Marching to recovery 5/5 - Builders' Merchants News

Read article : Marching to recovery 5/5 - Builders' Merchants News

Published:  22 March, 2011

This report was first published in Builders' Merchants News December 2010/January 2011 issue.

Nick McGrellis, managing director of Croydex, the bathroom accessories company says that one of the biggest trends in terms of showers next year is likely to be water-saving features.

“Another trend which we believe is likely to continue in 2011 is that for combi shower sets that have a fixed head and a separate removeable handset. These are a great space-saving solution in the smaller bathroom or en-suite, as they are particularly suitable for in-bath showering and can be added to any existing mixer valve shower.”

Mike Lawrence, managing director of one-stop-shop kitchen distributor, Waterline, says  business for merchants in 2011 will come from refurbishment: “Consumers are improving, not moving and the kitchen is the focus of attention. This can be anything from a complete refit to replacing the sink, tap and appliances for a new, up-to-date look.

“Pitiful rates for savers combined with fierce competition within the kitchen industry mean there has never been a better time for consumers to refurbish the heart of the home.”

Gary Hawkins, Impulse Bathrooms’ general manager, says 2011 will continue to be somewhat constricted for the bathroom industry.  “There is pressure on the demand for new homes to be built, even if the majority is likely to be social housing, and this should provide some optimism.

“Domestic refurbishment should see a skew towards money-saving home improvements such as water and energy saving. However, this should not mean giving an inroad to cheap, substandard imported product from dubious sources.

“Driving prices down at the expense of quality and performance does not really help any part of the industry. It may seem like a quick fix but it is not a sustainable, long-term business strategy.

“Although the consumer is looking for a ‘deal’ because of the economic climate when the price of everything is rising, it is much preferable to offer real savings like water saving products which, for those with metered supplies.

“I also think the steeply rising cost of fuel will make people ‘let their fingers do the walking’ doing more research on the internet rather than driving around showrooms.The trade should promote the benefits of dealing with merchants with a reputation for reliability, good know-ledgeable advice and support services. This is where the merchant has the advantage over the internet suppliers where price is the main criterion.”

With the growing demand for water and its subsequent increases in cost, as well as the well-known adverse impacts this can have on local environments, the UK market demand for rainwater recycling systems is increasing, according to the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association.

John Goodwin, UK sales manager of Oaklands Environmental, a manufacturer of sustainable drainage systems, specialising in stormwater management, sewage treatment, rainwater harvesting and oil/water interceptors as its core products.

He believes there is a market for rainwater harvesting systems – and one that merchants can use to their advantage. “While the infrastructure market has been hard hit over the last couple of years, the sewage treatment business has remained reasonably buoyant, largely being funded and promoted through the self-build market,” he explains.

Business may be slow for many, but Oaklands is still moving products and growing their business, but not in the market sectors it did 18 months ago, Mr Goodwin admits. “We are focusing on social and affordable housing, working with housing associations and the companies involved with housing associations to promote the use of rainwater harvesting systems in their projects.

“There has been tremendous market growth in this sector over the past two years, chiefly driven by the Homes and Communities Agency, with its partial funding for housing associations and local authorities to get affordablehousing schemes moving.

“The HCA has now had its budgets cut as have local councils and many projects have been culled. What the overall knock-on effect will be remains to be seen.

“Many of the companies we have dealt with over the past 12 months have said there was work in the pipeline, but it all hinged on the type of funding that would become available from the HCA, housing associations and local authorities”.

Mr Goodwin believes that the opportunities for market growth will still be there. “In different parts of the country the need for rainwater harvesting has to be pushed much harder,” he says.

This is particularly true for those regions where there have been water shortages,  hosepipe bans, water meters installed and people generally having to pay increased charges for their water.

“It isn’t an everyday sale for a merchant, but one that they need to consider. Rainwater harvesting systems are a non-stock item that they can promote and sell and which offer excellent profit opportunities.”

“Although housebuilding may be a difficult market for most of this year, housebuilders have to consider offering suitable rainwater harvesting systems as a sustainable item that may give them the edge in a competitive market.”

“Merchants need to promote awareness of rainwater harvesting through their contacts with the all housebuilders from the self-builder and small local housing contractors to the large national organisations.”

Timber is a volatile sector and although it has been weathering the economic storm, it has not been without casualties.

Rod Allan, managing director of Finnforest UK says a globally leaner approach to the market means that there will not be the speculative production previously experienced and it is highly unlikely that those sawmills mothballed in 2009-10 will be reopened in 2011.

“Both forest owners and sawmillers will look to manage the market through restricting supply, borne out of the need for timber producers to maintain material prices and reduce market volatility.

“This does mean that the UK will have to continue to compete with other countries for the limited supply that does exist. With forest ownership at its core, it does mean that Finnforest is well placed to compete in both the global and local market places.

“We are seeing a growth in demand for timber products, but it is fair to say that this demand is now coming from the private commercial developer.

“The development of engineered timber systems that respond to the challenges of private commercial market sectors such as retail, leisure, commercial and industrial can provide merchants with solutions by which to reach this audience.”

David McElroy, deputy managing director, commercial of Norbord Europe adds that rising prices will be an ongoing theme during 2011. “One silver lining is that market forces and euro exchange rates mean that plywood – all of which is imported – is now in short  supply in the UK. This is good news for the UK’s OSB manufacturers. We can build market share and that’s good for UK jobs, too.

“Because of the price pressures, we are focusing on value lines and value-added products.

“We have already re-positioned our chipboard flooring and fixing accessory lines and we have revised our offering to give customers new product lines attractively presented and competitively priced.

“My worst-case scenario is a flat year to come. But it takes a long time to recover from a decade of overspending, so recovery will be very slow.”

SCA Timber Supplies’ sales director Stephen King says the company has noticed more just-in-time purchasing from merchants on planed timber. “There is a degree of hope that private sector housebuilding will take up at least some of the slack. It will be well into the spring, though, if not early summer,before we can see the trends clearly.”

Anders Ek, SCA Timber’s international marketing director in Sweden, adds: “As we look across Europe, there’s a difference in the performance of timber markets. The sharpest drop in performance has so far been seen in Britain, no doubt due to the austerity measures being taken in the UK and their potential effects on construction.

“There have already been curtailments in timber production in many European mills.

“These curtailments will make a difference in reducing sawmills’ inventories, but on price, we will have to see what the supply and demand picture brings in the early part of 2011.”

Bruce Beresford-Redman's prison diaries - CBS News

Read article : Bruce Beresford-Redman's prison diaries - CBS News

Produced by Josh Yager, Paul LaRosa and Ana Real

"48 Hours" first told the story of Bruce Beresford-Redman in 2012. His wife, Monica, was murdered in a Cancun hotel while his family was vacationing. Bruce returned to the United States to take care of his children, but when Mexico charged him with his wife's murder, he was extradited there to stand trial. Nearly three years later, he is still on trial.

Where does the case stand and how long will Monica's family have to wait for justice? "48 Hours" correspondent Troy Roberts confronts Beresford-Redman about the charges against in him in his first sit-down interview.

Video diary: "My name is Bruce Beresford-Redman ... I'm in a Mexican prison, where I've been on trial now ... for more than two years and nine months. I am accused of the murder of my wife, Monica ... for a crime I did not commit."

In a video diary he made for "48 Hours", Bruce Beresford-Redman says not a day goes by that he doesn't "miss and think about his wife."

Monica's family misses her too.

"I wish I could believe that he didn't have anything to with my sister's murder," said her sister Jeanne Burgos in a 2012 interview with Troy Roberts. "It's for the love that we have for her and all the memories that we have about her ... that we are here today demanding justice."

Bruce Beresford-Redman

48 Hours

Recording diary entries in his cell inside Cancun's Benito Juarez Prison and elsewhere around the prison compound over a period of four months, Beresford-Redman says he wanted people to "understand what can happen, to get an idea of, what things are like here in Hell."

Video diary: "Making these video has really made me much more visible here ... which is really not a great thing for me...My existence in here has become a very basic struggle to simply survive."

"For many years I worked in reality TV and the reality of reality television, even at its best ... it's a world that is created. Being in here is real ... it is real and it sucks. .. it's noisy and it's smelly and it's sweaty and hot and cramped ... it's extremely uncomfortable.

"This is not an easy place to be I really don't have any, any what you could call real friends here ... and it's impossible for me to really have anybody in here that I can trust."

Riots there are not uncommon. In his video diary, Beresford-Redman documents the effects of being tear-gassed during an uprising.

Video diary: "It's Friday ... I've heard some pops and then I smelled the tear gas ... I'm getting kind of a choking sensation now ... and my eyes are just burning...it's just really strong ... itchy ... burning ... oh, god, it's awful."

A NEW REALITY

Living behind bars has been the reality for Beresford-Redman since "48 Hours" first met him in February 2012.

"This is not the United States. I really don't know this system. I don't know how it works," he told "48 Hours."

Back then, Beresford-Redman was housed in the high security wing of the Benito Juarez Prison -- a cell block full of drug traffickers and assassins responsible for countless murders around Mexico.

Now, he's in general population where he has more freedom. Beresford-Redman agreed to make video diaries to document his day-to-day life. It is a rare glimpse inside a Mexican prison.

Video diary: "Being incarcerated anywhere, but I think maybe especially here, time just gets warped ... it is almost impossible to live in the present because the present is just absolutely miserable."

"I don't think that I could possibly convey what it feels like to have not seen my children, not held my children, for nearly three years now."

"Everything that I worked my life to build is gone... If I'm convicted, I am facing a sentence of 30 years..."

Beresford-Redman says he spends a lot of time reliving time with his wife and kids -- "just times when I was free."

Bruce and Monica Beresford-Redman

Images of Monica -- lovely, vivacious and headstrong -- haunt Beresford-Redman.

Video diary:"I've had a lotta time to think back on things and to remember things from the past..."

For more than two years, "48 Hours" tried to get permission to do a sit-down interview in the prison. That interview between correspondent Troy Roberts and Beresford-Redman took place earlier this year.

"How did you meet Monica?" Roberts asked.

"Monica owned a restaurant in and a nightclub in -- in West Los Angeles called Zabumba," Beresford-Redman replied. "I randomly went there one night for dinner. And this beautiful woman served me great food ... it was a fun place. And I ... went back to try and get her attention ... and I sorta never left. ...Monica was the most beautiful, engaging-- just-- she was great. She was so cool, and -- very quickly I found that my relationship with her was different than any relationship I'd ever had before and I was in love with her and she was in love with me and it was terrific."

