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Itron Engage Expert Partner

All Valve Industries Achieves Itron Engage Expert Status

All Valve Industries (AVI) announced that it achieved Expert level status in the Itron Engage Channel Partner Program in 2024, the first company in Australia to be awarded this tier.

Itron Engage is a global program with benefits designed to recognize their partner’s expertise across the Itron portfolio. Through ongoing training, development, certification and support, Itron enables their partners to leverage the strength of the Itron portfolio, brand and leadership position to deliver market leading products and solutions for their customers.  

"We're delighted to be recognized by Itron with Expert partner status," said Trent Kilner, Managing Director at AVI. "We have heavily invested in the capabilities within our organization to capitalize on the opportunities provided to us by Itron and the Engage Channel Partner Program. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our team in supporting Itron’s solutions to the market.”

Along with its Expert level status, AVI is certified by Itron in the delivery of smart water devices, AMI and AMR network solutions, Temetra meter data management deployment services and water operations management solutions.

AVI is one of the Australia’s most accomplished distributors for Itron, currently delivering AMR and AMI systems for some of Australia’s largest water authorities, including Sydney Water, as well as many regional NSW councils and a vast network of plumbing merchants.

Itron Metering Projects

All Valve Industries has been appointed as a National distributor for Itron’s range of metering products. This partnership means Itron now has a well-established distribution channel for the wholesale market, as well as additional local stock and support in Sydney.

Itron received approval to provide metering solutions in compliance to Sydney Water’s Multi-Level Individual Metering (MLIM) Policy.

Itron is a world-leading technology and services company dedicated to providing comprehensive solutions that measure, manage and analyze energy and water. It is also an industry leader in metering solutions and the number 1 supplier of water meters and communication modules globally. With over 90 million water meters and more than 21 million water communication modules supplied worldwide, Itron is your best choice in resource management.

Project Quotes

  • Must install metering on each unit as per MLIM Guidelines (common water optional).
  • Source and install Master Meter(s) from Sydney Water.
  • Attach the included labels on the pipe on the outlet side of the meter with lot number and tap test.
  • Ensure appropriate access to site for Itron Technicians and Subcontractors at mutually agreeable time

 If you lodge a Section 73 application after 1 September 2014, these conditions will be in the:

  • Notice of Requirements letter
  • complying Section 73 Certificate development letter. 
  • Address of Project site
  • Number of master meters – Plumber to organise with Sydney Water
  • Number of apartments – residential meters required
  • Number of common water meters – If required
  • Number of buildings in projects
  • Number of Levels per building
  • Required Lead time from Meter supplier (for meters and commissioning)
  • Are sub assembly kits required (meter brackets)

Itron is able to offer a fixed price quotation due to the mobile battery operated EverBlu Collector Technology. This technology enables Itron to provide full RF coverage across the whole site without requiring additional power points. The infrastructure requirements and positions are determined during the Infrastructure survey using specialised tools. This process is only required to be performed once. If additional collectors and/or access points are required after this process, they will be provided at Itron’s cost. Itron have successfully deployed EverBlu networks across entire buildings and towns / cities in Australia, with the largest single deployment being 13,500 meters.

Valve Cavitation

Every now and again, a product is used in an application which isn’t fit for purpose and the consequence of doing so becomes evident very quickly. However, these situations can also be treated as lessons learnt and this brief article has been written to help understand the effects of high differential pressures across a flow control valve.

In this instance, unbeknownst to All Valve Industries, a Cimberio 746 series balancing valve was used to control the circulating flow of cold water through various circuits in a building, much like you would for a domestic hot water system, with the aim to reduce stagnant cold water and the risk of Legionella.

The issue was that rather than relying on a circulating pump with a relatively low head pressure for the circulation, the system used the mains water and booster pumps which were normally used to provide the peak flow demand to the building. This mains pressure water circulated through the system and back to an open tank for recirculation.

In order to provide the design flow for each circuit and balance the system, the Cimberio 746 series balancing valves were installed at the end of each circuit. Although the flow rates achieved were correct, the valves had to create a pressure loss of nearly 500kPa, whereby the maximum suggested pressure loss for these balancing valves is 50kPa.

The result of the valves creating this excessively high pressure loss was that cavitation occurred inside the valve and, within just 6 months, eroded the brass body to the point of failure. The tell tale sign of cavitation is the pitted rough surface structure and being located directly downstream of the ‘vena contracta’ which is the narrowest flow area that creates the pressure loss. The pictures show just how destructive the cavitation can be.

There are several alternative solutions to rectify the issue, for example, using a hydraulic style differential pressure sustaining valve at the end of the common return line which fed the tank, thereby reducing the pressure loss required across the balancing valves, or potentially redesign the system to not vent to the open tank and use a smaller circulating pump, or possibly use a control valve that featured an anti-cavitation trim (although unlikely available with Watermark approval).

This is just one example of cavitation in valves that All Valve Industries have seen over the years, but it serves as a reminder of the importance to carefully review manufacturer’s recommendations for the valve’s working conditions to ensure reliable performance for the life of the product.

For more information on cavitation, Flowserve provides a very good overview of this topic and you can read about it here;

Flowserve cavitation article

H-BOX water saving

Working with E-LAB Consulting, a leading specialist sustainability engineering consultancy company, we approached the BASIX technical support team with our innovative H-BOX unit with the aim of recognising the product for it’s water savings potential.

Various water savings calculations and theoretical water savings were modelled, showing potential savings ranging from 16 to 25% depending on the proposed hot water design, apartment size, number of occupants, etc.

These savings were also validated through a case study where the H-BOX unit was retrofitted into an existing building to reduce the HW delivery times. The embedded network company of the building provided anonymous data of the hot water usage for the apartments before and after the installation of the H-BOX for a 2 year period. Due to limitations in access, the full benefit of the H-BOX could not be achieved by circulating hot water through the entire apartment, however, despite this the H-BOX proved to reduce hot water consumption on average by 10%. Of course, had the circulation of hot water continued through to each fixture, the water savings would likely be closer in line with the water savings initially calculated.

This data, along with the proposed water savings calculations was accepted by BASIX in June 2022. Now within the BASIX tool, if using a central hot water system, the H-BOX system can be utilised by selecting a “Hot Water Re-heating Circulation Device” to indicate that this device is present and will apply a water saving to your sustainability score.

HBOX Basix Screenshot

Note that at this stage the main change has been to remove the validation that prevented the use of an ‘on-demand hot water recirculation system’ to be connected to central hot water system. The water savings offered under the ‘on demand’ type system is similar to that demonstrated by the H-BOX, and so this category was suitable to be updated to recognise the savings offered by the H-BOX system. BASIX is still in the process of updating the wording in this section as well as in the help note to mention the use of a “Hot Water Re-heating Circulation Device” which will be the generic term for a H-BOX product.

With most projects, we see an average of a 1% increase in the overall BASIX water score, which is a significant achievement for any project.

Now, there are even more reasons to specify a H-BOX into your next project!

See our H-BOX products