The term "bath night" in our house ranks right up there with "movie night" and "ice-cream-for-dessert-night". Our kids love baths, as do most kids and babies. But the bathroom can be a dangerous place for kids. As a parent I try to make my house as safe and fun as possible for my kids and safety in the bathroom is at the top of my list. Scalding accidents are one of the most hazardous accidents that can happen at home. It is an easily preventable accident; however, it can be confusing to determine what temperature to set your home's water at. This is based on several different health factors and what can be conflicting recommendations from experts and building codes.
First let's discuss why it's important to have your home's water hot.
First let's discuss why it's important to have your home's water hot.
WARM JUST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH
All water heaters have a thermostat on the outside of them which allows homeowners to adjust the temperature up and down according to their family's needs and preferences. Often times hospitals and pediatric offices will suggest you turn your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. While we know this suggestion is based on the fact that water any hotter than 120 degrees can scald and severely injure an infant, there are reasons your water heater is factory set hotter. Water that is warm and stagnant, sitting in your water heater or in dead-end piping legs is a breeding environment for dangerous bacteria.
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Legionella Bacteria/Legionnaire's Disease
Legionella is a common water bacteria that is found in surface water sources, such as lakes, rivers and streams. It is also found in some ground water and soils. In nature this bacteria is almost completely harmless to humans. However once the bacteria enters a home it can continue breeding to an unsafe level. As mentioned before, water that is stagnant and sits in a water heater or in dead-end piping legs is a great breeding ground for bacteria. Once consumed, either in water or in vapor particles, the bacteria begins to take over a person's body, causing Legionnaire's Disease. This is a bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract. It cannot be transmitted from person to person and is purely of environmental origin.
By maintaining hot water temperatures of about 130 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you can ensure that the bacteria that enters your home on a daily basis is being killed and not allowed to reproduce infecting your plumbing system.
Now that we know why hot water is required to maintain safe plumbing, we still need to know how to keep our water temperatures safe for our kids and other members of our family.
Legionella is a common water bacteria that is found in surface water sources, such as lakes, rivers and streams. It is also found in some ground water and soils. In nature this bacteria is almost completely harmless to humans. However once the bacteria enters a home it can continue breeding to an unsafe level. As mentioned before, water that is stagnant and sits in a water heater or in dead-end piping legs is a great breeding ground for bacteria. Once consumed, either in water or in vapor particles, the bacteria begins to take over a person's body, causing Legionnaire's Disease. This is a bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract. It cannot be transmitted from person to person and is purely of environmental origin.
By maintaining hot water temperatures of about 130 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you can ensure that the bacteria that enters your home on a daily basis is being killed and not allowed to reproduce infecting your plumbing system.
Now that we know why hot water is required to maintain safe plumbing, we still need to know how to keep our water temperatures safe for our kids and other members of our family.
BUT NOT TOO HOT
Scalding burns can happen in just a split second. Ninety percent of scalding accidents happen in the home and are most often preventable. Those at the highest risk include children under five with tender skin and elderly individuals who may have a slower reaction time. As discussed, seconds can be all it takes to receive a second or third degree burn from water that is too hot:
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TEMPERATURE TIME IN WATER RESULT
120 Degrees 5 minutes 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
--------------------------------------Temperature to maintain in order to kill bacteria --------------------------------------------------------
130 Degrees 30 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
4 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on child
--------------------------------------Temperature to maintain in order to kill bacteria --------------------------------------------------------
140 Degrees 5 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
150 Degrees 1 1/2 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
160 Degrees 1/2 second 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
Consequently if a water heater is kept at 130 degrees in order to kill bacteria, it will take a child all but 4 seconds to receive 2nd and 3rd degree burns on their body.
120 Degrees 5 minutes 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
--------------------------------------Temperature to maintain in order to kill bacteria --------------------------------------------------------
130 Degrees 30 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
4 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on child
--------------------------------------Temperature to maintain in order to kill bacteria --------------------------------------------------------
140 Degrees 5 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
150 Degrees 1 1/2 seconds 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
160 Degrees 1/2 second 2nd and 3rd degree burns on adult
Consequently if a water heater is kept at 130 degrees in order to kill bacteria, it will take a child all but 4 seconds to receive 2nd and 3rd degree burns on their body.
SOLUTION: TEMPERATURE LIMITING DEVICES
The solution that plumbers and experts will recommend is a Temperature Limiting Device that is installed on your faucet. Some faucets come with these and some do not. If your faucet does not you can add an anti-scald temperature limiting adapter to protect your family. You will want to make sure your adapter is in compliance with ASSE 1070 regulations regarding mixing valves that limit hot water. This regulations states that to meet code, the mixing valve must never let the faucet temperature exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You can test this with a liquid thermometer to verify that your temperature limiting valve is within code.
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TEST YOUR TEMPERATURE
The only way to know if your home is in the proper temperature zone is to test it. We highly recommend getting a infrared thermometer that can take the temperature of water running through pipes in your walls. This is a great and very accurate way to test your home's water temperature.
Infrared Thermometers
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Amanda Klecker, Zell Plumbing & Heating