Our product you may see advertised along with shampoo bowls is a vacuum breaker.What is a vacuum breaker tends to be a common question asked by most people.Most local municipalities have very strict codes and regulations that relate to commercial buildings and specific businesses,These codes are put forth by a variety of governing agencies,which can be administered by the state, county or city. These codes and regulations can vary depending on where your business is located.
Vacuum breakers only allow water to flow in one direction. This prevents any impurities that may be in a sink to cross contaminate the fresh water supply. To further explain,if there is a break in a water supply line,the water that is in the line can leak through that opening creating a vacuum effect. Any chemicals,cleaning agents or other pollutants can get pulled through the line and get into the fresh water supply.hence the name vacuum breaker, it prevents this vacuum effect.
Vacuum breakers are usually required on all plumbing fixtures within a salon.All shampoo bowls,sinks,and pedicure chairs are required to have a vacuum breaker installed on them.There are basically two types of vacuum breakers, an inline and top mount. An inline vacuum breaker can be installed on the water inlet line underneath the fixture. the top mount is just like its sounds,it gets installed in plain view on top of the plumbing fixture.
Watch for this particular verbiage when reading through the codes and regulations that govern your area. inline vacuum breaks are much cheaper to purchase and are easier to install. in addition,inline vacuum breakers can be purchased at any plumbling supply company and most home improvement stores fairly inexpensively . however , top mount vacuum breakers usually have additional hardware that is required for mounting. More specifically,the plate that holds the hose on your shampoo bowl has to be replaced with a plate that will accommodate a top mount vacuum breaker. This special plate should be included in the kit when you purchase one of these style vacuum breakers from a salon equipment distributor. Just make sure the plate that is supplied with the vacuum breaker kit will accommodate the opening on your shampoo bowl. in some case,holes will have to be drilled when installing the top mount version on pedicure units.
Always make sure you use a competent plumber for your business. if at all possible one use some that comes highly recommended. in our experience,90% of customer service issues related to shampoo bowls are due to improper installation by a plumber.
