Horne Engineering Ltd – Controlled Wash-down

Horne Engineering Ltd is the expert in thermostatic control technology – designing, developing and manufacturing thermostatic control valves since 1909 following their invention of the world’s first thermostatic steam control valve.  Sold into the fever, work and bath houses of the time (institutions that were the precursor to our present day NHS) the Horne thermostatic steam control valve regulated, automatically, the temperature of steam calorifiers.  Over the forthcoming years, the Horne EA-1 valve became known as the ‘Standard’ valve.

Today, more than a hundred years on, Horne design and manufacture a wide range of products with thermostatic control technology at every product’s heart: water/water mixing valves, thermostatic showers and taps for domestic hot water applications and steam control products for water heating and storage as well as instantaneous hot water generation for rapid tank filling, industrial washing machines and wash-down applications.

Horne’s steam and water mixing valve, SWM1, is the safest and most reliable steam/water mixing valve available on the world market today.  It is a unique design that is both thermostatic and pressure balanced.  The accuracy of its temperature control is unparalleled, even under challenging steam and water inlet conditions.  When there is no flow of cold water through the SWM1, steam cannot enter the valve.  Additionally, if the cold water supply fails – suddenly or slowly over a period of time – the valve automatically throttles the steam supply.  During a slow failure of the cold water supply, the hot water flow rate at the outlet gradually reduces, whilst the valve accurately maintains the set temperature.  On final failure of the cold water supply, the SWM1 shuts down the steam supply completely and instantly.

The SWM1 temperature control can be adjusted and set to any point within the range 50-85°C.  Its internal design ensures quiet operation with minimum vibration and, when there is a large demand for hot water, a bypass valve allows for an increased flow of cold water.  The maximum flow rate of hot water is 50 L/minute.

Significant cost benefits can be achieved using the Horne SWM1 – there is no wastage of energy as a finite amount is required to heat the volume of water used to the set temperature.  Operationally it’s very efficient; generating hot water instantaneously there is no need for large storage vats and also little risk of running out of hot water mid-way through a wash down or tank filling process.

As well as its exceptional safety features, the SWM1 is very easy to use, reliable and durable.  Maintenance is straightforward – it is easily stripped and cleaned with the minimum of downtime.

Current customers of the SWM1 are operating in food and drink production, brewing, dairy processing, pharmaceutical manufacture and other chemical processing (e.g. acrylics).

For further information and a narrated video demonstrating the outstanding performance of the SWM1 please visit http://www.horne.co.uk/Steam/Steam-Water-Mixing-Valve/.  Alternatively, call +44 (0)1505 321455 and speak to our technical department.