Monica's sisters, Carla and Jeanne Burgos, say that when Bruce and Monica first met back in 1997, they seemed like a happy couple. The Burgos sisters spoke to "48 Hours" in 2012.

"She had life. She was very outgoing and self-confident," Jeanne said. "Bruce was a very well read person. He can be very eloquent ... but not necessarily the emotion."

After marrying in 1999, the couple had two children: Camilla, now 10, and Alec, now 7.

Monica had the restaurant and Bruce had his career, which was taking off in a hurry. He was a top producer on the CBS program "Survivor" and also worked on several hit reality shows for other networks and cable outlets.

As the money poured in, the family moved to a $2 million house in Los Angeles. With the more lavish lifestyle, came some unexpected challenges.

"Things became difficult?" Roberts asked.

"At times, sure," Beresford-Redman replied. "Both Monica and I worked a great deal. ...I worked during the day, she worked at night ... there was a period of time when we were sort of passing one another."

If that sounds like a recipe for marital discord, it was. Beresford-Redman began an affair with his longtime casting director Joy Pierce. At times, the two had trouble keeping their hands off each other, even in front of Monica's sister, Carla.

"I went with him to a party," she said. "It was a club ... we got there ... she jumped on his lap ... and I was ... you know..."

"You were stunned," Roberts noted.

"Yeah," Carla replied.

Beresford-Redman was struggling with the affair on an emotional level. He considered telling his parents, David and Juanita, and eventually confided in his mother.

Asked if she encouraged her son to break off the affair, Juanita told Roberts, "I did. I said, 'You know, that's the only smart thing to do. You will hurt yourself. You will hurt Monica.' ...I got the impression that he had really fallen in love and it was going to be very difficult for him to break it off."

After Monica angrily confronted her husband, Beresford-Redman wrote her a brutally frank e-mail. It was written on March 4, 2010 - only one month before the couple was to leave on their ill-fated Mexican vacation. In the e-mail, Beresford-Redman laid bare the painful truth, writing: "Joy and I were lovers." Monica was devastated.

"My relationship with Monica was good," said Beresford-Redman.

"You can't paint a rosy picture on this, right? Roberts asked. " I mean ... you guys had problems."

"Like any marriage, like any family, we had -- we had issues, certain issues," he replied. "But we were -- we were happily married and we were in love with each other ... We were good."

Beresford-Redman wouldn't talk to "48 Hours" about his affair, but in an e-mail written to Joy Pierce in the spring of 2010, he outlined the steps a furious Monica had taken against him: "She...denied me access to my children ... she shut me out of my home ... and liquidated all my money, " he wrote.

"It was a point where she had decided to get divorced from him," said Jeanne.

But Beresford-Redman did all he could to change Monica's mind. He promised he'd break off his affair with Joy and told Monica he would change his ways. Monica agreed to go with him for the family vacation they took every year for her upcoming birthday. This time, they traveled to the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico.

"And how was the trip, initially?" Roberts asked Beresford-Redman.

"It was good. It was -- it was really fun, you know," he replied.

"So you and Monica got along well during this trip?" Roberts asked.

"Yeah, we had a really good time," said Bruce.

That's hardly the way Monica described the trip, according to her sister, Jeanne, who says she spoke to Monica by phone the day before she was murdered. Jeanne says Monica was upset about Bruce's cheating.

"I told her, 'Monica, don't worry. You know, come back here, just move on with your life,'" Jeanne said. "...you're just going to build up your life again and you're going to be happy again."

The next day, April 5, 2010, was to be the last day of Monica's life.

"She was gonna do some shopping-- and then she was perhaps gonna go to a spa," Beresford-Redman explained.

"And when did you grow concerned?" Roberts asked.

"Probably 10:30 or 11:00 that night," he said, sighing.

Bruce's concern was made all the worse because he says Monica had not taken her cell phone so he could not call her. Police later discovered that she did not take her passport or a room key, either.

"Was that surprising that she didn't take her phone when you were alone with kids?" Roberts asked.

"No. No, not really," Beresford-Redman replied. "When Monica was off the grid, she was off the grid."

She didn't take her cell phone? She left the kids all day with him? She never does that, ever," Jeanne told Roberts.

Video diary: "One of the things that I remember from the night that Monica was first missing was my children sleeping. I had given them baths and I had put them to bed ...and I thought, 'OK, I'm gonna go outside and I'm gonna take a look. I'm gonna see Monica walking back towards the room."

But Monica did not come back to the room -- not that night and not ever. The long, upward trajectory of Beresford-Redman's once-successful life and career was about to end abruptly.

A LOOK INSIDE PRISON LIFE

When Bruce Beresford-Redman left on his family vacation to Mexico in 2010, he probably never thought home would turn out to be Cancun's Benito Juarez prison.

The prison, where he has spent nearly three years on trial for his wife's murder, houses more than 1,800 men and women in a compound originally built for 700.

Video diary: "When I walk around the prison, no matter where I'm going or what's going on, I am constantly aware that this is just a hostile environment for me."

"I'm completely shut down. I'm simply in survival mode," Beresford-Redman told Roberts. "To make it in here, you cannot indulge in human sentiments. ... you really have to deaden part of yourself and just survive."

Video diary: "My Spanish is still not very good ... So I'm always paying attention ... and you're never really able to relax."

It's a pressure cooker of criminals and contraband that often boils over.

"You're with people who have demonstrated poor impulse control and a number of them may have mental problems,"Beresford-Redman explained. "It's not uncommon to have fist fights ... screaming matches ...it is a very dehumanizing situation."

Bruce Beresford-Redman his cell at Cancun's Benito Juarez Prison.

48 Hours

Video diary: The cell that I'm in is a very small cell ... it's designed for three men. And there are 10 of us in here. There have been as many as 17... This is the bathroom of the cell. All of these buckets are full of water. The water here runs only for a couple hours a day."

"I come back from my workout and I take my first shower of the day ... I shower four times a day ... I wash my clothes ... I do everything I can to keep myself clean and healthy. It's a real struggle ... This place seems like a really great place to incubate a plague. Despite my best efforts I managed to get a rash that everyone else here had that just swept through this place like wildfire."

The cell is open to the elements -- rain and relentless heat. He says the smell from open sewers is blinding, adding that "the whole country -- it feels like is just steaming."

Video diary: This is my bunk where I sleep. I've awakened probably seven or eight times now with a cockroach on me someplace.

Among the personal items Beresford-Redman keeps on a shelf above his bed -- his favorite picture of his daughter and son.

Video diary: "This is breakfast this morning ... brown liquid with some beans on the bottom there I think ... I have gotten violently ill eating the prison food... I have been able to supplement my diet ... with-- food brought from outside. I befriended-- an inmate in here. He has since been released. But his family still comes to see me once a week with some home-cooked meals and some snacks and some other things, so that I don't have to rely entirely on the prison food."

To pay for his food and other expenses, Beresford-Redman's parents send him money from their retirement nest egg. Less fortunate inmates have to rely on meals in buckets served by new prisoners known as "talachos."

Video diary: "They are as close as you can come to slaves. You can buy your way out of it, or you can do your talacho work for your first year here."

"The guards basically maintain a perimeter on the outside and their concern primarily is making sure that nobody gets out... The prisoners discipline each other ... and it's much more dangerous, because there's really nobody to come to your help, to your aid, if you are in trouble in here."

Danger is all around, but he says Mexican prison also means a freedom he never had in American prison, where he spent 18 months awaiting extradition.

Video diary: "In many ways, this is like a very small village that they just threw razor wire around. There's churches in here, there's a mechanic shop in here ... guys making hammocks."

Some of the women prisoners are even allowed to have their children live with them. Three times a week it's visiting day.

Video diary: "...this place is full today of families ... on visit days. From 8:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon the prison ... fills up with families and wives and kids...

"Family is extraordinarily highly valued here and the prison administration and prisoners themselves and the gangs in here have enormous respect for the visits."

He says visit days make him sad, "a little melancholy." There are no family visits for Beresford-Redman.

Video diary: "I would not allow them. I don't want them to be confronted with how I am forced to exist in here."

So Beresford-Redman hasn't seen them in nearly three years. His lifeline is phone calls to his children, Alec and Camilla, who live with his parents in California.

Video diary: "To hear my kids' voices, to hear my parents' voices ... is the best, most human part of my day. ... I have not been able to be a father to Camilla and Alec for ... years now. It is devastating. It takes all of my energy just to keep going."

But there's no choice. Beresford-Redman, his family, and Monica's sisters are all navigating an unfamiliar landscape: justice in a foreign country.

"There's no question that the Mexican legal system is different from ours," said Sonya Tsiros, U.S. Consul General for the Cancun area.

Tsiros says she is closely following the Beresford-Redman case - and that by Mexican standards, it doesn't surprise her.

"Has Mr. Beresford-Redman complained to you about the length of this trial?" Roberts asked.

"He has raised that issue," Tsiros replied. "And we're following through on that."

"Do you have any sense of what the prison conditions are like?" Roberts asked.

"I would say that the prison conditions are not up to what we would consider standards in the United States," said Tsiros.

Beresford-Redman, at least, has a bed. "48 Hours" found another American, 38-year-old Johnny Mintu, from Seattle, who, incredibly, sleeps on the floor under Bruce's bunk. It's not uncommon in this prison.

Video diary: "From time to time ... when I just really need some privacy and a little bit of quiet and just a little more space than I can get in my cell or in the rest of the prison ... I book a conjugal room."

Most inmates rent the room for sex. Beresford-Redman says he rents it for peace and quiet.

Video diary: "You're not supposed to be in here by yourself. But I just put down the name Jane Doe and nobody's ever checked."

Trying to recreate life outside the bars is only a temporary escape.

Video diary: "I cannot afford in here to appear on the outside as absolutely broken as I feel on the inside."

As the sun begins to set, the prisoners are locked in for the night.

Video diary: Another night here ... another night in paradise ... then I just lay down and try to go to sleep...

It's a sleep, he says, that is haunted by the memory of his murdered wife.

Video diary: "I still miss her all the time and I still think of her all the time ... I never lose sight of the fact that this is really Monica's story."

Monica's story is a murder mystery. And for Beresford-Redman, it's a real whodunit.

THE DAY MONICA DISAPPEARED

With so much time on his hands, Bruce Beresford-Redman says he thinks often of the day Monica disappeared.

