January 04/2022
Energy Efficient Temperature Setting for Water Heaters
Most property and homeowners usually struggle with the question: What is the right temperature for a water heater? According to the EPA, the stipulated temperature is 120 degrees because it eliminates any disease-causing pathogens and doesn’t cause scalding. This temperature is often recommended for domestic use and is energy efficient, ideal for most homes. However, the professional plumbers at Mr. Rooter Plumbing can help you adjust your water heater to attain the perfect temperature for your hot water needs without compromising energy efficiency. Failure to properly adjust and regulate your water heater can damage water heater components, resulting in water heater replacement and repair.
Identify Your Current Temperature Setting
Before proceeding with any adjustments, it’s important to note the current temperature. This will provide our local plumbers with the required information to recommend a better and energy-efficient setting. The current water heater brands are equipped with a dial to help you assess the temperature, but if yours doesn’t, then the professional plumbers from Mr. Rooter can help you take the reading from your faucets. If you have a thermometer at home, all you need to do is allow water to run for a few minutes for a precise and more accurate reading.
Factors that Can Affect Your Water Heater Temperature Setting
Regardless of the type of water heater and plumbing system you have, turning the temperature down goes a long way in minimizing your energy consumption. If you don’t know the right temperature for your home, our plumbers recommend setting it at 120 degrees and then slowly increasing it until it’s perfect. Before proceeding with adjustments to your water heater, here are some of the things you need to consider:
A household with children should maintain a water heater temperature of 120 degrees to prevent third-degree burns. Water at 150 degrees can cause severe burns within two seconds, and 140 degrees can take five seconds before severely burning the child. Onboarding the team at Mr. Rooter Plumbing provides you with years of experience you can leverage to ensure you safely adjust the temperature of your appliance to suit all.
Homes with a member suffering from a respiratory disease or suppressed immunity are not advised to lower the temperature to an energy-efficient level. Lowering the temperature can worsen their health, which is not ideal for their wellbeing. It is also important to avoid lowering the temperature if your dishwasher doesn’t pre-heat the water, and therefore the temperature should be set at 140 degrees. In case it’s difficult to adjust the settings, our plumbers can assess your unit to determine the cause of the problem.
Depending on the severity of the damage, water heater replacement or repair are viable options. Although water heaters can run for many years without raising any concern, having the team from Mr. Rooter Plumbing conduct regular maintenance checks are recommended. Contact us today and schedule an appointment for more information on the energy-efficient setting for your water heater.
