FAQ

ManualsBrandsEvolve Technologies ManualsMixing ValvesEvolve ShowerStart TSV3 Thermostatic Valve-Hot Water Saver (24-Pack)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What is the History of ShowerStart?

Evolve Technologies’ core water and energy saving technology, ShowerStart®, has been commercially available since 2006. The

technology initially launched as a standalone thermostatic shut-off valve (TSV) positioned between a showerhead and a shower arm.

The product was called ShowerStart.

Subsequently the company developed and launched the second generation of ShowerStart in 2007. This iteration was designed for

integration within a showerhead and was launched as a line of showerheads as well as a standalone TSV under a new brand, evolve™.

Today all Evolve Technologies’ products are sold under the company’s evolve brand.

To date more than 750,000 units have been sold. The overwhelming majority have been installed within utility conservation and

weatherization programs throughout the U.S.

What are ShowerStart’s applications?

In and of itself, ShowerStart does not restrict showerhead pressure or flow and delivers savings incremental to the efficiencies of low

flow showerheads. Rather than reducing flow while showering, ShowerStart saves the energy-filled hot water that’s wasted

(behavioral waste) during the shower warm-up process. ShowerStart has two distinct applications:

•

It can be used as a stand-alone device (ShowerStart TSV) to provide meaningful water and energy savings for people who do

not wish to use a low flow showerhead.

•

It can be paired with a low flow showerhead to substantially increase its efficiency.

What’s the showering process once the unit is installed?

Showering with the ShowerStart is simple and convenient. Users are able to save water, and the energy used to heat it, without

changing their behavior or in-shower experience. Now they can keep their typical routine of undertaking activities while waiting for

the shower to become warm without inadvertently wasting hot water once it arrives.

The process of showering with ShowerStart installed is as follows:

•

Turn shower on. Once 95F (35C) water arrives, flow is automatically reduced to a trickle.

•

Pull the unit’s lanyard to bypass the trickle and resume normal showerhead flow.

•

Check water temperature and begin showering. The ShowerStart automatically resets for the next shower.

Does ShowerStart warm the water?

ShowerStart does not warm the water. The hot water heater does the heating and ShowerStart acts as the showerhead’s brains by

monitoring the water temperature and automatically reducing the flow to a trickle as soon as near-bathing-temperature (95F/35C)

water arrives.

Summary of content (5 pages)

PAGE 1
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: What is the History of ShowerStart? Evolve Technologies’ core water and energy saving technology, ShowerStart®, has been commercially available since 2006. The technology initially launched as a standalone thermostatic shut-off valve (TSV) positioned between a showerhead and a shower arm. The product was called ShowerStart. Subsequently the company developed and launched the second generation of ShowerStart in 2007.
PAGE 2
Does ShowerStart increase the risk of scalding? Evolve Technologies has conducted testing to determine the impact of ShowerStart on water temperatures high enough to quickly scald bathers. Testing consisted of monitoring, recording and comparing the showering temperatures of a 1.5 gpm WaterSense certified showerhead with and without ShowerStart. The following fixed parameters were used: • Water heater set point of 140F • ½ in. copper plumbing-run of 31 ft. 7 in.
PAGE 3
Can ShowerStart save the cold water too? The cold water within the plumbing lines (structural waste) will exit through the showerhead. ShowerStart will reduce the showerhead’s flow to a trickle once near-bathing-temperature water (95F/35C) arrives. As a result, it prevents the inadvertent warm and hot water waste associated with people’s warm-up routines. It is not a cold water savings device.
PAGE 4
Testing reveals ShowerStart’s’ “trickle mode” adds, on average, 9.5 – 12.75 psi of back-pressure to the line running from the mixing valve to the showerhead vs. the back-pressure created by a showerhead operating at its normal flow. In no circumstance does ShowerStart’s “trickle mode” create back-pressure greater than the incoming water line pressure and is, on average, 11% lower than that threshold.
PAGE 5
Has ShowerStart been certified? ShowerStart’s ability to reduce behavioral waste is unique and a new International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) standard was created to cover its functionality – IAPMO IGC 244-2007a. In addition to meeting IAPMO requirements and being Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) certified, all showerheads containing ShowerStart have also been WaterSense certified.