"As soon as I was awake, I called the hotel desk, I guess, and I said you know, 'My wife didn't come back yesterday. Do you know where she is?'" Beresford-Redman told Troy Roberts.

Monica Beresford-Redman

After reporting that she was missing, he called Jeane Burgos, Monica's sister.

"When Bruce called you to say that Monica was missing what went through your mind?" Roberts asked.

"My sister missing? Monica? Monica's not a person that gets lost, she doesn't get lost," Jeanne replied. "She's a person that she goes anywhere and she makes friends and she knows what she's doing."

A worried Jeanne immediately flew to Cancun to help with the search, but the next day, hotel workers found Monica's body in that sewer situated near the family's hotel room.

"How could someone put a person in the sewage. Very, very, very horrible," she said.

"How did you learn that her body was discovered?" Roberts asked Beresford-Redman.

"I was at the hotel ... I was sitting there waiting ...and they brought me back to my room," he replied. "I had no idea what was going on. ...Finally someone told me that they had found Monica's body.

It would have been her 42nd birthday.

Video diary: "I could not make sense of that. It just didn't seem possible."

Bruce Beresford-Redman became a suspect almost immediately because investigators thought his story of Monica's disappearance defied logic. They didn't believe she would leave the children behind without taking her room key, her passport, or even her cell phone. What's more, Beresford-Redman had visible scratches on his body.

He says the injuries to his hand occurred after a boat ride as he tried to carry his children up a steep incline.

"It was rocky and slippery and I had to lift the kids out and then climb out myself and I scratched my hands a little bit," he explained.

As for the scratches to the back of his neck?

"We were diving ... and I surfaced and there was a nylon rope and it was just a rough nylon rope and it abraded ... the back of my head a little bit and that was it," he told Roberts.

Police also learned that two English teenagers had reported hearing screams coming from Beresford-Redman's room very early on the morning Bruce said Monica went shopping.

Jen Heger covered the story for Radar Online.

"A female screamed crying for help," Heger explained. "The next morning, the teenagers told their parents about what they had heard to the concierge. The concierge called the hotel room to see what was going on and Bruce said that Bruce and Monica were arguing about the children and that everything was fine."

Beresford-Redman maintains that he and the children were simply playing a loud, boisterous game. But now his every move was coming under scrutiny.

Asked why he had a "do not disturb" sign on the door all day, Beresford-Redman told Roberts, "Well, I was in and out all day with the kids. We were napping and doing stuff and didn't wanna be disturbed. It's as simple as that really."

"The Mexican authorities believe that Bruce wouldn't allow the maids to clean the room that day because there was a dead body inside and that dead body belonged to his wife -- Monica," said Heger.

The police theorized that Beresford-Redman had suffocated his wife and, later that night, went looking for a place to stash her body.

"We also know," Heger continued, "someone went in and out of the room nine times in the middle of the night."

Beresford-Redman says he was nervously checking to see if Monica was about to return.

"I was in and out of the room many times to take a look to see if I could see her, to walk down to where the footpath is visible and to take a look and return to the room," Beresford-Redman told Roberts.

Back in Los Angeles, Monica's sister, Carla Burgos, thought back to the last time she had seen Bruce and how agitated he seemed to her. It was just two days before the family left for Cancun.

"I've seen him before they traveled and he was totally angry and crazy. I said, 'Don't be around him ... Monica, please listen to me, get out,'" she said.

"Why do you think Monica's family is convinced that you killed her?" Roberts asked.

"I really don't know," Beresford-Redman replied. "I understand their pain. I understand their sense of loss. After my children and myself, their loss is the greatest ... however, why they wanna blame me, I don't know ... that I don't know."

Monica also had life insurance. Her husband was not the beneficiary, but the children stood to inherit $500,000 each. All in all, investigators believed they had a strong circumstantial case but there remained a huge question -- how could Beresford-Redman kill his wife, and then dump her body while taking care of two young children?

"They were in one hotel room and it was not a suite. It was one room," said Heger.

There was scant physical evidence against Beresford-Redman except for a very small amount of blood investigators found on the bedroom pillow and a balcony railing.

"When people look at you with suspicion, how do you feel?" Roberts asked.

"I've been accused of a horrible, abhorrent crime and I'm innocent," said Beresford-Redman.

"You did not kill Monica," said Roberts.

"I did not kill Monica," Bruce replied.

But the police were convinced Bruce Beresford-Redman did kill Monica and they had no other suspects. The hotel, which says it kept written logs of everyone entering or leaving the grounds, reported it had no record of Monica leaving that day. And if there are security cameras at the Moon Palace, no recordings have surfaced.

Video diary: "My best guess would be that somewhere in the course of her day, she ran into some people that she should not have run across ... I think perhaps she attracted the attention of someone who was very dangerous."

While Beresford-Redman was cooperating with police, his children were taken back to Los Angeles by a friend of Jeanne Burgos. She also arranged for her sister's body to be brought back, even though Beresford-Redman had already paid for Monica to be cremated.

"Why do you think Bruce moved to have Monica cremated?" Roberts asked Jeanne Burgos.

"I think it's pretty self-explanatory," she said.

"Why do you think?" Roberts pressed.

"To get rid of any evidence," Jeanne replied.

Beresford-Redman stayed in Mexico for about a week after Monica's body was found. Authorities took his passport and insist they ordered him to remain in the country. He says his lawyer told him he was free to return to the United States.

"48 Hours" correspondent interviews Bruce Beresford-Redman

48 Hours

"This is what I find a little difficult ... is that they're investigating your wife's murder and you go home? Why wouldn't you stay here?" Roberts asked.

"Well, because I have two small children who were at my home. They just lost their mom and I believed at the time that I had done all I could do to help the police so I went home to be with my children," he replied.

Having no passport, Beresford-Redman got a ride to the Mexican border near Laredo, Texas, and simply walked across using his driver's license for identification. From there, he took a train rather than fly back to Los Angeles. His unorthodox journey raised suspicions.

"You didn't go back to the United States to escape possible arrest?" Roberts asked Beresford-Redman.

"No, I went home to be with my children. I was at my home. I was not hiding. If I'd been trying to evade I would have attempted to evade. I went back to the United States and went directly home," he explained.

Beresford-Redman cared for his children for seven months. But in November 2010, Mexico declared him a fugitive and issued a warrant for his arrest. He was taken to a federal jail in Los Angeles where he stayed for more than a year until he was finally extradited back to Cancun to stand trial for the murder of his wife.

"Bruce probably feels that he is trapped in the worst reality show he could ever imagine," said Heger.

SEEKING JUSTICE IN MEXICO

In February 2012, Bruce Beresford-Redman -- outfitted in a bulletproof vest -- was extradited back to Mexico in a scene straight out of a movie.

Video diary: "I was taken by the U.S. Marshals to the airport ... I was brought here in the middle of the night in a rainstorm..."

"I hoped that my trial would end quickly when I got here," he told Roberts.

That is not what happened. Essentially, the courts in Mexico move at their own pace. There are no juries and in many courtrooms on any given day, there's more than one trial going on at the same time.

Video diary: "The courtroom that I'm being tried in looks like a very busy shipping office above a warehouse someplace."

Criminal defense lawyer Pat Fanning lives part-time in Mexico and has experience with the country's judicial system.

"They just don't have the resources to do the things the way we do," Fanning told Roberts. "Here, it's more like a municipal office in the United States where you'd go to get your driver's license, where you'd go to pick up a birth certificate or something."

U.S. Consul General Sonya Tsiros says the differences are more than cosmetic.

"There's not a trial, per se, in that there is one period of time in which a judge hears all of the evidence. ... It's done through a series of written presentations to the judge," Tsiros explained. "It doesn't occur ... in the same fashion in the United States."

But as the trial has dragged on, what once seemed like a strong prosecution case appeared to evaporate in court. Testing revealed that the blood droplets found in the hotel room did not belong to Monica. That raised questions about where Monica had been killed because she had suffered a substantial head wound.

"Our experts ... say it is not possible to kill someone and produce that type of injuries without leaving blood," said Jaime Cancino, who is one of Beresford-Redman's lawyers in Mexico. "If that have happened there... it would produced a humungous quantity of blood."

In court, prosecutors could not even produce the Q-tips investigators used to collect the blood. Most everything else they took from the family's hotel room as potential evidence turned out to be contaminated by mold and water damage while in police custody.

And some of the physical evidence presented at trial helped Beresford-Redman. Footprints found near the crime scene were not Bruce's. It also came to light that Monica's fingernails were not tested for the presence of DNA because her body was so decomposed.

"There isn't much direct evidence and the evidence they do have has been contaminated, largely," Roberts noted to Fanning.

"Well, it has in -- in large part. But you still have, for example, that they were havin' marital troubles ... that he had a girlfriend ... the life insurance policy on her for half-a-million dollars," he replied.

But in court, even the circumstantial case against Beresford-Redman appeared weaker than advertised.

Some witnesses, like the English teenagers who reported overhearing screams coming from the Beresford-Redman room, did not appear in court. Beresford-Redman says other witnesses did not repeat the stories they had first told police.

"It's clear to me that they have no idea what happened to my wife," he told Roberts. "There was witness, who was a housekeeper, I think. And he came in ... and before anyone asked a question, he said, 'I wasn't there that day. I didn't see anything. I don't know anything and I don't know why I'm here as a witness.'"

Another person not called to the stand or even part of the case was Emily Hamilton from Baltimore. She says she was nearly raped at the Moon Palace one month after Monica was murdered. And her attacker, Hamilton says, was a hotel worker delivering food to her room.

"He threw me on the bed. ... He had his arms around me. I was trying to force him off and I remember feeling pain ... 'cause I thought I could fend for myself, but he was too strong and overbearing ... and that's when I yelled for my friend Casey and she came back in and that's when he was pulling up his pants and that's when he ran out of the room," said Hamilton.

"So you must've been frightened out of your mind," said Roberts.

"Very much so," Hamilton replied.

That worker was fired. In the United States, it's likely he'd be a suspect in Monica's murder, but that possibility was not raised in Beresford-Redman's trial. However, in 2013, an independent criminologist was appointed by the court to review all the evidence against Beresford-Redman.

"He reviewed the case, he visited the crime scene, he did all the things required to make his report," Beresford-Redman told Roberts.

