What is a Tempering Valve and why do we Install so many of them?

A tempering valve is a anti scald device that can be fitted to your existing hot water service.  It’s a device that restricts your hot water temperature to 50 degrees celsius.

A water service without this device delivers a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius or more depending on the thermostat setting.  The reality is that it can take 1 second for a serious burn to occur at this temperature. With a hot water delivery of 50 degrees celsius a serious burn will not occur until after 5 minutes of contact.

In new homes it’s mandatory to fit a tempering valve or have a instant hot water unit that is preset to 50 degrees celsius.  This law has been introduced due to the fact that people mainly children have suffered severe burns from 60 degree celsius plus hot water.  The catch 22 is you can’t just turn your hot water unit down to a setting lower than 60 degrees as the water will breed legionella.

We highly recommend fitting a tempering valve to your existing hot water unit if you have young children.  This will greatly reduce the risk of them suffering serious burns and life time scaring caused by 60 degree celsius hot water.

If you would like to install one of these or if you have any questions, give us a call on 9844 1444.