08 May 2012

Pure Pulse For Healthier And More Efficient Showers

Pulse Eco Shower, a Londonderry company, has developed an innovative showerhead with assistance from Invest Northern Ireland that effectively counters bacterial threats, including Legionella and Pseudomonas, and virtually eliminates limescale clogging.

The company has received Invest NI financial and technical support to both develop and market the new showerhead, a recent winner of the prestigious Green Hospitality Award. The product "Pure Pulse", which has been tested by experts at Queen’s University’s internationally respected Questor Centre in Belfast, is now being trialled by a major healthcare trust and following extensive testing is currently being used by a number of water authorities in Great Britain.

Details of the Questor study were revealed by Christie Allen, founder of the small business together with business partner James Clarke, and welcomed by Des Gartland, Manager of Invest NI’s North West Regional Office in Londonderry. Invest NI has provided £30,848 assistance towards the company’s total investment of almost £80,000. In addition, Pulse Eco Shower has received an Invest NI Innovation Voucher to help develop the new showerhead.

Mr Allen, outlining how the new showerhead works, said: “Our design has produced a much more efficient, hygienic and healthier shower system. Questor’s research found that the new head virtually eliminates limescale clogging and dramatically reduces bacteria due to the small surface area inside the head and the use of a small metal exit point compared to traditional domestic showerheads which use a spray plate involving rubber nipples which offer a natural breeding ground for bacteria such as Legionella and Pseudomonas. Pure Pulse also reduces water consumption by between 40 and 60 per cent.

“Removing the spray plate means there is nowhere for bacteria and limescale to develop.

Bacterial cultures require certain conditions to flourish and they need to anchor to a suitable surface. The design of traditional shower heads means they will usually have a film of water, rubber material or recesses where this can occur.

“As a result, layers of deposited material, which provide nutrients for bacteria, build up in areas that are aerated and moist. Bacteria can thrive in such pockets and as limescale accumulates, clogging the holes in the spray plate, the efficiency of the shower will also be affected. Our system has been designed to, and has been proven to, offer an effective solution to these problems.”

Mr Gartland said: “Pulse Eco Shower has developed a highly innovative product that could transform the shower industry and could have immense potential in international market segments including healthcare. It is already attracting significant interest from potential clients in this and other important sectors.

“We have provided a range of support to enable Pulse Eco Shower to access expert technical advice in the development of the product and to assist this small and ambitious company to harness international potential through a strategic marketing campaign in Britain and further afield.

“Pulse Eco Shower is an excellent example of our strategic focus on encouraging and assisting entrepreneurial companies in the development and marketing of innovative products with significant export potential,” he added.

(CD)