After six months, the criminologist released a bombshell of a report. His conclusion: Monica was not murdered in her Moon Palace hotel room and there was no physical evidence linking Beresford-Redman to her murder.

Video diary: "I naively assumed at that point that the prosecution would drop the charges and would focus their investigative efforts elsewhere ... and nothing has happened. Charges aren't dropped. My trial continues with no end in sight. I'm still here..."

"If you're gonna convict me, convict me so I can appeal. Otherwise just give me a ruling so I can go home," said Beresford-Redman.

"Do you think you're being unfairly singled out?" Roberts asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "It feels at times to me like they don't wanna do anything with me. I'm stuck and ... in many ways I feel like I'm without a country."

Sonia Tsiros says members of the U.S. consulate have visited Beresford-Redman on 19 separate occasions.

"U.S. citizens who are arrested in a foreign country are subject to the laws of that foreign country," Tsiros explained. "We can't intervene in court cases and we can't request special treatment for U.S. citizens."

"Can you use the influence of your office to move things along?" Roberts asked.

"If there's due process violation, we can raise those. But we can't intervene in -- in a case," she said.

"I'm broken inside. I have lost my wife. I lost my children ... I've lost everything else," Beresford-Redman told Roberts. "I'm on emotional autopilot, just surviving every day in the hopes that I will finally at some point get outta here but that is a diminishing hope."

Of course, he is not the only one who's lost a loved one.

"Everybody loved her," Carla Burgos said of her sister, Monica. "She was so awesome, so full of life. She was so fun, so smart. Everything,"

Each side hopes for justice ... and that may soon be coming because after nearly three years, the last witnesses will finally testify.

A LAST HEARING

After years in a Mexican prison - and in legal limbo - Bruce Beresford-Redman's trial finally may be nearing an end.

Video diary: "It's a Thursday afternoon. Tomorrow I will be taken back to court, and I am told it will be the last hearing in my trial...

"It's very difficult for me to get my hopes up... because I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop ... and so often it seems to drop on my head."

He says the trial so far hasn't made any sense. Lost or contaminated evidence, missing witnesses and agonizing delays. It's his first court date in about three months.

On this day, he's set to face the prosecutor's final two witnesses -- hotel employees who may have witnessed Bruce and Monica arguing the day before her murder.

"How many times have you appeared before this judge?" Roberts asked.

"If I had to guess, I would say probably, 40, maybe 45 appearances in court over two-and- a-half years. At the many of those appearances, however-- the witness doesn't show up, and we stand around for a little while and they reschedule the witness for another eight weeks or 10 weeks down the road and we all go home again," Beresford-Redman replied.

But these witnesses actually do show up. Today, it's the judge who doesn't.

Like many of the other hearings, this one goes ahead anyway with the judge's assistant presiding.

Video diary: "...the witnesses arrived ... no one including the prosecution seemed to have any idea what they were going to say..."

Incredibly, the final two prosecution witnesses sound like part of the defense team. Both tell the court they've never laid eyes on Beresford-Redman or his wife.

"We didn't hear them arguing," one of them told "48 Hours" after the hearing. "We didn't even see their faces."

With no more witnesses on either side, Mexican law requires the judge to conclude the evidence phase of the trial within about five days; but that doesn't happen.

"Why don't we have a verdict?" Roberts asked Pat Fanning.

"Because we're in Mexico," he replied. "That's how things are done here and nobody gets excited about it."

For nearly three years, "48 Hours" has asked Mexican authorities to go on the record about this case. But they refused.

Back in prison, it's hard for Beresford-Redman not to hope.

Video diary: "Yesterday was a good day...and you sort of take them as they come..."

"I am absolutely confident that if -- if there is a ruling according to the facts, that I will be exonerated," he said.

"And when will that happen?" Roberts asked.

"Well ... that I don't know. That's my problem," he replied.

But the Burgos sisters insist Bruce is right where he should be. And justice for Monica demands that he stay there.

"If he really killed my sister, which it looks like he did, I want him in jail. But it doesn't make me happy to see him in jail," said Carla Burgos.

Video diary: "I spend a lotta time in here looking over the barbed wire ... I can see birds and green trees and life outside -- oh this Hell...

"It's really time for me to go home. It's time for me to be with Camilla and Alec. It's time for me to try and put back together some kind of a life for them and for myself."

His parents, meanwhile, are trying to keep life in California as normal as possible for Alec and Camilla, but it's not easy -- they're 81 and 76.

Juanita Beresford-Redman has been keeping a video diary, too:

"It's ... about 8:30 in the morning. The children have gone off to school. It's reasonably quiet at the moment.

"Camilla's birthday is coming up ... and she asked me yesterday did I think daddy might be able to home for her birthday this year... and I told her honestly, "No honey...he's not gonna make it this year."

"Is it your fear that this may go on indefinitely?" Roberts asked Juanita.

"It is a fear," she replied. "I can't see why it's gone on this long."

Carla and Jeanne Burgos tried and failed to get custody, but they have regular visitation with the children.

"We love those kids more than anything in this world," Jeanne said. "It's not what is good, what is bad, it's what is the best for the kids."

"We are a family, but we're not their father... we're their grandparents," Juanita said. "We love them, but, it's not the same."

"I will never make my peace with being incarcerated for something I didn't do. I will never rest or stop fighting. I may lose continually, but I'm never gonna stop ... because this is crap," Beresford-Redman told Roberts.

But as memories and milestones slip past, all Bruce Beresford-Redman can do is watch, wait, and wish his children well.

Video diary: "...I love you guys, I miss you. Be strong and ... and all I want is for you guys to have the best life you can."

Prosecutors should be submitting their closing arguments in writing by the end of November.

How to Install a Shower or Tub Faucet

Read article : How to Install a Shower or Tub Faucet

Hooking up a shower or tub faucet isn't as difficult as you might think. So long as you're comfortable with accurately measuring, drilling, and working with copper pipe, this project is well within reach. We broke the installation process down into easy-to-follow steps for optimal ease. Expect to spend at least half a day installing a shower or bathtub faucet.

Bathroom Faucet Basics

Before you Begin: Run Pipe and Choose Faucet

Before you begin, you'll want to install separate 3/4-inch lines to supply the shower. This extra step ensures good water pressure and protects the bather from temperature changes when another faucet is turned on or the toilet tank refills. You'll want to tap into the cold and hot water lines as close to the water heater as possible. If needed, move a stud to make room for the plumbing behind the tub.

You'll also want to choose the tub or shower faucet you're going to install. Follow the manufacturer's directions for plumbing the faucet. And, if your faucet does not have integrated shutoff valves, install shutoff valves in the lines to the valve. For optimal comfort, position the faucet about 28 inches above the floor for a tub, and about 48 inches for a shower. 

Leftover Pipes? Craft this Cute Side Table

Before you run pipes, choose the tub or shower faucet you're going to install. You'll want to follow the manufacturer's directions for plumbing the faucet. And, if your faucet does not have integrated shutoff valves, install shutoff valves in the lines to the valve. For optimal comfort, position the faucet about 28 inches above the floor for a tub, and about 48 inches for a shower. 

Step 1: Determine Faucet Placement

Most faucets come with a plastic cover that protects the faucet and serves as a guide for the depth at which it must be set. To determine where to place the braces, consider the total thickness of the finished wall—often 1/2-inch-thick backerboard plus 1/4-inch-thick tiles.

If you have other faucet setups, such as a three-handle faucet, it may require that supply pipes be spread farther apart than for a single-handle faucet. Threaded adapters screw in for the supplies, spout, or shower arm. A faucet with integral shutoffs comes with a large escutcheon (cover plate) so you can more easily reach the shutoff valves.

Step 2: Anchor and Brace

Determine how high you want to locate the spout (make sure it will clear the tub), faucet handles, and showerhead. Install a 2x6 brace for each. Anchor the braces with screws rather than nails so it's easier to move them if they need adjustment.

Step 3: Assemble Pipes

Assemble all the pipes in a dry run. Install 3/4-inch pipe up to the height of the faucet, add reducer couplings or elbows, and run short lengths of 1/2-inch pipe to the threaded adapters on the faucet. Add hammer arresters. Anchor the faucet according to manufacturer's directions.

Step 4: Sweat Fittings

Once you are sure of the connections, sweat all the fittings. Start at the faucet, then move on to the shower arm and spout connections. Run 1/2-inch pipe up to the shower arm and down to the spout; attach drop-ear elbows at both spots.

Step 5: Tighten and Install

Finger-tighten a threaded nipple—either brass or galvanized—into both drop-ear elbows. Once the wallcovering is in place, remove them and install the shower arm and tub spout.

Patent US20110089249 - Thermostatic mixing valve with pressure reducing element

Read article : Patent US20110089249 - Thermostatic mixing valve with pressure reducing element

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of mixing valves and more particularly to thermostatic mixing valves.

BACKGROUND

[0002]

Thermostatic mixing valves are used in a wide variety of applications for mixing fluids of dissimilar temperatures to produce a tempered fluid discharge output temperature. For example, and in one illustrative application, thermostatic mixing valves can be used in conjunction with water heaters. Water heaters are frequently used to supply hot water to desired locations within a house, office building, or other structure. To regulate the temperature of water discharged by the water heater, a thermostatic mixing valve can be connected to the hot water outlet of the water heater, allowing hot water discharged from the water heater to be mixed with cold water supplied to the structure to produce a relatively constant tempered discharge output temperature. The tempered water discharged from the mixing valve can be fed into the structure's hot water piping for subsequent use by the occupants. Often, a goal of such mixing valves is for the temperature of the mixed water to remain constant or nearly constant regardless of the temperature, pressure and/or flow rate of the hot and cold water supplied to the mixing valve.

SUMMARY

[0003]

The disclosure relates generally to thermostatic mixing valves, and more particularly to thermostatic mixing valves that are configured to provide improved temperature stability of the mixed water stream at the outlet of the mixing valve given variations in the temperature and/or pressure of the hot and/or cold water supplies to the valve, while still achieving relatively high flow rates through the valve. In one illustrative and not-limiting example, a thermostatic mixing valve may include a cold fluid inlet for passing a flow of cold fluid, a hot fluid inlet for passing a flow of hot fluid, and an outlet for passing a flow of mixed tempered fluid. A fluid flow regulator may be provided to regulate the relative flow of cold fluid from the cold fluid inlet and hot fluid from the hot fluid inlet to produce the flow of tempered fluid at the outlet of the valve. A pressure reducing element may be situated in the hot fluid inlet upstream of the fluid flow regulator. It has been found that such a pressure reducing element may, for example, help increased the temperature stability of the tempered fluid at the valve outlet given variations in the temperature and/or pressure of the hot and/or cold fluids presented at the hot fluid inlet and the cold fluid inlet of the valve.

