Faucet Outlets: Aerators vs Laminar-Flow

Air carries microbes, and the use of faucet aerators pulls these microbes into the water you drink and wash your hands with. An aerator draws air into the water stream to make the water feel softer and reduce splashing, ensuring the water stays in the sink.

img_laminar-flow-sink “That’s the ideal place for legionella to grow,” says Larry. While the experience of using this water is a nice feature, “hospitals don’t use aerators anymore because if there’s bacteria in the air, then it gets into the water.”

Lucky for you, aerators are not the only way to make your water soft and control the stream. Consider a laminar flow (pictured, right), which doesn’t allow any air into the stream but provides the same soft water effect.

“A laminar flow outlet is like what you see coming out of a garden hose,” says Larry, “it creates a nice stream, like a waterfall. It doesn’t allow any standing space for water droplets to stay and grow bacteria.”

img_identify-laminar

img_flow-regulator-intro Other options include a flow control spout, which uses a flow regulator (pictured, right) inside the spout to limit the flow of water and both soften and control the stream.

“Using laminar flow and flow control on faucets are standard practices in the medical facilities we work with,” says Chris.

As you walk through your facility, identify any aerators in your plumbing system. To reduce the introduction of airborne pathogens, these can all be replaced with other outlet options.

What you don’t want to do is simply remove the aerators and allow the faucets to be used without an outlet. This creates a major problem with water splashing all over, and the facility will have safety liability issues. Water ends up puddling on the floor, creating a slip hazard and growing microbes right there on the restroom floor.

The laminar flow outlets shown below have additional antimicrobial silver ion coatings that we've seen work well in healthcare facilities.