Safe Hot Water Tap Temperatures.

Serious incidents from Hot Water Systems are extremely rare but accidents can happen. This guidance is given to keep your family and yourself "safe" and avoid the risk of being burnt or scalded.

The Hot Water System in your home which provides hot water to all your taps is controlled by many components that can sometimes fail as a result of age, condition, deterioration and/or misuse.

If this happens it can result in unsafe Hot Water tap temperatures that can burn or scald if not identified and reported.

The following advice is how to identify an increase in or high unsafe water temperatures, the warning signs are;

• Very hot water coming out of the hot water taps, to the point that it is too hot to touch.
• Excessive noise or "bubbling" coming from the hot water cylinder.
• Hot water coming out of the cold taps.
• Steam, moisture or condensation in the cylinder cupboard area or roof space where the cylinder is located.
• Warm or Hot Water coming out of the overflow pipe (the pipe is usually found outside your house, coming through an outside wall up near the roof)

How to prevent the risk of burning or scalding from Hot Water;

• If any of the above warning signs are identified you should turn off your appliance, gas or solid fuel and/or immersion heater immediately and report the fault to WDH OneCALL on 0845 8 507 507.
• Make sure that your Hot Water control thermostats are set at 55 degrees centigrade or 131 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Always run cold water into your bath or sink first, build the temperature up in the bath or sink by adding hot water and continually test the temperature with your hand until the desired temperature is reached.
• Always "test" the temperature of the water with your hand before washing or bathing in it.
• Never leave a hot tap running unattended, particularly where there are young children.

In the event of a scalding related incident please ring NHS Direct immediately on 0845 4647.