Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Hot Water Temperatures
The leading cause of deaths and injuries to children at home
is accidents. Scalding from hot water is one of the most
dangerous of these accidents. Small children are busy and
can get to sinks or bathtubs quickly. They can burn
themselves severely before they can get out of the water.
Infants are unable to move away from hot water if it is
accidentally left on too hot.
The following chart shows just how dangerous hot water can
be.
Temperature Time to Cause
of Water a Bad Burn
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150 degrees F (66 degrees C) 2 seconds
140 degrees F (60 degrees C) 6 seconds
125 degrees F (52 degrees C) 2 minutes
120 degrees F (49 degrees C) 10 minutes
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You can see from this chart that if your infant or young
child should come into contact with hot water, the
temperature of the water would make the difference between
whether he or she gets burned or not. If your hot water
heater is set at 150 degrees F (66 degrees C) and your child
comes in contact with the hot water for just 2 seconds, your
child will receive a burn bad enough to require medical
treatment.
The following are some common questions and answers about
hot water heater settings.
- Q: If I turn the hot water heater setting down, won't I
have trouble getting the dishes in the dishwasher and
the clothes in the washing machine clean?
A: No. The major soap manufacturers design their soap
to work best in water between 120 and 125 degrees F
(49 to 52 degrees C).
- Q: Will my baby get more colds if the hot water isn't
hot enough?
A: No. Hot water has nothing to do with getting colds.
- Q: Will we run out of hot water any sooner if we turn
the temperature down?
A: Yes, you will. But this may be a small price to pay
to protect your child.
- Q: Will I save any money on utility bills by turning
down the temperature setting?
A: Yes. On the average, for every 10 degrees F
(6 degrees C) that you turn the temperature down, you
will save 4% on the water-heating portion of your
utility bill.
- Q: I don't know where the thermostat of my hot water
heater is, and I don't know how to tell at what
temperature it is set. How can I tell?
A: First measure the hot water temperature. The best
way to do this is to measure it in the morning, before
anyone in your home has used any hot water. Turn on the
hot water at the kitchen sink and let it run for
2 minutes. Then, using either an outdoor thermometer or
a candy thermometer, hold the thermometer in the stream
of the water until the reading stops going up. If your
water-heater setting is at a safe level (between 120 and
125 degrees F, or 49 to 52 degrees C), you don't have to
do anything. There is no advantage to setting the
thermostat below 120 degrees F (49 degrees C). If your
hot water setting is too high, here are some tips on how
to find the thermostat and turn it down.
- Gas hot water heaters usually have a thermostat
outside the tank at the bottom. Electric water
heaters usually have either two panels screwed to the
top and bottom of the tank or one panel along the
side of the tank. Thermostats are located under
these panels.
- The thermostat should be set on the "low" setting or
within the "energy efficient range." If the
temperature at the kitchen sink is too hot at this
setting, adjust the thermostat to a lower setting.
After changing the thermostat setting, you can test the
hot water temperature again about 24 hours later. If
you test it in less than 24 hours, you will not get an
accurate reading. Continue to test the water
temperature and adjust the thermostat setting until the
water is no hotter than 125 degrees F (52 degrees C).
If you get it below 120 degrees F (49 degrees C), then
turn it back up a small amount.
Please, take some time to think about the risk to your child
from hot water in your home. Think about whether the
convenience of having lots of very hot water is really worth
the added risk that you might be taking with your child's
health. Your child is no longer at significant risk for
hot water burns by the age of 4 years. Then you can turn
your hot water heater up to a higher temperature.
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