Hot water

Q: How can I adjust the water temperature coming out of my hot taps?

A: If your water's too hot, it can be downright dangerous! Each year, children are admitted to hospital with burns caused by water coming out of the tap too hot. Children are particularly at risk because they have relatively slow reaction times, their skin burns more quickly and deeply and at lower temperatures than adults, and they have a smaller body area.

Too many NZ homes have hot water that's dangerously hot. At 60°, a child's skin can sustain a serious burn in one second. A safe bath temperature for young children is between 37° and 38°. When you're running the bath, always put the cold water in first and stay in the room to supervise. Test the bath temperature with the inside of your wrist before putting your child in.

If you think your hot water is coming out of the tap too hot, contact your Master Plumber. They can check the temperature and advise you on ways of lowering it, if necessary.

This may include lowering the temperature in the cylinder, or installing tempering valves, temperature limiting taps and shower mixers.

Tempering valves control the temperature of the delivered water by mixing cold water with hot as it leaves your hot water cylinder.

The New Zealand Building Code requires that all new and modified existing hot water systems in people's homes have hot water delivered to bathroom fixtures at no more than 55°.