Laboratory Plumbing

Water is one of the most important services in a laboratory. We prepare and install the clean and waste water services together with the plumbing and foul water drainage designs. Water points such as sinks, fittings, emergency showers and eyewash stations are planned around the bench layout, and the hot and cold water and drainage points are shown on mechanical drawings produced from the laboratory drawings.

The pipework runs through the 15–20 cm service void left behind the benches, so it stays tidy and easy to reach for maintenance.

Laboratory Water Systems

• Sinks and cup sinks
• Water fittings
• Draining racks
• Water heaters
• Emergency eyewash stations and showers
• Pipework and connections

Choosing Sinks and Cup Sinks

The sink and cup sink material is chosen to suit the worktop:

• Polypropylene: usually used with worktops such as Trespa, compact laminate and Corian. It resists acids, alkalis and bases, does not stain, and stands up well to impact and scratching. The waste traps are also polypropylene and come as a set, with an overflow outlet and a chained plug.
• Industrial ceramic (stoneware) and epoxy resin: on these worktops the sinks and cup sinks are made of the same material.
• Stainless steel: made in one piece with a stainless steel worktop of the same material. It resists acids, alkalis and bases, does not stain, and stands up well to impact, scratching and high temperatures. The waste traps are polypropylene. Usually used in chemical analysis laboratories.

Sinks are used for washing. Cup sinks usually serve as drain points next to water-cooled instruments, or as the inlet tank of a recirculating water system, in which the waste water is collected in a tank and filtered so that it can be reused as cooling water.

Fittings and Water for Fume Hoods

Our laboratory water fittings are made to DIN 12918, with colour coding to DIN EN 13792. Fume hoods usually have cold water only; where needed, hot and cold mixer taps and, as an option, demineralised water taps can be fitted.

Emergency Shower and Eyewash Connections

The water supply and drain connections are run in advance to the points where emergency eyewash stations and showers will stand. Bench-mounted eyewash units are connected with flexible connectors.