06 June 2024
What is the purpose of a washroom SMART system?
The purpose of a smart washroom system is to enable business owners and facility managers to track and analyse detailed data collected by the system from their washrooms.
The collected data helps those to understand washroom operations and make informed decisions to achieve various goals such as saving water, improving processes, and enhancing sustainability.
A smart washroom system also monitors the functionality of washroom fixtures to detect malfunctions or inefficiencies. This allows facilities teams to promptly fix the fault and minimise the downtime that would inconvenience users.
The goal of a smart washroom system is to ensure that commercial washrooms are kept comfortable, functional, efficient, and sustainable.
A smart washroom system can track and control certain elements in the following SMART enabled products:
While other smart enabled products exist in the market, we’ll narrow our focus to these top four, as they are essential components in every commercial washroom.
Using Dolphin’s washroom system as an example, this is how smart systems work
A Bluetooth adapter connects to each smart enabled washroom product using cables. These products then connect via Bluetooth to either a Dolphin IoT Gateway or a third party IoT Gateway. (Usually, there are multiple IoT Gateways per building).
Dolphin IoT Gateways connect to the local area network (LAN) through ethernet cables and send data using MQTT. After this point, clients have different options to receive the data from the LAN: they can use MQTT or BACnet if they purchase the Dolphin BMS Integrator BACnet Gateway. (Typically, there is one BACnet Gateway per building).
Each device and Gateway has a unique MAC address and IP address respectively for precise identification.
| Sensor Taps | Touch Free Soap Dispensers | Automatic WC Flush Plates | Behind Mirror Systems | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status |  | | | |
| Diagnosis | | | | |
| Configuration | | | |  |
| Trigger | | | | |
| Statistics | | | | |
Can you adjust the flow rate and flush volume on a smart system?
This question arises frequently in discussions about smart washroom systems, and to put it briefly, the answer is no.
The flow rate and flush volume data available through the BMS system serve as a real-time representation of current rates and volumes. This information is readily visible on the dashboard, empowering users to make informed decisions regarding water conservation based on these figures. It’s worth noting that this section within the BMS allows for user input.
To adjust the flow rate of taps and the flush volume of toilets, facilities teams are responsible for implementing changes. This typically involves installing flow regulators manufactured with a low flow rate for taps or fitting delayed action inlet valves in WC cisterns.
Once completed, you can access the BMS to input the rate and volume manually for future reference.
Are SMART washroom solutions value for money?
Yes! Integrating a smart washroom system into a Building Management System to monitor SMART enabled, sensor operated washroom products will help you make informed decisions to save water, save money on utility bills, and help facilities and cleaning teams run the washrooms more efficiently.
A smart washroom system also helps meet the high standards set by green building assessment bodies such as BREEAM and LEED. Furthermore, it serves as a compelling selling point to attract and retain tenants.
By going ‘SMART,’ you are joining the movement towards a more sustainable future and demonstrating sustainability to the assessment bodies with solid data evidence through the use of a smart washroom system.
