Water Temperature Is Vital

For the vulnerable elderly or small children, a hot bath or a sink full of water can be a real danger. Decreased sensation, poor reaction time or a lack of awareness that the water is potentially too warm for comfort can all result in significant scalds, which at worst can even be deadly. Unfortunately when it comes to hot water, even a second or two of skin exposure will be enough to cause significant damage. While infants can be supervised near hot water, older people typically value their independence and prefer to bath unsupervised, potentially setting themselves up for a scalding accident. Wouldn’t it be great if a safe hot water temperature could be continuously maintained?

Hot water safety tempering valve can help

Hot water must be stored at a temperature high enough avoid bacteria, yet be delivered at a temperature safe for human hands. A hot water safety tempering valve is the perfect solution to the problem of water that’s just too hot for safety when it comes out of the tap. The HWS tempering valve mixes hot water with cold water before it reaches the tap, which ensures users are never exposed to water with a temperature of more than 50°C. This is more than hot enough for normal domestic use, but not hot enough to cause painful scalding.

Maintain independence and dignity

Once older parents have the tempering valve fitted in their home, they can continue to bathe, wash and prepare food safely, as the danger of prolonged contact with scalding water is removed. Even if reaction times are significantly slower than usual or sensation impaired, with a tempering valve in place, hot water heater safety is assured. The device is such a useful adjunct to any household that it’s actually a legal requirement for homes in NSW to have one fitted. With the valve installed, you can confidently leave older relatives or friends to bathe independently, confident that they won’t injure themselves due to overly hot water.

Particularly for older people who have reduced healing capabilities, scalds can take very many months to resolve. Why take the risk? We can make the changes needed to ensure water always stays at a safe temperature. If you want to enable older parents to keep their safe independence or to provide a child-safe environment, hot water heater safety is of significant importance. Grandchildren spending time with grandparents are equally protected from overly hot taps. Give us a call and we would be happy to discuss your situation and our recommendations for home safety for your elderly parents.