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December 1, 2008
How to adjust your home's hot water temperature
Posted by Rob Klovance
It’s a common sense tactic in reducing your home energy bill, but lowering your water heat temperature is not always as straightforward as we’d like it to be.
That’s why Vernon’s Barb Mitchell emailed BC Hydro with this question: "Can you offer an illustration of how to turn down the hot water tank's thermostat? Mine is very, very hot, and I want to turn it down a few degrees, but don't know how/where."
Barb’s not alone in wondering how to access the hot water tank’s thermostat. Unfortunately, no one diagram can properly show where that thermostat is located – it can vary from one hot water tank to the next.
So instead, we went to Power Smart’s Rob Lee, who underlined the importance of accessing the specific instructions provided in a water tank owner’s manual.
“If you don’t have your owner’s manual, be sure to contact an electrician for assistance in understanding the control system,” said Lee. “For a gas water heater, there is typically a dial near the bottom of the tank on the gas valve. For electric water heaters, the thermostats may be behind screw-on plates or panels. As a safety precaution, shut off the electricity to the water heater before removing/opening the panels.”
Keys to changing the temperature
Lee turned out to have a wealth of information, and included the following excellent points:
- While making adjustments, mark the beginning temperature and the adjusted temperature on the dial for future reference.
- After making your adjustments, check the water temperature with a thermometer at the tap furthest from the water heater. Several adjustments may be needed before you get the right temperature.
- Do not lower your water heater temperature below 55°C. That will avoid the risk of developing harmful bacteria in your water system.
Lee also mentioned that the simplest strategy is to conserve and use less hot water in your household, things you can do by washing all your laundry in cold water, running full loads for laundry and for your dishwasher, and using low-flow showerheads. Our new Power Smart Green Your Home guide on water use includes those tips plus several other ideas, such as saving water in the kitchen.
“Insulating the hot water tank and pipes is another easy way of saving energy,” says Lee. “Check to see if your tank can benefit from an insulating blanket by placing your hand on the outside of it. If it is warm to the touch, then it is losing heat and you can benefit from an insulating blanket.
“For gas water heaters, they should only be wrapped by a heating professional. These need to be carefully installed because the blanket must remain secure. If it slips, the blanket could create a health hazard.”
Again, look to our Power Smart water use guide for specific information on how to improve your water heater’s efficiency.
A note for those in a strata development
As a homeowner who lives in a strata-titled development, I can’t directly change hot water temperature. That became a problem last year when the hot water temperature in my unit got so hot that my four-year-old son risked scalding his hands on that rare occasion that he actually washed by himself.
I could have turned down the hot water flow at all the wash basins, but it still wouldn’t have guaranteed that my son would opt to turn only the hot water on.
Talking to the building manager did the trick. I quickly learned I wasn’t alone in complaining, and the temperature was quickly turned down to a comfortable level. That makes for safer handwashing, and some collective energy savings for the building.
Finding a balance between conservation and that minimum temperature of 55°C, which guards the development of bacteria in the system, is the trick.
Rob Klovance is managing editor of bchydro.com.
Source: BC Hydro