[0004]

The above summary is not intended to describe each and every disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the disclosure. The Description that follows more particularly exemplifies various illustrative embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]

The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative but non-limiting thermostatic mixing valve;

[0007]

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve of FIG. 1, showing an illustrative pressure reducing element;

[0008]

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view, with parts in cross-section, of another illustrative thermostatic mixing valve;

[0009]

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve of FIG. 3 shown an illustrative a pressure reducing element;

[0010]

FIG. 5 is a side view of another illustrative thermostatic mixing valve with a secondary hot port;

[0011]

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve of FIG. 5 showing an illustrative pressure reducing element; and

[0012]

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an illustrative water heater system employing a thermostatic mixing valve.

[0013]

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit aspects of the invention to the particular illustrative embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION

[0014]

The following description should be read with reference to the drawings in which similar elements in different drawings have similar reference numbers. The description and the drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict illustrative embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The illustrative embodiments depicted are intended only as exemplary. Selected features of any illustrative embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments unless clearly stated to the contrary.

[0015]

All numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about”, whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances, the term “about” may be indicative as including numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints is intended to include all numbers within that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5).

[0016]

Although some suitable dimensions, ranges and/or values pertaining to various components, features and/or specifications are disclosed, one of skill in the art, incited by the present disclosure, would understand desired dimensions, ranges and/or values may deviate from those expressly disclosed.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative but non-limiting thermostatic mixing valve 2. The illustrative thermostatic mixing valve 2 includes a valve body 10 that has a hot fluid inlet 16, a cold fluid inlet 18 and a mixed fluid outlet 20. The hot fluid inlet 16 is configured to receive fluid at an elevated temperature from, for example, a water heater, a boiler, or any other suitable heating source, and can include a tailpiece fitting (not shown) or other suitable connector for connecting the hot fluid inlet 16 to the supply (e.g. pipe) of hot fluid. Likewise, the cold fluid inlet 18 is configured to receive colder fluid from, for example, a cold water supply, and can include a tailpiece fitting 19 or other suitable connector for connecting the cold fluid inlet 18 to the supply (e.g. pipe) of colder fluid.

[0018]

In the illustrative embodiment, the mixed fluid outlet 20 is configured to output a fluid that is a mixture of the hot fluid received at the hot fluid inlet 16 and the colder fluid received at the cold fluid inlet 18, resulting in a discharge fluid having a tempered discharge temperature. The tempered mixed fluid outlet 20 may be fluidly connected to the hot water piping of a building or other structure, and can include a tailpiece fitting 21 or other suitable connector similar to that provided for the hot and cold fluid inlets 16, 18. A fluid flow regulator (not explicitly shown in FIG. 1) may be positioned in the valve body 10 to regulate the relative flow of cold fluid from the cold fluid inlet 18 and hot fluid from the hot fluid inlet 16 to produce the flow of tempered fluid at the outlet 20. The fluid flow regulator may be a thermally controlled fluid regulator, similar to the fluid flow regulator 190 shown and described below with respect to FIG. 4. A pressure reducing element may be formed in the hot fluid inlet upstream of the fluid flow regulator, as will be discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 2.

[0019]

In some cases, the mixing valve 2 may also include an optional recirculation inlet 22 configured to receive tempered water from the water piping of the building or other structure, and can include a tailpiece fitting (not shown) or other suitable connector. The recirculation inlet 22 may be used to recirculate water that has previously been delivered to the hot water piping back to the mixing valve 2. The recirculation inlet 22 may be useful in ensuring that hot water at the tempered temperature is immediately available at a desired location within the building, such as in a shower or the like.

[0020]

The illustrative thermostatic mixing valve 2 also includes an optional secondary hot port 24 for providing hot water directly to an appliance or other fixture that can use non-tempered hot water (e.g. water provided directly from a water heater or the like). For example, the optional secondary hot port 24 may be used to supply non-tempered hot water to a dishwasher, a clothes washer, a humidifier, and/or any other suitable appliance, fixture or device, as desired. The secondary hot port 24 may reduce or eliminate the need for a separate “T” connector off of the water heater source. The secondary hot port 24 can include a tailpiece fitting (not shown) or other suitable connector. The tailpiece fittings may each include a union sweat fitting, threaded fitting (e.g. NPT, NPS, etc.), compression fitting, PEX fitting, and/or any other suitable fitting that can be used to connect the various inlets and outlets of the mixing valve 2 to the other components of the installed system. A threaded coupling (not shown) can be used to secure each of the tailpiece fittings 19, 21 to the valve body 10, if desired.

[0021]

As can be further seen in FIG. 1, the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve 2 may have a configuration wherein the hot fluid inlet 16 and mixed fluid outlet 20 are vertically and axially aligned along an axis L of the longitudinal portion of valve body 10. This may allow the mixing valve to be mounted “in line” with a water heater hot water outlet pipe, which can simplify installation in some cases. The cold water inlet 18, in turn, may enter the valve body 10 at an angle along axis A, or any angle desired, to the side housing 13. In some embodiments, the cold water inlet 18 may enter the valve body 10 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L to permit direct access to the cold water inlet port provided on many conventional water heaters, as described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/273,370, filed Nov. 18, 2008, entitled “Thermostatic Mixing Valve with Secondary Hot Port”, which is incorporated by reference.

[0022]

In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, recirculation inlet 22 is shown entering the valve body 10 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L, but in a direction opposite that of the cold water inlet 18. In some cases, recirculation inlet 22 may enter valve body 10 at a different angle. While mixing valve 2 is shown as having recirculation inlet 22, the recirculation inlet 22 is optional and thus may be excluded. Likewise, the secondary hot port 24 may exit the valve body 10 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L to permit direct access to the secondary hot port 24. In the illustrative embodiment, the secondary hot port 24 is positioned at a location upstream from a mixing chamber such that non-tempered hot water is available directly from the hot water source. As with the recirculation inlet 22, the secondary hot port 24 is optional and not required.

[0023]

During operation, the mixing valve 2 can be adjusted to proportionately mix cold and hot water received at each of the water inlets 16,18, which can then be outputted as tempered water at a relatively constant, pre-selected temperature through the mixed water outlet 20. In certain applications, for example, the mixing valve 2 can be configured to output water at a relatively constant or mixed water temperature of about 120° F., while permitting a water heater to operate at elevated temperatures in the range of, for example, about 120° F. to 180° F.

[0024]

As discussed above, some water heaters may be configured to produce hot water that is at a temperature that is significantly hotter than that desired in the structure's hot water piping. By increasing the temperature of the water supplied by the water heater, a greater amount of cold water may be mixed with the hot water to increase the effective heating capacity of the water heater. Also, some water heaters operate at a higher efficiency when the operating temperature is elevated. For example, in an 80-gallon water heater, such an increase in the operating temperature may result in an increase in the effective hot water capacity that is similar to that of a 120-gallon water heater operating at a lower temperature. It should be understood, however, that the thermostatic mixing valve 2 and/or water heater can be configured to operate at other temperature ranges, as desired.

[0025]

In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, a temperature adjustment device 12 is disposed within a side housing 13 of the valve body 10, and can be provided to adjust the temperature of tempered fluid discharged from the mixing valve 2. In residential water heating systems, for example, the temperature selection device 12 can be used to adjust the thermostatic mixing valve 2 to output tempered water at a set-point temperature in the range of about 70° F. to 145° F., 70° F. to 120° F., 90° F. to 130° F., or any other temperature range as desired. The set-point temperature selected by the temperature selection device 12 may vary based on the application. In the illustrative embodiment, the temperature adjustment device 12 includes a hand wheel 14 that can be manually turned by a user. However, it is contemplated that the illustrative temperature adjustment device 12 may include any suitable mechanism for adjusting the set-point of the mixing valve 2. When provided, temperature adjustment device 12 may be similar to that described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/273,307, filed Nov. 18, 2008, entitled “Thermostatic Mixing Valve with Tamper Resistant Adjustment Feature”, which is incorporated by reference.

[0026]

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve of FIG. 1, showing an illustrative pressure reducing element 15. The fluid flow regulator of the thermostatic mixing valve has been removed for clarity. When not removed, the fluid flow regulator would be situated in the cavity labeled 17. As can be further seen in FIG. 2, the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve 2 has a configuration wherein the hot fluid inlet 16 and tempered or mixed fluid outlet 20 are vertically and axially aligned along an axis of the longitudinal portion of valve body 10, but this is not required. This may allow the mixing valve to be mounted “in line” with a water heater hot water outlet pipe, which can simplify installation in some cases. The cold water inlet (not shown in FIG. 2), in turn, may enter the valve body 10 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis “L” (see FIG. 1) to permit direct access to the cold water inlet port provided on many conventional water heaters.

[0027]

The illustrative thermostatic mixing valve 2 also includes a pressure reducing element 15 that is situated in the hot fluid inlet port 16 upstream of chamber 17, which if shown, would house the fluid flow regulator. The pressure reducing element 15 may include, for example, a pressure reduction disk or snubber element 15 that defines an aperture with a cross-sectional area, such as an aperture with a diameter “D”. In some embodiments, pressure reducing element 15 may be integrally formed with the valve housing 10. In other embodiments, the pressure reducing element 15 may be a separate component that is fitted in the hot fluid port 16. In some embodiments, hot fluid inlet port 16 may have a first cross-sectional area upstream of the pressure reducing element 15. The first cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 16 may be greater than the cross-sectional area of the aperture of the pressure reducing element 15. In some cases, the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 16 may be configured to facilitate connection with a hot fluid supply. In some cases, the pressure reducing element 15 may be situated a distance downstream of the entry of the hot fluid inlet port 16, and downstream of the mixing chamber 17 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0028]

Pressure reducing element 15 may define an aperture having a cross-sectional area that is smaller than the cross-sectional area of hot fluid inlet port 16. In some instances, the cross-sectional area of the aperture of the pressure reducing element 15, illustrated by diameter D in FIG. 2, may be 80% or less, 60% or less, 40% or less, or 20% or less, of the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 16 upstream of the pressure reducing element 15. In the illustrative embodiment, the diameter D of the aperture of the pressure reducing element 15 may be set to any suitable value, depending on the desired flow rate through the mixing valve 2. For example, the diameter D may be smaller than 0.10 inches, 0.10 inches, 0.20 inches, 0.30 inches, 0.4 inches or larger depending on the application. In one example, the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 16 upstream of the pressure reducing element 15 may be greater than about 0.12 inches square, and the cross-sectional area of the aperture at the pressure reducing element 15 may be less than about 0.07 inches square. In another example, the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 16 upstream of the pressure reducing element 15 may be greater than about 0.19 inches square, and the cross-sectional area of the aperture at the pressure reducing element 15 may be less than about 0.13 inches square.

