I am old enough to remember boiling water on the stove to make hot water. Now that we have all the hot water we could ever want----whenever we want----we must still be careful to not let it get TOO hot. I am impressed with the narrow range of temperatures that the human skin can deal with without being damaged. Normal skin temperature is approximately 91 degrees. According to the CPSC there are more than 3800 scalding injuries and 34 deaths per year from tap water that is set too high. Most of these accidents involve children under five and the elderly. Make sure your water temperature is not set higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have enough hot water at that temperature, you either need more supply (bigger tank) or some sort of temperature regulator (tempering valve) on the system so that the tank temperature can be set higher while delivering 120 degree water where you need it. Charles Buell
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Click on the Rose 
to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group
PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)
all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.
My WORDLESS WEDNESDAY pictures and some selected POEMS & STORIES.
Safety first. I remember as a plumber, when relighting boilers you could hold the pipe until it got to 140, which was about 30 seconds after it hit 130.
Charles...I have an instant hot water spigot on my kitchen sink....do you know how many times people have put their finger under it to test it???OMG...it's 190 degrees at all times.
Thanks for the numbers
You can also install faucets with preset water temperature controls like in restaurants
never to hot for the little ones
enjoy the day
We have an instant hot water spout on our sink and for awhile had to caution our grandkids about the very hot water each time they came over. They learned pretty fast and never got burned, but we were concerned.
That is very good to know. My skin is very sensitive since I was burned in a truck fire in the 1980s...
Have a great Monday Charles,
Paul
Good post Charles. How hot are those tankless water heaters? I know I like a very hot shower, but my kids could not take it.
Great picture to illustrate your point here Charles!
And such invaluable information for both new home owners and veterans alike.
We don't have any chilluns left at home... so we have our set to "instant scald"... it ain' hot enough for my wife, unless the skin bilsters!
Chalres....
Boy.... is that a expenisve (painful) lesson to learn the hard way....thanks for your post......and I heard you
Charles, Something is wrong if you are scalding yourself at your tap! Thanks for the info.
Glenn, I don't think I could hold onto a 130 degree pipe for 30 seconds----never mind 140
Barbara, those things can be incredibly dangerous
Don, yes, now required at tub/shower fixtures----good idea
Val, hard to be too watchful over the little ones
Paul, I made this to use as a link in my reports when I find the water too hot
Gene the tankless heaters can be adjusted like any other
Craig, my finger has fully recovered now
Alan, well that should keep everyone "in the pink"
Richie, people have no idea sometimes
Susan, and I often find the temperature above 140 degrees F
It's truly amazing how ofen I see really, really hot water on home inspections! And in houses with little children!
jay the hottest I ever found was 156----at a doctor's house.
This is fantastic information Charles; another reason I subscribe to your blog.
I'm a big fan of tankless water heaters and it's important to know this information when you are deciding what to set the heat at.
I had to turn my tank down to 120 recently, but I still do not run out. I think I may save a few $ also.
I have been over 180 many times! Frightful!
Vic thanks,
Dennis, gas or electric?
Jay that is scary high
Thanks for the diagram, Charles. Our tank is currently set at "infant mode". I'm lucky if the shower water hits 98.6.
Rich
Great chart. I just about burned my finger off at a house recently where they had it cranked up way to high.
I love a really hot shower, and have no idea what my tank is set on. I do know when it's time to replace I want the tankless system. Good info Charles.
Rich, I remember "infant mode"---ironic that that is the age they need sterilizing the most :)
Thanks Reuben
Tammy, the tankless systems are not great in all circumstances----will have to do a blog about that someday:)
Hi Charles, thanks for the good warning. This is basic safety info but if you polled the average citizen you would soon learn that it is not common knowledge. If I had my way you wouldn't get out of the fifth grade without it.
It"s SO easy to set the right temperature and even a tempering valve is not hard or expensive to have done.
As for a kitchen hot point tap, putting your finger in that stream of hot water makes about as much sense as pouring the water from a kettle you just boiled onto your head.
But of course the HP tap is just a tap.
It is located at the back side of a sink to put it out of reach of young hands, but they still have to learn about it just as they have to learn how to safely cross the road.
IF you could invent a child proof safety device for the hot point tap system, as they say "the world will beat a path to your door".
That quote references the proverbial mouse trap, but like going to the moon, that job's been done.
Robert perhaps one day someone will come up with the equivalent of the table saw safety-stop feature---that stops the blade before you saw your finger off :)
Those instant hot devices get REALLY hot---wouldn't own one myself.
Very interesting, wonderful advice. I am curious how many people out there actually know what their water temp is set at.
David and Bonnie, I would suspect that the answer is very few.