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Safety and Buildings Wisconsin Department of Commerce Safety and Buildings Division Pay attention to water heater settings - Injury and liability are real possibilities By Tom Guile, Hydro-Flo Products, Inc., Brookfield. Reprinted (edited) courtesy of Guile and Wisconsin Perspectives, a publication for Wisconsin plumbing and HVAC-related industries Water heaters potentially represents a great hazard in a domestic plumbing system. People in the plumbing industry must realize and protect against the hazards of open flames, carbon monoxide, high pressures, bacteria growth, and scalding water temperatures. Fortunately, codes, laws and standards have provided safeguards to eliminate or minimize most of these potential hazards. One exception to those safeguards is the potential danger of scalding hot water in homes and apartments. There currently exist state and federal regulations dictating temperature settings or outlet temperatures to 110 degrees Fahrenheit at such facilities as correctional institutions, public buildings, nursing homes, and community-based residential facilities. Additionally, 1987 Wisconsin Act 102 requires: 1) Manufacturers provide water heater thermostats set no higher than 125 degrees F or the minimum setting; 2) Public utilities furnish annual information recommending thermostats be set no higher than 125 degrees F; and 3) Landlords must set thermostats no higher than 125 degrees F before any new tenant occupies a premise. Certainly the message is very clear - protect consumers from the dangers of hot water. In spite of these efforts, the problem still exists; water heater thermostat settings are haphazardly set at best, with the exception of facilities which are regulated and inspected on a regular basis. Most of the stringent temperature guidelines to address commercial, institutional, or public facilities. Regulations for these facilities seem to be working. At a recent seminar held during an American Society of Plumbing Engineers gathering, fewer than one out of 10 reported scalding cases were in these regulated facilities. The greater occurrences were reported in single-family dwellings or apartment dwellings. The Water Heater Division of the Gas Appliance Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) promotes and sponsors a proactive campaign on consumer safety awareness regarding dangers of hot water. The GAMA campaign includes obvious warnings and information labels on the appliance itself regarding hazards and temperature settings, as well as a detailed guide in manufacturers' installation manuals. The intentions of these warnings are to educate the consumer and avoid severe scalding injuries, first and foremost. In turn, with consumer awareness, manufacturers can experience a reduction of liability claims. This is a worthwhile and beneficial program for all parties - consumers, installers, property owners, contractors, and manufacturers. Plumbing professionals play a vital role in communicating and educating consumers regarding thermostat settings. There is face-to-face interaction and opportunity to discuss safety issues with homeowners and those at risk. There are no local, state or national regulations clarifying specifically as to the contractor's responsibilities, procedures, or guidelines for setting water heater temperatures in a single-family dwelling. The responsibility for temperature setting truly lies with the consumer. Too often installers may set the water heater temperature with little or no discussion with end-users. If there were to be a scalding incident and subsequent lawsuit, the installer could unfortunately bear some of the consequences. An installer's company policy and procedural outline regarding thermostat settings should be considered. There are over eight million water heaters manufactured per year. Well over 60 million units are in use in the U. S. today. Most of the water heaters in operation today with the usual temperature settings and conditions are considered extremely dangerous. Expected hot water temperatures lack fidelity because of inaccuracies, allowable design variances, or defects in thermostats that may occur over time. The design ranges for residential thermostats more recently are: gas 80 degrees F to 160 degrees F/ ±10 degrees F, and electric 90 degrees F to 150 degrees F/ ±10 degrees F. All thermostats today must meet governmentally regulated American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and be tested by Underwriters Laboratories or American Gas Association to these standards. These current standards allow for mishaps to occur, in my opinion. The recently reported figures from the National Safe Kids Campaign are 4,000 to 5,000 children being scalded each year. The figure for elderly scalding may be equally appalling. The resulting scald burn injuries can be horribly painful for the victim, with continuing trauma. In the case of deeper burns and a large percentage of total body surface injured, the problems do not end with wound closure. Since grafted skin does not stretch in a normal manner, surgeons must periodically "release" the skin as it becomes tight from growth for children. This type of surgery must continue through adulthood to prevent muscles from pulling bones into grotesque configurations. There also can be emotional trauma regarding visible scar tissue. A first degree burn is equivalent to sunburn. Second degree burns cause blisters. More seriously, third degree burns destroy sebaceous glands, nerves, sweat glands, hair follicles, and sometimes veins and arteries. Muscle, ligaments, tendons, and bones are damaged in fourth degree burns. The only way to be really protected from the harms of hot water is to either limit the temperature from the water heater through a blending valve, or manage the temperature at the outlet with compensating controls such as thermostatic or pressure-balance valves. Unfortunately, mixing valves are expensive and rarely considered in a residential application. Compensating controls are being used more frequently in showers and bath tubs, and somewhat in bathroom faucets. These are contemporary valves which are only being installed more recently. There are countless domiciles which will not have faucet upgrades for unforeseen years. In light of the potential hazards and exposure to the liability that may ensue, I think contractors and installers should take a proactive position to protect the customer and the business. This is an opportunity for the professional to offer something different from competitors, those being other businesses or the emerging mass marketers. Specifically as it relates to water heater installations, a professional plumbing business should: 1) Develop a leave-behind document that explains the need to review the manufacturer's owner's manual; 2) Write on the owner's manual the model and serial number of the water heater, the date of installation, the firm's name, and the installer's name; 3) Attach a sticker to the installation manual requesting the consumer read the manual, particularly the sections which refer to safety issues such as thermostat settings; 4) Indicate the temperature is at the lowest setting and that the purchaser may have to adjust the temperature; 5) Explain the effects of both higher temperature settings and lower temperature settings; 6) Make a follow-up communication by mail or phone to ensure customer understanding of these issues and their satisfaction with your performance and the products you sold them. Be sure to explain to the consumer that a thermostat setting lower than their previous water heater may result in less hot water and occasional condensation displays around the heater. A wily contractor may have this conversation before installation. Most people aren't aware they may need a larger unit to accomplish a safer thermostat setting. Changing temperature setting from 140 degrees F to 120 degrees F in effect reduces water heater capacity by 20 percent. This reduction has its greatest impact during peak morning draw. Another good idea is to stall a safety pan to control and minimize the effects of heavy condensation periods. The National Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Education Foundation and the Water Heater Division of the Gas Appliance Manufacturer's Association have developed the Safeguards Training Program to educate customers. This program is part of a major Consumer Safety Awareness Campaign sponsored by GAMA. If you are interested in participating, call GAMA at 800-GAMA-811, and ask about the Safeguards Program. For further information or comments, you may call me (Tom Guile) directly at Hydro-Flo Products, 414-781-2810, or toll-free (in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan), 800-843-3569. Link to this page's manager.