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| Greenbuilding Archive for January 2000 |
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| 532 messages, last added Tue Nov 26 17:23:25 2002 |
[Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: GBlist: boosting storage temp
Carmine Vasile
> How do Australians handle the dual problem you indicate: "However
Australia also has anti-scalding requirements built
into legislation - such that water from domestic outlets (e.g. in the
bathroom) must be set at a maximum of 50*C [122*F]. Storage temperature must
be 70*C [158*F] or more for microbial control."
without degrading the Energy Factor ["EF"] of the water heating system?
The 50*C requirement was in response to the rising incidence of scaldings of
children - I know one of the (NSW state government) people involved in
getting it into law. It was consumer-driven (safety in the home is a big
issue), not manufacturer-driven. Australia is not yet as litigious as the
US. It is a fairly recent requirement, and it doesn't apply to all the
outlets in a home(e.g. just the bathroom). It also isn't retroactive.
See the following websites:
National Public Health
http://hna.ffh.vic.gov.au/nphp/key/key3/body3.2.htm
Kidsafe media release
http://www.medialaunch.com.au/49/GENERIC.html
Enware taps
http://www.medialaunch.com.au/49/GENERIC.html
But I have noticed an increase in the use of non-storage water heaters,
perhaps in response to the problem. These often have dual settings for the
kitchen and the bathroom, where the user sets a priority. Instantaneous
under-sink heaters for kitchens are also quite common now, so they are out
of the loop.
Baths and showers also often have European mixers by which the user can
preset a suitable (non-scalding) temperature for the water. Kids are
unlikely to modify the settings. The 70*C water is tempered with cold at the
outlet, in other words.
That's about the limit of my knowledge on this one, I'm afraid. For more
see:
Katcher ML: Prevention of tap water scald burns: evaluation of a multi-media
injury control program. American Journal of Public Health. vol 77(9):
1195-97. 1987.
Erdman TC. Feldman KW. Rivara FP et al: Tap water burn prevention: the
effect of legislation. Pediatrics. vol 88(3): 572-577. 1991.
The EF takes second place to kid safety, and rightly so.
Regards
John Gelder
8, rue Benjamin Franklin
75016 Paris, France
tel: 33 1 45 20 98 93
john.gelder@wanadoo.fr
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