Ron Hazelton: Avoid Scalding Water
Feb. 15 -- Each week, Good Morning America's home-improvement guru Ron Hazelton will answer your questions about maintaining and upgrading your home. Click here to submit your own question.
Q: Dear Ron,Our hot water heater is connected to our heating system. The hot water gets extremely hot and we have two small children. I am afraid my children could get scalded. Is there any device that regulates the temperature without having to get a whole new expensive system?Thanks!
— Liz MarkusNorth Wales, Pa.
A: Actually, there are a couple devices you can use for this. The simplest is to install individual "anti-scald" devices on each fixture. For about $15, you'll find a simple valve that shuts off the water when the temperature gets too high. They thread directly onto a fixture (such as a showerhead).
If you invest around $75, you'll get a valve that senses changes in water pressure (like when someone flushes a toilet while you're showering) andadjusts the mix of hot and cold water. This valve is best installed by a plumber. Even fancier valves rely on electronics to remember the temperature of the last use and deliver the same temperature. But they're expensive — around $150 each.
Finally, instead of individual units, you can have a "whole-house anti-scald thermostatic mixing valve" installed on the hot water line. It's best installed by a licensed plumber as it requires a cold water feed, a swing check valve (to prevent hot water from entering the cold water line) and possibly a hot water expansion tank (to prevent excessive pressure on thehot water side).
— R.H.
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