IWG's lay of the lavatory
This is a special feature from PAX Tech's July 2021 Cabin Hygiene, Seating & IFEC digital edition.
The Healthy Lav by International Water-Guard includes touchless faucet, touchless flush, the ‘HE’ (high efficiency) lavatory water heater and the UVL1 LED water disinfection unit
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a much greater awareness of hygiene and personal safety. With this awareness comes the responsibility for the aviation industry to introduce updates and innovations that help keep passengers safe and healthy in a space that is more often than not passed over in conversation – the lavatory.
In April, APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader shared with PAX some developments about the APEX Health Safety Standard powered by SimpliFlying. Following a review by the medical board, it recommends airlines worldwide to include notifications for travelers not to remove masks in lavatories and public restrooms since COVID-19 can remain in the digestive system for up to 14 days.
Keeping up with recommendations in passenger health is no problem for International Water-Guard (IWG) which has been supplying water disinfection units to airlines for more than 30 years. The company has recently unveiled its Healthy Lav offering, a range of touchless lavatory solutions and new water disinfection technology to help passengers stay safe and feel comfortable.
The International Water-Guard UVL1 LED water disinfection unit
“Before the pandemic, we were already working on lavatory touchless solutions and UVC-LED water disinfection as part of our mandate to provide innovative hygiene solutions to the aerospace industry,” Mathew Pownall, Technical Sales and Support Manager at International Water-Guard Industries Inc. tells PAX Tech. “The pandemic precipitated the idea of offering these innovative products together.”
The ‘HE’ (high efficiency) lavatory water heater by International Water-Guard is a reliable, weight-saving, high-performance drop-in replacement for many existing lavatory water heaters
The offering includes a touchless faucet, touchless flush, the ‘HE’ (high efficiency) lavatory water heater and the UVL1 LED water disinfection unit. These touchless components and the UVL1 will be flying and certified in Q3 2021, and the HE Heater is available now. Additional touchless lavatory components are in an advanced stage of development and will be available soon.
The HE Heater is a reliable, weight-saving, high-performance drop-in replacement for many existing lavatory water heaters. IWG HE Heaters have FAA PMA certification meaning it is eligible for install on the majority of Airbus and Boeing airframes without the need for an STC.
The UVL1 carries out the vital task of ensuring that the aircraft water is free of harmful pathogens such as the bacteria and viruses that cause a range of illnesses (including dysentery, e-coli, rotavirus and legionella). These pathogens can also cause airlines to fail coliform sampling testing and the associated cost and inconvenience that brings. It uses LED lights that emit ultraviolet light in the UV-C spectrum which render pathogens unable to reproduce and therefore harmless to humans. The UVL1 is compact, lightweight and is straightforward to install just upstream of a spigot, faucet or galley water supply lines.
The Healthy Lav offering is available in separate components or as a complete line-fit or retrofit package. To assist with integration, all touchless products and the UVL1 can be powered from IWG’s Lavatory Control Module so just one new power input into the lavatory is required.
