The present invention relates to devices for shrouding fluid outlets such as showers and the like to enable flushing of the shower head to be performed.

Many different bacteria, such as Legionella, under the right conditions, will proliferate within water systems. Guidance laid down by the Health and Safety Executive and the Department of Health therefore recommends commercial and health care users to employ methods to control and eliminate the growth of bacteria which could give rise to infection. One of the recommended methods to control such growth is to flush out low use outlets to prevent stagnation occurring in the water distribution systems. Such flushing out involves the running of water at such low use outlets, which include taps and showers, for a number of minutes to remove any bacteria colonies which might be developing.

This type of flushing out can, however, create aerosols - airborne water vapour containing the bacteria, which are considered highly dangerous and can lead to infection of anyone who breathes them in. The creation of such aerosols can normally be controlled relatively easily in the case of flushing of taps, but is much more of a problem when dealing with showers due to the fine jets which are produced. Furthermore, due to the typical location of the shower head, it is normally difficult for the system to be flushed without the person carrying out the operation getting wet. As a result, specialist safety equipment is normally worn by the person to protect them from aerosols and also to avoid getting wet. The provision and donning of such equipment is expensive and time consuming, as well as, often, uncomfortable to the wearer.

According to the present invention there is provided a fluid outlet flushing device comprising a housing having an internal chamber, an opening in a first end which, in use, is engageable over the outlet so as to enclose the outlet within the housing and thereby collect within the chamber fluid emitted from said outlet, a housing outlet for removing fluid from the chamber, and a temperature sensor mounted within the housing by means of which the temperature of the liquid passing through the device may be monitored. An outlet flushing device in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the fluid from the outlet is contained during a flushing operation, preventing both wetting of the operator and also eliminating the risk of contamination to the operator through aerosols being formed.

The opening in the housing preferably has fastening means associated with it by means of which the device may be secured in position over the outlet with the jets enclosed within the housing. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the housing is formed of a flexible material, the opening therein being collapsible around the outlet to retain the device in place. For example, the opening may have an elasticated mouth to enable the opening to be expanded to fit over the outlet and close there-behind. Other fastening means may also be utilised, however, such as a strap or the like.

The housing outlet is preferably configured to have a hose or the like removably attachable thereto, in particular by a push fit, so as to enable the liquid passing out of the housing outlet to be ducted to a suitable location, such as the drain of a shower or a sampling receptacle.

The device is particularly useful in connection with shower heads due to the aerosolisation which is promoted by the fine jets formed thereby, the device shrouding the jets to contain the water emitted by the shower. It can, however, also be used with other types of outlet such as taps.

In addition to the need to carry out regular flushing of outlets there is also a need to monitor temperatures. There are 2 aspects to this requirement. .

Firstly, in certain instances the shower/outlet may need to be operated as it forms the base for temperature monitoring to demonstrate legionella compliance. Secondly, there is a significant need within the Healthcare industry and in any building which has water services which can be accessed by the general public to provide scalding protection. Ordinarily this is in the form of a thermostatically controlled blending device which is installed onto the pipe work feeding the outlet. The blending valves are not always close to the outlet and in many instances can be located in a void or boxing out of the line of sight and/or reach of the outlet. With respect to fixed showers the blending valve generally sits under the shower rose exposing the operative to aerosol and significant risk of getting wet when carrying out their work.

The HSE and DOH require these units are checked (at least 6 monthly) to ensure they are operating properly. The process is labour intensive and can be made complicated by the above issues which either extend the time taken or require 2 people to carry out the work.

Preferably, the temperature sensor has a connector which extends to the outside of the housing by means of which is can be connected to a suitable monitoring / display means.

The device may further include a removable lining which lines the chamber and extends out of the outlet so as to form a barrier between the housing and housing outlet and the liquid collected from the outlet. This has the advantage that the lining prevents the device from being contaminated by any bacteria in the liquid passing therethrough, and vice- versa. This is particularly advantageous when the device is used to collect samples for testing, as it ensures that the sample does not get contaminated by bacteria present in the water collected from an earlier flushed outlet.

In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described an embodiment thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a shower head flushing device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 showing the device in use utilising a removable lining; and Figure 3 is a sectional view of the device of the invention showing an incorporated temperature sensor of Figure 1.

Referring first to Figure I ₅ there is shown a shower head flushing device 1 comprising a flexible housing 2 with an adjustable opening 3 formed in the top 2a which provides fluid communication into the interior of the housing 2. The housing 2 furthermore has an outlet 4 in the bottom by mean of which liquid may exit the interior of the housing, the outlet 4 being provided with a pipe 5 to which is attachable a hose (not shown) so that the liquid may be ducted to a preferred location from the housing 2.

The device is fitted to a shower head 6 with the opening 3 of the housing engaged over the shower head 6 so as to shroud the head 6. In this way, all liquid expelled through the shower head is collected in the interior of the device and is ducted to a suitable drainage point through outlet 4, for example to the shower drain hole by means of a hose which is a push fit connection onto the outlet. As a result, the normal spray is contained, eliminating the formation of aerosols which could be a health risk to the operator and also avoiding the operator getting wet.

It is also sometimes required to take samples from the outlet for analysis. This can present a particular problem when required for a shower due to the typically fixed height of the shower. In the present invention, this can be achieved is a particularly simple manner by connecting the outlet of the device to a sampling bottle and then running the shower for long enough to collect the required volume in the sampling bottle.

To avoid contamination, a plastic liner 10 as shown in Figure 2, may be fitting within the housing, the liner having a tubular extension 10a on the bottom which extends through the outlet 4. This liner shields the sampled liquid from the device and hence prevent possible contamination of the sample by bacteria which might be present in the housing from a previous flushing operation. In certain applications, it is also recommended or required that temperature be monitored during the flushing or sampling operation, and to assist in such monitoring, the device includes a temperature sensor 11 in the interior of the housing, which sensor 11 is in contact with the liquid and can be used to track the temperature thereof. The sensor is advantageously removably connectable to monitoring apparatus which displays and/or records the temperature.