Since its founding in 1972, NorthPointe Christian Schools has been in a continual growth mode, commencing with 90 students when it first opened its doors. Today, the educational complex outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, provides a high level of education to its student body of Pre-K to 12-grade enrollments, which for the 2023-2024 school year stands at 1,250 students.
To keep pace with the needs of ever-expanding schools like Northpointe, Chicago Faucets has been in a continual growth mode as well. From developing thermostatic mixers to offering five styles of touchless faucets with integrated ASSE 1070-certified mixers to make schools safer places to learn.
Along with a complete academic program, the NorthPointe Christian Mustangs participate in the full range of boys' and girls' sports. The school’s impressive growth is spurred in part by its innovative programs: Nature-based Preschool, Big Picture Learning, Spanish Immersion starting in Preschool, Robotics clubs for all age levels, service projects and a student-run on-site café.
Safe yet stylish
To offer a positive learning environment, NorthPointe continually keeps its facility up to date, with particular attention to student comfort and safety. Among these upgrades, the school installed advanced E-Tronic 80 touchless faucets and soap dispensers from Chicago Faucets in the recently remodeled boys' and girls' restrooms.
NorthPointe's Director of Facilities Rusty Brewster had a long-term relationship with the school’s plumbing supplier, so he turned to Bill Rohen, sales representative for Michigan with Taggart- Knight Group when the project came up for consideration.
“These are the restrooms that 95% of our visitors also use, so for many, this is a first impression,” Brewster says. “The E-Tronic 80 faucets in black matte did the trick. They look great and get plenty of compliments.”
One of the big focuses was ensuring students use their faucets safely. Though kids are not chronic handwashers, parents have been encouraging hand hygiene since the pandemic. But in fighting this hazard, there is a possible exposure to another one.
Hot tap water can be dangerous, especially to younger students. To keep water safe, it is stored at temperatures of at least 140° F. In some cases, water temperature can reach 160° F, which can scald a person within half a second of contact. In burns for the pediatric population, scald injury is the most common (49.8%) in all children less than 16 years old. According to Wendy Shields, senior scientist at Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, “there is a lack of awareness about this.”
In compliance with federal, state and local mandates, buildings, including schools, install scald protection products in their facilities. The Northpointe washroom E-Tronic 80 model faucet design offers user-adjustable temperature control to dispense warm water with the integral ASSE 1070-certified scald protection.
The E-Tronic 80 has an integrated ASSE 1070-certified mixing valve that provides scald protection. It mixes the hot and cold water in the faucet and limits the maximum hot water temperature if the cold line should fail.
The second approach is the mechanical mix handle (handle on the side of the faucet) that the user adjusts to control the final mixed water temperature to match their preference. Yet, the ASSE 1070-certified mixing valves prevent the water from exceeding the limit set by the initial thermostatic protection.
The design of ASSE 107-certified devices limit the water temperature by code in public buildings, both government and privately owned. Scald protection is also a priority for populations that are vulnerable to the effects of high temperatures, especially K-12 students.
For ease of installation, durability and fewer leak points Chicago Faucet’s anti-scald TempShield technology is integral to the E-Tronic 80. This design cuts installation time by 50% and eliminates as many as six leak points.
With their rugged design and rigorous testing, these thermostatically protected faucets are certified to the latest ASSE 1070 code for lavatory projects. Plus, the integral temperature protection ensures there is no chance that an anti-scald device will be left out of the installation.
Germ Fighting Faucets
Scald protection is one aspect of keeping the students at Northpointe safe. Schools are notorious for spreading colds, flu and other contagious diseases.
A single lever manually operated faucet can harbor scores of bacterial colonies, which can be easily transmitted from student to student. The E-Tronic 80 faucet's hands-free operation limits the surface areas that students have contact with so less bacteria is spread student to student.
The E-Tronic 80 makes the handwashing routine easy for the students, enabling a hygienic visit to the school washroom to protect themselves and their classmates from spreading illness. When the student is ready to wash hands, the intuitive faucet sensor detects motion and dispenses water.
The E-Tronic 80 has a 10-second run time when the faucet sensor detects the presence of a hand, automatically shutting off water flow after one second once the hands are withdrawn from the sensor to save water. The faucet cannot be left running to overflow the sink, even if the sensor is blocked.
Benefiting installation and maintenance
The recently introduced CF Connect App enables easy adjustments in the faucet's settings from hygiene and pipe flush to seven operating modes that can be set for one or a wing full of faucets. This tool for touchless faucet management helps the maintenance crew monitor water usage and flushing while creating a documented audit trail.
The E-Tronic 80's accessible electronics above deck simplify installation and maintenance. With low-cost installation, pre-installed flexible water supply hoses and a single-hole deck mounting requirement, the faucet offers convenience for an efficient and reliable install and subsequent maintenance.
According to Rohen, "For Rusty, it was the look and the convenience of everything, including the mixing valve in one faucet."
The NorthPointe maintenance department installed the faucets and found the job a snap. "The integrated mixing valve anti-scald protection made installation much easier," Brewster says.
The multiple modes, including "cleaning," make our restrooms easier to clean."
Though the E-Tronic 80 can operate off a 6V lithium battery or a LTPS (Long-Term Power System) lithium batter, NorthPointe opted for the 120v AC power option for more reliable operation, avoiding the need for battery changes.
Built for the demands of public use, the E-Tronic 80 has a Vandal-Resistant pressure-compensating Econo-Flo non-aerating spray outlet with a clear, non-splashing 0.5 gpm water flow contributing to water conservation efforts at NorthPointe. .
Overall, the E-Tronic 80 faucets align with NorthPointe Christian Schools' commitment to providing a quality education in an upscale environment.
Chicago Faucets products include certified ASSE 1070 faucets and sensor faucets, plus the certified ASSE 1016 thermostatic pressure balancing valves for showers in school locker rooms. In addition, the company offers a complete selection of add-on thermostatic valves for single or dual supply applications.