[0029]

In yet another example, the cold fluid inlet 18 (see FIG. 1) of the thermostatic mixing valve 10 may be dimensioned to pass a first flow rate of cold fluid when the cold fluid is presented to the thermostatic mixing valve at a first pressure. The hot fluid inlet 16 of the thermostatic mixing valve 10 may be dimensioned to pass a second flow rate of hot fluid when the hot fluid is presented to the thermostatic mixing valve at the same first pressure. In some cases, the second flow rate is less than 80% of the first flow rate, sometimes due to the presence of a pressure reducing element 15 or some other feature of the hot fluid inlet 16 and no equivalent feature in the cold fluid inlet. In other cases, the second flow rate may be less than 60%, less than 40%, less than 20% or even less than the first flow rate, depending on the application.

[0030]

While the aperture in pressure reducing element 15 of FIG. 2 is illustrated as a circular aperture, it is contemplated the aperture may be of any suitable shape including, for example, square, elliptical, rectangular, or polygonal. In some embodiments, pressure reducing element 15 may be formed of brass, however, it is contemplated that the pressure reducing element 15 may be formed of any suitable material or material combination as desired, such as, but not limited to other metals, metal alloys, elastomers, and/or plastics. The material of the pressure reducing element 15 may be selected in accordance with the environment in which the valve may be used.

[0031]

The illustrative mixing valve 2 of FIG. 2 may also include an optional secondary hot port 24 for providing hot water directly to an appliance or other fixture that can use non-tempered hot water (e.g. water provided directly from a water heater or the like). As can be seen in FIG. 2, the secondary hot port 24 may be disposed at a location upstream of the mixing chamber 17 such that non-tempered water may be available directly from the mixing valve 2. In some cases, such an optional secondary hot port 24 may be used to supply non-tempered hot water to a dishwasher, a clothes washer, a humidifier, and/or any other suitable appliance, fixture or device, as desired. The secondary hot port 24 may reduce or eliminate the need for a separate “T” connector off of the water heater source.

[0032]

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view, with parts in cross-section, of another illustrative thermostatic mixing valve. While the configuration of mixing valve 102 in FIG. 3 is somewhat different from that of mixing valve 2 of FIGS. 1-2, its general function is similar. Similar to that discussed above with respect to FIG. 1, mixing valve 102 of FIG. 3 has a hot fluid inlet 116, a cold fluid inlet 118, and a mixed fluid outlet 120. The hot fluid inlet 116, cold fluid inlet 118, and mixed fluid outlet 120 can each include a tailpiece fitting 117,119,121 or other suitable connector for connecting the inlet ports 116,118,120 to a water system. For example, threaded couplings 146 can be used to secure each of the tailpiece fittings 117,119,121 to the valve body 110, but this is not required. It is contemplated that the mixing valve 102 may also include an optional recirculation inlet (not shown) configured to receive tempered water, and can include an associated tailpiece fitting (not shown) or other suitable connector. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, mixing valve 102 may include an optional secondary hot port (not shown) for providing hot water to appliances or other fixtures that do not require tempered hot water, such as but not limited to dishwashers, clothes dryers, humidifiers, etc.

[0033]

As can be further seen in FIG. 3, the mixing valve 102 may have a vertical, in-line configuration wherein the hot fluid inlet 116 and mixed fluid outlet 120 are vertically and axially aligned along an axis L of the valve body 110. As discussed above, this may allow the mixing valve to be mounted “in line” with a water heater hot water outlet pipe, which can simplify installation. As shown, the cold water inlet 118, in turn, may enter the valve body 110 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L to permit direct access to the cold water inlet port provided on many conventional water heaters. The recirculation inlet, when provided, may enter the valve body 110 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L, but in a direction opposite that of the cold water inlet 118, or any other desired location. The secondary hot port, when provided, may exit the valve body 110 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L to permit direct access to the secondary hot port, but this is not required. While an in-line configuration is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it is contemplated that the mixing valve may have any suitable configuration including a “T” configuration or any other suitable configuration as desired. In a “T” configuration, a hot fluid inlet and a cold fluid inlet may enter the valve body from left and right sides, respectively, and a mixed fluid outlet may exit the valve body in a downward direction. This is just another example configuration that may be used.

[0034]

Similar to the embodiment described in FIG. 1, during operation, the mixing valve 102 can be adjusted to proportionately mix hot and cold water received at each of the water inlets 116,118, in order to provide tempered water at a relative constant temperature through mixed water outlet 120. As previously discussed, in certain applications, for example, the mixing valve 102 can be configured to output water at a relatively constant mixed water temperature of about 120° F., while permitting a water heater to operate at elevated temperatures in the range of, for example, about 120° F. to 180° F. It should be understood, however, that the mixing valve 102 and/or water heater can be configured to operate at other temperature ranges, if desired.

[0035]

As shown in FIG. 3, a temperature adjustment device 112 may be disposed within a side housing 113 of the valve body 110. The temperature adjustment device 112 can be used to adjust the temperature of fluid discharged from the mixed fluid outlet 120 of the mixing valve 102. In residential water heating systems, for example, the temperature adjustment device 112 can be used to adjust the mixing valve 102 to output tempered water at a set-point temperature in the range of about 70° F. to 145° F., 70° F. to 120° F., 90° F. to 130° F., or within any other suitable range, as desired. The set-point temperature selected by the temperature adjustment device 112 may vary depending on the application. In the illustrative embodiment, the temperature adjustment device 112 may include a hand wheel 114 for adjusting the set-point of the mixing valve 102.

[0036]

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the illustrative thermostatic mixing valve of FIG. 3 shown an illustrative a pressure reducing element 115. As shown in FIG. 4, the hot fluid inlet 116 of the valve body 110 may include gasket 108 adapted to frictionally secure a tailpiece fitting 117 to the valve body 110. The tailpiece fitting 117, in turn, can be secured to the valve body 110 using a threaded coupling 146. Such a configuration may permit the tailpiece fitting 117 to be separately connected to a pipe or a conduit supplying hot water from a water heater or the like, and attached thereto using the threaded coupling 146. A similar arrangement can be provided for connecting tailpiece fittings to the cold fluid inlet 118 and mixed fluid outlet 120, if desired.

[0037]

The illustrative mixing valve 102 also includes a pressure reducing element 115. Pressure reducing element 115 may be an annular pressure reduction disk defining an aperture with a diameter D1 disposed in the hot fluid inlet port 116. In some embodiments, pressure reducing element 115 may be integrally formed with the valve housing 110. In other embodiments, the pressure reducing element may be a separate component press fit or otherwise provided in the hot fluid port 116. In some embodiments, hot fluid inlet port 116 may have a first cross-sectional area different from the cross-sectional area defined by the aperture in pressure reducing element 115. In some cases, the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 116 upstream of the pressure reducing element 115 may be configured to more easily connect to a hot fluid supply pipe. Pressure reducing element 115 may be positioned a distance downstream from the entry of the hot fluid inlet port 116, but upstream of a fluid flow regulator 190.

[0038]

Pressure reducing element 115 may define an aperture having a cross-sectional area (illustrated by diameter D1 in FIG. 4) that is less than the cross-sectional area of hot fluid inlet port 116 upstream of the pressure reducing element 115. In some instances, the cross-sectional area of the aperture of the pressure reducing element 115 may be 80% or less, 60% or less, 40% or less, or 20% or less, of the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 116 and/or the cold fluid inlet port 118. The cross-sectional area of the aperture of the pressure reducing element 115 may be set depending on the desired flow rate through the mixing valve 102. For example, in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4, the diameter D1 of the pressure reducing element 115 may be smaller than 0.10 inches, 0.10 inches, 0.20 inches, 0.30 inches, 0.4 inches, or larger depending on the application. In one example, the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 116 upstream of the pressure reducing element 115 may be greater than about 0.12 inches square, and the cross-sectional area of the aperture at the pressure reducing element 115 may be less than about 0.07 inches square. In another example, the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 116 upstream of the pressure reducing element 115 may be greater than about 0.19 inches square, and the cross-sectional area of the aperture at the pressure reducing element 115 may be less than about 0.13 inches square.

[0039]

In yet another example, the cold fluid inlet 118 of the thermostatic mixing valve 102 may be dimensioned to pass a first flow rate of cold fluid when the cold fluid is presented to the thermostatic mixing valve at a first pressure. The hot fluid inlet 116 of the thermostatic mixing valve 102 may be dimensioned to pass a second flow rate of hot fluid when the hot fluid is presented to the thermostatic mixing valve at the same first pressure. In some cases, the second flow rate is less than 80% of the first flow rate, sometimes due to the presence of a pressure reducing element 115 or some other feature of the hot fluid inlet 116 and no equivalent feature in the cold fluid inlet 118. In other cases, the second flow rate may be less than 60%, less than 40%, less than 20% or even less than the first flow rate, depending on the application.

[0040]

While the aperture in pressure reducing element 115 of FIG. 4 is illustrated as a circular aperture, it is contemplated the aperture may be of any suitable shape including, for example, square, elliptical, rectangular, or polygonal. In some embodiments, pressure reducing element 115 may be formed of brass, however, it is contemplated that the pressure reducing element 115 may be formed of any suitable material or material combination as desired, such as, but not limited to other metals, metal alloys, and/or plastics. The material of the pressure reducing element 115 may be selected in accordance with the environment in which the valve may be used.

