Sutton Utd

Background

Formed in 1898, Sutton Utd is a football club with a long and esteemed history in English non-league football. The Surrey club is perhaps best known for its successes in the FA Cup competition, having knocked out the holders Coventry City FC in the third round in 1988/89.

Bobby Childs, Business Development Manager at Sutton Utd, said: “The Club is investing in the Gander Green Lane ground and as part of a long term refurbishment plan for the facilities, we wanted to upgrade the changing rooms. They hadn’t changed in over 30 years and we were keen to invest in newer fixtures that looked fresh and modern, and that could help us keep our running costs down. With so many teams training and playing matches at the Club each week, our water costs were quite considerable.”

Slimline Design

Sutton Utd worked with a local building company on the overhaul of the changing rooms in June 2016. When it came to the specification of the taps and showers, the building company recommended Bristan shower panels and infrared taps.

Bobby continued: “The shower panels were exactly what we were looking for. The slimline design fitted neatly into the space we had for showering, and we really liked some of the special features like the timed flow, which switches the water off after 30 seconds. Before, our footballers would leave the showers running – thinking someone was going in after them – which wasted huge amounts of water. With the timed flow, this can’t happen.”

Bristan specified 17 TMV3 shower panels for the Sutton Utd job. The WRAS-approved steel showers are pre-plumbed and ready to install, and have lots of features which ensure safer showering including an integral thermostatic mixing valve which will automatically shut off the shower in the event of a hot or cold water failure, and an anti-microbial coating to help with infection control. All of the pipework is concealed for a neat and compact finish.

Infrared Technology

To complement the showers, the home dressing room was also fitted with three new infrared taps from Bristan. The stylish swan neck taps are also WRAS approved and automatically shut off after a set time to reduce water waste. The non-touch infrared technology helps to reduce the spread of infection, and can be wired to the mains or battery operated to give installers a choice of options.

Bobby concludes: “Keeping our running costs low is essential, and that includes our maintenance bill for the ground. We needed simple, serviceable products and the Bristan showers and taps have fitted the bill perfectly. Coupled with their aftercare service we are very pleased we went with Bristan.”

Reduce Waste

Louise Smith, Southern Regional Manager from Bristan said: “Water waste is a big problem for many leisure buildings where large numbers of people use taps and showers. So the installation of a timed flow product in place of a standard tap or shower can significantly reduce waste and all without detriment to the experience of the user. We are confident that this simple swap as part of the changing room refurb at Sutton Utd will make a big difference to their costs, and help to channel more of the Club’s funds into other priority areas.”

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