sanitary equipment solution that would prevent the hazardous spread of Legionella in drinking water, and so protect the health of its staff and pupils. The new system also needed to be capable of logging all relevant data on a continuous basis, to ensure that proof of compliance with German drinking water legislation could be provided easily as and when necessary. User hygiene was another key aspect: since infectious diseases can be rather common in nursery schools, a smart solution was needed that could effectively lower the risk of contact infections in the sanitary facilities. The new sanitary equipment also needed to offer reliable anti-scalding protection, as users unable to react properly to sudden dangers – like young children – are particular at risk of injury from hot water. 

Solution

The SCHELL SWS Water Management System offers facility managers optimum support for maintaining drinking water quality in the Spitzholz day nursery. Regular, automated stagnation flushes ensure a reliable exchange of water in the piping. This effectively reduces the risk of the excessive propagation of bacteria such as Legionella to levels that are harmful to health. Thanks to the continuous, centralised logging of all relevant data, school management is also provided with a full record of compliance with German drinking water legislation, while SMART.SWS offers remote access to the system when not on site. Electronic taps from SCHELL were also installed in the wash rooms and the staff kitchen, with all of these fittings being networked with SWS. Thanks to their contactless functionality, the CELIS E and PURIS E wash basin taps and Grandis E kitchen tap ensure their operation is especially hygienic. This is an effective means of reducing the risk of disease transmission by contact infection, as the taps do not need to be touched during hand washing. Compared with conventional single-lever mixers, the contactless taps can also cut water and energy use by up to 70 percent . Angle valve thermostat sets were also installed to provide the children with reliable anti-scalding protection: with their ThermoProtect technology, these taps offer optimum protection against scald injuries – even if the cold water line fails. 

Smart, economical and safe water management with SWS

At the Spitzholz day nursery, SCHELL’s SWS Water Management System ensures a regular exchange of water even during periods of downtime, such as during the school holidays. This allows stagnating water to be flushed out and the effective minimisation of the risk of bacteria such as Legionella rising to critical levels. Thanks to the flexible programming of automated flushes, drinking water quality is also maintained at an optimum level at weekends, on public holidays or during school holidays. When compared with executing the necessary flushes manually, SWS is also especially economical with water, as only the smallest possible volume of water is used for the stagnation flushes. Individual settings for stagnation flushes and fitting parameters can also be made centrally on the SWS server. The SMART.SWS add-on also offers remote access to the water management system. This allows facility owners to check a wide range of parameters, such as calculated water consumption for the networked fittings or their battery status. 

Convenient and hygienic for users – wash basin and kitchen taps from SCHELL

Electronic wash basin taps from SCHELL’s PURIS and CELIS series were also installed in the wash rooms at the Spitzholz day nursery. All taps were then networked using SWS. With both of these models, the flow of water can be triggered without contact via an infrared sensor and then shuts off automatically once hands are moved out of the sensor’s detection range. In this way, the electronic wash basin taps not only help to ensure optimised user hygiene and a reduced risk of contact infections but also reduce water consumption during use. Contactless operation is also practical when kids want to use the taps with hands that might be dirty from playtime or arts and crafts – ensuring that tap bodies remain clean at all times. The preferred water temperature can be adjusted on the PURIS E and CELIS E using the temperature control on the side. Individual tap parameters – such as stagnation flushes, sensor ranges or follow-up time – can be programmed centrally on the SWS server. 

GRANDIS E electronic kitchen taps were also installed in the staff kitchen at the day nursery and also networked with SWS. This smart hybrid tap is both flexible and convenient, offering a choice of usage modes: the tap can either be operated by its side-mounted single lever or used as a contactless fitting with its infrared sensor. 

Reliable anti-scalding protection for sensitive young skin

Young children in particular are especially at risk from hot water, as they do not yet have any appreciation of the risk of potential injury from contact. They are less likely to react as quickly as adults would and their skin is also more sensitive. The school therefore also installed SCHELL’s angle valve thermostats, which offer the children optimum anti-scalding protection. Even if the cold water line fails, the innovative ThermoProtect thermostat offers reliable anti-scalding protection, ensuring that even very young children can use the tap safely. 

SCHELL products

The Spitzholz public day nursery offers plenty of space for play, arts and crafts and learning to 50 children from 3 to 6 years of age. Children can develop at their own pace in two large communal rooms that offer an arts and crafts area, an atelier, a picture book/reading corner, and a multi-purpose room with gymnastic facilities. In good weather, a generously sized outdoor area with play and climbing facilities plus a water play area invites children to explore outside. The educational model applied by the nursery stems from the Reggio system originating in northern Italy, where the child’s personal freedom and independent development are the main point of focus. In addition, the Spitzholz nursery school is also keen to promote language learning, movement, creativity and musical development.