Have you ever found yourself wondering what temperature should a water heater be set at? Most people have, especially those who ever felt tempted to bump up the hot water temperature to reap the soothing qualities.
That being said, too hot water can dry and burn your skin. To discover the most appropriate temperature to set your water heater at, read the following article below.
What Temperature Should a Residential Hot Water Heater Be Set At?
Even though most water heater unit is set to have a default setting temperature at 140° F, the actual recommended water temperature to avoid skin scalding is 120° F. This is equivalent to 48° hot water temperature in Celsius. Any setting below 120° F may risk the water to develop bacteria like legionella, leading to Legionnaire’s disease.
The recommended ideal temperature setting doesn’t change regardless of your unit type (gas or electric type, tank or tankless structure). However, there are some considerations that you may want to think about beforehand, as follows:
- 120° F might be the suitable temperature to set if you have younger kids or elderly persons in the household, who are more vulnerable to third-degree burns in a short time.
- 140° F might be the suitable temperature to set if you have occupants with low immune disease, non-preheat dishwasher in the household.
The majority of water heaters have a temperature control feature (dial). Still, if your unit doesn’t have them, you may wait for several minutes for the water to run down and check the temperature by using a thermometer.
Moreover, gas-powered units typically provide setting options to adjust the water temperature. Many of them have water heater settings A B C settings knobs – although this may differ by brand. In general, the meaning of each label is listed below:
- Warm: 80° to 90° F
- Hot: 120° F
- A: 130° F
- B: 140° F
- C: 150° F
- Extremely hot: 160° F
What Temperature Should the Hot Water Heater Be Set At For a Nursing Home?
A lot of people, later in life, need some form of care support or assisted living. Older adults usually live in long-term care centers or nursing facilities with a set of regulations, including the water heating temperature setting.
This is because senior people are susceptible to the effect of hot water, which may cause intense blow flow to the skin, leading to cardiovascular strain. This condition causes the heart to work excessively, and it is certainly not an ideal condition for those with heart conditions.
On the other hand, too cold water may cause narrowing blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to the skin, heart, and other internal organs.
So, what temperature should a water heater be set at a nursing home? The advice from the U.S. federal guidelines recommends it to be below 120° F. Many states have stringent standards about not setting temperatures lower than 120° F due to the mentioned risk of bacteria breeding above.
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