Dan Martin, Installer Channel Marketing at Mira Showers, looks at the advantages of bar shower valves and how these have been developed.
Common the world over nowadays, bar mixer valves have become a staple product within our industry and come with many advantages; they’re familiar, affordable and easy to install or replace with minimum disruption to the rest of the bathroom.
Even though bar valves have been about a long time, however, it doesn’t mean we don’t give them any less attention than any other product, in terms of innovation and improvement. We’re always speaking to installers and specifiers, and they’re telling us that bar valves are still an essential product; so, as a market leader in the showering industry, we’ve put a renewed focus on these products so that they remain the very best available.
The sandwich generation
A new phrase that you’ll hear more and more is the ‘sandwich generation,’ where parents are caring for their own children, whilst simultaneously also providing some, or a similar amount of care, for their parents or in-laws.
These households need to make their living space work for all ages within the family, including the functionality of the shower. These changes include making sure there are more safety elements considered and installed within the shower.
To address this demand, all Mira mixer showers feature our innovative CoolShield technology. Thanks to this innovation, the valve stays cool throughout operation and removes the risk of vulnerable users touching the hot surface of the valve.
Any plumbing system
In addition, all our bar valves function on any plumbing system, whether it’s our Coda Pro or some of our latest additions, such as the Relate EV and Relate ERD. With a five-year guarantee, they also include Magni-flo technology – this provides up to three times more flow, even when fitted to low pressure, gravity-fed hot water systems.
You get what you pay for
We’ll be honest, there will always be cheaper alternatives available on the market, but these don’t benefit from the innovation, quality and assurance that comes with buying a Mira Showers product. The phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ has never been truer.
For instance, there are retrofit options to replace existing showers, as well as the opportunity to upgrade to a competitively-priced luxurious experience with an ERD (overhead deluge option) – a great chance for installers and specifiers to upsell and add even more to the customers showering experience.
Feedback, feedback, feedback
We’re always talking with installers and specifiers to get their valued opinions about our products. And where we can, we take this feedback on board and share this with our R&D team so the necessary adaptations in both design and functionality can be made for every shower we produce.
We also listen to our customers via our customer service call centre and hear from installers through the Mira Installer Club, or face-to-face at trade events. We know how important it is to use these opportunities so we can learn more about the problems that can materialise, and how we can learn from these and make adaptations in the future to make everyone’s lives so much easier.
Fast-fix kits
Take our fast-fix kits as an example. Long gone are the Z-connectors that we were told people hated, and all-brass compression fast-fix kits have been introduced, now provided as standard in all our bar valves.
Mira bar valves also come with the handles that are separate to the valve – something which we’ve also implemented following feedback. This means that, to set the maximum temperature, the valve no longer needs to be dismantled, removing the fear of potentially damaging a brand new product.
What about the customer?
Innovation is at the heart of everything we do, which means we’ve also adapted our bar valves with our customers, and their overall experience, in mind. These now come with easy-clean fittings and spray plates, including rub-clean nozzles, so the customer can keep their shower looking and operating at it’s very best for longer.
For further information on Mira’s Bar Valves visit www.mirashowers.co.uk
Mira has produced a whole range of step-by-step installation films for its products and you can view these here https://www.mirashowers.co.uk/professional-zone/resources/step-by-step-videos/