[0041]

The fluid flow regulator 190 of FIG. 4 thermostatically adjusts the flow of cold and hot fluid injected into a mixing chamber 160 of the valve body 110. In the illustrative embodiment, the fluid flow regulator 190 includes a spool 162, a modulating spring 164, a piston stem 166, a bypass spring 168, a diffuser 170, and a temperature sensitive (e.g. wax filled) thermal element 172. The spool 162 may be movably disposed between a first inner surface 174 of valve body 110 and a second inner surface 176 of the valve body 110 in a direction substantially aligned with the general longitudinal axis L (see FIG. 3). The distance between the first inner surface 174 of the valve body 110 and the second inner surface 176 thereof is referred to as the spool stroke, and is typically greater than the overall axial length of the spool 162 to permit the spool 162 to travel up and down within the interior of the valve body 110. An O-ring 178 can be provided to frictionally support the spool 162 within the valve body 110 as the spool 162 is actuated between the first and second inner surfaces 174,176. In some embodiments, the spool 162, valve body 110 as well as other internal components of the mixing valve 102 can be coated with a layer of Teflon® or other suitable lubricous material to facilitate movement of the spool 162 within the valve body 110 and/or to prevent mineral buildup from occurring within the mixing valve 102, but this is not required.

[0042]

The spring 164 can be used to bias the spool 162 towards the first inner surface 174 of the valve body 110, and can be operatively coupled at a first (i.e. upper) end to a hub 180 which is coupled to the lower end of the piston stem 166, and at a second (i.e. lower) end to a portion 182 of the end cap 184. The bypass spring 168 can be provided to further load the spool 162 and spring 164. The spring 164 and bypass spring 168 can be operatively coupled to the piston stem 166, which can be configured to move within the valve body 110 as a result of the axial expansion and contraction of the thermal element 172 in response to the temperature of fluid contained within the mixing chamber 160.

[0043]

A diffuser 170 may be configured to help mix or blend hot and cold fluid contained within the mixing chamber 160 prior to passing upwardly beyond the thermal element 172 and out the mixed fluid outlet 120. The diffuser 170 may be formed as a separate element from the piston stem 166 or can be formed integral therewith from a single piece of material. In certain embodiments, for example, the piston stem 166 and diffuser 170 can be formed from a single composite piece of polypropylene loaded with fiberglass, although other configurations are contemplated.

[0044]

The temperature adjustment device 112 may include an adjustment mechanism that is rotatably disposed within the side housing 113 of the valve body 110. In certain embodiments, the adjustment mechanism may include an adjusting screw 130, a collar 148, an O-ring 156, and a spring element 128 disposed within a hand wheel 114, allowing the user to adjust the temperature or set-point of the fluid discharged from the mixed fluid outlet 120 of the mixing valve 102 without any special tools, yet help prevent accidental adjustment of the output mixed temperature.

[0045]

The hand wheel 114 may have a first engagement surface 154 while the adjusting screw 130 may have a second engagement surface 132. In the illustrative embodiment shown, the center support 154 may extend orthogonally outward from an internal surface 123 of the hand wheel 114, and may include a hole or recess extending therethrough. The first engagement surface 154 may be formed or otherwise disposed on the internal surface of the hole or recess of the center support 154 as shown, and may be formed as gear-like teeth. In FIG. 4, the hand wheel 114 is movable in an axial direction toward the adjusting screw 130, and rotatable relative to the attachment screw 130.

[0046]

Hand wheel 114 is shown in a non-temperature adjusting position in FIG. 4. When in the non-temperature adjusting position, the first engagement surface 154 is disengaged from the second engagement surface 132. As such, the hand wheel 114 can be rotated without causing rotation of the adjusting screw 130. Since the adjusting screw 130 is not rotated, the output temperature of the mixing valve 102 is not manipulated. This may help prevent accidental and/or unintentional manipulation of the output temperature of the mixing valve 102 by a user. Spring 128 biases the hand wheel 114 into the non-temperature adjusting position.

[0047]

In the illustrative embodiment, the temperature of the fluid exiting the mixed outlet port 120 of the mixing valve 120 may be adjusted by moving the hand wheel 114 axially towards the valve body 110, overcoming the bias of the spring 128, to a temperature adjusting position. When in the temperature adjusting position, the first engagement surface 154 may become engaged with the second engagement surface 132. Once engaged, the hand wheel 114 may be turned in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction resulting in the rotation of the adjusting screw 130. In the illustrative embodiment, this causes the adjusting screw 130 to move axially along axis 131 in a direction that corresponds to the direction that the hand wheel 114 was turned. The O-ring 156 disposed within the interior of the side housing 113 can be configured to provide a fluidic seal for the adjustment screw 130 while permitting axial movement of the adjusting screw 130 along the axis 131.

[0048]

In the illustrative embodiment, a collar 196 movably disposed within the mixing chamber 160 in a direction axially along the longitudinal axis L of the valve body 110, is configured to engage the fluid flow regulator 190 for adjusting the nominal positioning of the spool 162 within the valve body 110. The nominal position of the spool 162 within the valve body defines the “set-point” of the mixing valve 102. The illustrative collar 196 defines an angled surface 199 that is adapted to engage a tapered section 106 of the adjusting screw 130. During use, the temperature selection device 112 is operable by moving the hand wheel 114 axially along axis 131 until the first engagement surface 154 engages the second engagement surface 132. The hand wheel 114 is then turned in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, causing the adjusting screw 130 and adjusting stem 152 to move axially along axis 131. As the adjusting screw 130 moves, the tapered section 106 of the adjusting screw 130 moves the collar 196 and thus the nominal position of the spool 162 in either an upward or downward direction, respectively, within the valve body 110.

[0049]

Rotation of the adjustment screw 130 in a clockwise direction, for example, causes the tapered section 106 to push the collar 196 and thus the nominal position of the spool 162 in a downward direction within the valve body 110. This increases the amount of compression within the spring 164 and moves the spool 162 further towards the second inner surface 176 of the valve body 110. Conversely, rotation of the adjustment screw 130 in a counterclockwise direction causes the tapered section 106 to move the collar 196 and thus the nominal position of the spool 162 in an upward direction within the valve body 110. This decreases the amount of compression within the spring 164 and moves the spool 162 towards the first inner surface 174 of the valve body 110. Such adjustment of the distance of the spool 162 between the first and second inner surfaces 174,176 results in a nominal change in the ratio of hot and cold water mixed within the mixing valve 110, resulting in a change in the “set-point” temperature of fluid discharged from the mixing valve 102.

[0050]

FIG. 5 is a side view of another illustrative thermostatic mixing valve 202 with a secondary hot port. While the configuration of mixing valve 202 is slightly different from that of mixing valves 2 and 102, the general function of mixing valve 202 is similar to that of valves 2 and 102. As discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3, mixing valve 202 may have a hot fluid inlet 216, a cold fluid inlet 218, and a mixed fluid outlet 220. The hot fluid inlet 216, cold fluid inlet 218, and mixed fluid outlet can each include a tailpiece fitting or other suitable connector for connecting the ports 216,218,220 to the water piping within a building or other structure.

[0051]

As shown, the illustrative mixing valve 202 may include an optional recirculation inlet 222 configured to receive tempered water, and can include a tailpiece fitting (not shown) or other suitable connector if desired. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, mixing valve 202 may include an optional secondary hot port 224 for providing hot water to appliances or other fixtures that do not require tempered hot water, such as but not limited to dishwashers, clothes washers, humidifiers, etc. The secondary hot port 224 can include a tailpiece fitting (not shown) or other suitable connector, if desired. The tailpiece fittings may each include a union sweat fitting, threaded fitting (e.g. NPT, NPS, etc.), compression fitting, PEX fittings, and/or any other suitable fittings for connecting the various inlets and outlets of the mixing valve 202 to the other components of the system. A threaded coupling (not shown) can be used to secure each of the tailpiece fittings to the valve body 210, if desired.

[0052]

As can be seen in FIG. 5, the mixing valve 202 may have a configuration whereby the hot fluid inlet 216 and mixed fluid outlet 220 are vertically and axially aligned along an axis L of the valve body 210. This may allow the mixing valve 202 to be mounted “in line” with a water heater hot water outlet pipe, which can simplify installation. The cold water inlet 218, in turn, may enter the valve body 210 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L to permit direct access to the cold water inlet port provided on many conventional water heaters. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 5, recirculation inlet 222 is shown entering the valve body 210 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L, but in a direction perpendicular to that of the cold water inlet 218. In some cases, recirculation inlet 222 may enter valve body 210 at a different angle, if desired. While mixing valve 202 is shown as having recirculation inlet 222, the recirculation inlet 322 is optional and thus may be excluded. Likewise, the secondary hot port 224 may exit the valve body 210 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis L to permit direct access to the secondary hot port 224. In the illustrative embodiment, the secondary hot port 224 is positioned at a location upstream from a mixing chamber such that non-tempered hot water is available directly from the hot water source. As with the recirculation inlet 322, the secondary hot port 224 is optional and not required.

[0053]

It is contemplated that a pressure reducing element may be inserted or otherwise provided in the hot fluid inlet 216 of the mixing valve 202 upstream of a fluid flow regulator, as shown in FIG. 6. Like FIG. 2, the fluid flow regulator of the mixing valve 202 has been removed for clarity, but would be positioned in cavity 217 if shown. As can be further seen in FIG. 6, the mixing valve 202 may have a configuration wherein the hot fluid inlet 316 and mixed fluid outlet 220 are vertically and axially aligned along an axis of the longitudinal portion of valve body 210. This may allow the mixing valve to be mounted “in line” with a water heater hot water outlet pipe, which can simplify installation. The cold water inlet (not shown), in turn, may enter the valve body 210 at an angle orthogonal to the longitudinal axis to permit direct access to the cold water inlet port provided on many conventional water heaters.

[0054]

As shown, the mixing valve 202 may include a pressure reducing element 215. In some cases, pressure reducing element 215 may be an annular pressure reduction disk 15 defining an aperture with a diameter D2 disposed in the hot fluid inlet port 216. In some embodiments, pressure reducing element 215 may be integrally formed with the valve housing 210. In other embodiments, the pressure reducing element may be a separate component press fit or otherwise provided in the hot fluid port 216. In some embodiments, hot fluid inlet port 216 may have a first cross-sectional area different from the cross-sectional area defined by the aperture in pressure reducing element 215. The cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 216 may be configured to connect with a hot fluid supply. In some cases, pressure reducing element 215 may be positioned a distance downstream from the hot fluid inlet port, and upstream from the chamber 217 which would house the fluid flow regulator if shown. It is contemplated that pressure reducing element 215 may be positioned anywhere upstream of the fluid flow regulator.

[0055]

In some instances, pressure reducing element 215 may define an aperture having a cross-sectional area (illustrated by diameter D2) that is less than the cross-sectional area of hot fluid inlet port. In some instances, the cross-sectional area, illustrated by diameter D2, may be 80% or less, 60% or less, 40% or less, or 20% or less, of the cross-sectional area of the hot fluid inlet port 216. The diameter D2 of the aperture in pressure reducing element 215 may be set depending on the desired flow rate through the mixing valve 202. For example, the diameter D2 may be smaller than 0.10 inches, 0.10 inches, 0.20 inches, 0.30 inches, 0.4 inches or larger depending on the application. While the aperture in pressure reducing element 215 is illustrated as a circular aperture, it is contemplated the opening may be of any suitable shape including, for example, square, elliptical, rectangular, or polygonal. In some embodiments, pressure reducing element 215 may be formed of brass, however, it is contemplated that the pressure reducing element 215 may be of any material desired, such as, but not limited to other metals, metal alloys, and/or plastics. The material of the pressure reducing element 215 may be selected in accordance with the environment in which the valve may be used.

[0056]

The illustrative mixing valve 202 may include an optional secondary hot port 224 for providing hot water directly to an appliance or other fixture that can use non-tempered hot water (e.g. water provided directly from a water heater or the like). As can be seen in FIG. 6, the secondary hot port 224 may be disposed at a location upstream of chamber 217 such that non-tempered water may be available directly from the mixing valve 202. For example, the optional secondary hot port 224 may be used to supply non-tempered hot water to a dishwasher, a clothes washer, a humidifier, and/or any other suitable appliance, fixture or device, as desired. The secondary hot port 224 may reduce or eliminate the need for a separate “T” connector off of the water heater source.

[0057]

In some embodiments, the mixing valve 202 may include an optional recirculation inlet 222 in fluid communication with a return pipe or conduit that can be used to recirculate tempered water discharged from the mixed water outlet 220 back into the mixing valve 202. In use, the ability to recirculate water through the mixing valve 202 may help prevent cold water from building up within the mixed water pipe or conduit during periods of nonuse, or when the demand for mixed water is low. Such recirculation feature within the mixing valve 202 can also be used to overcome the characteristic of many thermostatic mixing valves to overshoot the desired mixing temperature after relatively long periods of nonuse (e.g. overnight) or shortly after a previous draw.

[0058]

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an illustrative but non-limiting water heater system 300 employing a thermostatic mixing valve 302 that may be similar to the thermostatic mixing valves 2, 102, and/or 202 described above. As shown in FIG. 7, thermostatic mixing valve 302 may be installed within a water heater system 300 having a cold water supply 304, a water heater 306, and a number of fixture units 308,310,312,360, in fluid communication with the mixing valve 302, cold water supply 304, and a water heater 306. Water heater system 300 may represent, for example, a residential water heater system adapted to deliver hot water to a number of fixture units such as a shower, bath, lavatory, faucet, clothes washer, dishwasher, or other such device wherein the delivery of tempered hot water is desired.

[0059]

Cold water supplied by the cold water supply 304 can be delivered through a first pipe or conduit 314 for delivery directly to each of the fixture units 308,310,312,360 within the system 300. A second pipe or conduit 326 in fluid communication with a cold water inlet 318 of the mixing valve 302 and a check-valve 328, in turn, may be used to supply cold water to the mixing valve 302, which can be mixed with hot water discharged from the water heater 306. A backflow preventer, check valve, pressure reducing valve, or other suitable mechanism 362 for controlling backflow at the inlet of the cold water supply 304 can be provided to make the system 300 a closed system, if desired. In such embodiments, an expansion tank 430 can be provided in fluid communication with the water heater 306 to relieve any excess pressure within the water heater 306 and/or to prevent the discharge of water from the safety relief valve provided on many water heaters. A shut-off valve 332 can also be provided along the pipe or conduit 326 to permit the user to shut-off the supply of water delivered to the mixing valve 302 and/or water heater 306, if desired.

[0060]

An inlet port 334 of the water heater 306 can be configured to receive cold water via a water heater inlet pipe 336 in fluid communication with pipe or conduit 326. If desired, the inlet port 334 of the water heater 306 can be equipped with an optional heat trap 338 for reducing convection currents at the inlet port 334 of the water heater 306 that can cause thermo-siphoning of heat from the water heater 306.

[0061]

An outlet port 340 of the water heater 306 can be configured to deliver hot water through pipe or conduit 342 and into a hot water inlet 316 of the mixing valve 302. The outlet port 340 of the water heater 306 will typically be located close to the hot water inlet 316 of the mixing valve 302 (e.g. ≦1 ft) to reduce head and thermal losses through pipe or conduit 342. In certain embodiments, for example, the hot water inlet 316 of the mixing valve 302 can be coupled directly to the outlet port 340 of the water heater 306 using a threaded pipe fitting, union sweat connection, or other suitable connector. If desired, a diverter pipe 344 in fluid communication with a secondary hot port 324 on the mixing valve can be provided to divert some of the hot water discharged from the water heater 306 to other fixtures 360 within the system 300 (e.g. a dishwasher, clothes washer, humidifier, etc.) where temperature regulation via the mixing valve 302 may be undesired.

[0062]

During operation, the mixing valve 302 can be configured to proportionately mix cold and hot water received at each of the water inlets 318,316, which can then be outputted as tempered water at a relatively constant, pre-selected temperature through a mixed water outlet 320 and hot water piping or conduit 346 in fluid communication with each of the fixture units 304,405,306 that require tempered water. In certain applications, for example, the mixing valve 302 can be configured to output water at a relatively constant mixed water temperature of about 120° F. while permitting the water heater 306 to operate at elevated temperatures in the range of, for example, about 120° F. to 180° F. Such an increase in the operating temperature of the water heater 306 can result in an increased amount of effective hot water capacity available for use. For an 80-gallon water heater, for example, such an increase in the operating temperature may result in an increase in the effective hot water capacity to a level similar to that of a 120-gallon water heater operating at a lower temperature of 120° F. It should be understood, however, that the mixing valve 302 and/or water heater 306 can be configured to operate at other temperatures and/or temperature ranges, if desired.

[0063]

While the illustrative mixing valve 302 of FIG. 7 is shown installed within a water heater system, it should be understood that the mixing valve 302 could be used in any number of applications wherein the control and regulation of fluids of dissimilar temperature is desired.

[0064]

Examples of other applications may include, but are not limited to, space and radiant heating applications, heat pump systems, hydronic heating applications, combination heating applications, industrial heating applications, photo processing applications, nursing home applications, greenhouse applications, and/or solar hot water applications. Moreover, in some embodiments such as space heating applications, for example, the mixing valve 302 can be configured to function as a diverting valve to permit the diversion of hot or cold water to particular fixtures within the system, if desired.

[0065]

In the illustrative embodiment, the thermostatic mixing valve 302 is equipped with an optional recirculation inlet 322. A recirculation pipe or conduit 348 in fluid communication with pipe or conduit 346 can be provided to permit the recirculation of mixed water back into the inlet port 334 of the water heater 306. A thermostat 350 and pump 352 operatively coupled to the recirculation pipe or conduit 348 downstream of the fixture units 304,305,306 can be provided to intermittently draw fluid back into the water heater 306, as needed. The thermostat 350 can be set to ensure that the temperature within the recirculation pipe or conduit 348 remains at a certain temperature or range of temperatures, turning on the recirculation pump 352 periodically when the temperature therein reaches a certain minimum threshold temperature. If, desired, a check valve 354 installed downstream of the pump 352 can be provided to prevent the backflow of water into the pump 352.

[0066]

The mixing valve 302 may also include a recirculation inlet 322 in fluid communication with a return pipe or conduit 356 that can be used to recirculate tempered water discharged from the mixed water outlet 320 back into the mixing valve 302. The return pipe or conduit 356 can be connected to the recirculation pipe or conduit 348 at a location downstream of the pump 352, and can include a check valve 358 to prevent the backflow of water from the mixing valve 302 into the return pipe or conduit 356. In use, the ability to recirculate water through the mixing valve 302 may help prevent cold water from building up within the mixed water pipe or conduit 346 during periods of nonuse, or when the demand for mixed water is low. Such recirculation feature within the mixing valve 302 can also be used to overcome the characteristic of many thermostatic mixing valves to overshoot the desired mixing temperature after relatively long periods of nonuse (e.g. overnight) or shortly after a previous draw.

EXAMPLES

[0067]

A series of experiments were designed and performed to optimize the pressure drop across the pressure reducing element and temperature stability of the mixed fluid outlet. Tests varying the diameter (e.g. D, D1, D2) of the aperture of a pressure reducing element inserted into the hot fluid inlet of a mixing valve upstream of the fluid flow regulator were run with four different setups. The parameters for each setup are summarized in Table 1 below:

[0000]

TABLE 1
Experimental Parameters
Setup	Flow	Hot Fluid	Cold Fluid
Name	Rate (GPM)	Temperature In (° F.)	Temperature In (° F.)
A	8	140	43
B	4	140	43
C	4	165	43
D	8	165	43

[0068]

Setups A-D were each run for each “Aperture Diameter” set forth below. The mixed fluid temperature for each run was measured with a target temperature of 110° F. The results are summarized in Table 2 below:

[0000]

TABLE 2
Experimental Results
Aperture	Mixed Temperature Output (° F.)
Diameter (inches)	Setup A	Setup B	Setup C	Setup D
0.5*	110	113	120	116
0.4	110	113	125	115
0.38	110	110	118	117
0.26	110	112	117	110
0.25	110	111	115	111
0.22	110	111	115	110
0.2	110	111	112	110
*No pressure reducing element was present, 0.5″ was the equivalent of the pipe diameter.

[0069]

As can been in Table 2, decreasing the diameter of the pressure reducing element from 0.5 inches to 0.2 inches increased the temperature stability substantially. That is, a diameter of 0.5 inches resulted in the Mixed Temperature Output of the mixing valve to range from 110 to 120 degrees across all four setups A-D, which represents about a 9% temperature variation. In contrast, providing a pressure reducing element with an aperture diameter of 0.2 inches resulted in the Mixed Temperature Output of the mixing valve to range from 110 to 112 degrees across all four setups A-D, which represents about a 1.8% temperature variation. As can be seen, the temperature stability of the Mixed Temperature Output is substantially improved, given variations in the temperature and/or pressure of the hot and/or cold fluids presented at the hot fluid inlet and the cold fluid inlet of the valve.