The bathroom can be a hazardous place for small children. But there’s a clever device at BestBathrooms.com that could prevent your kids from scalding and allow them to bathe safely.
Did you know that hot bath water causes serious harm to around 600 people each year? A worrying figure with most injuries concerning very young children or the elderly.
A common problem is that many people fill their bath with more hot water than they need and will then add cold water to reach the desired temperature. This means the bath is likely to be too hot and can lead to accidents if elderly bathers or unsupervised children for example forget to check the temperature of the water before getting in.
It’s worth knowing that a typical hot water system will store water in the home at about 55 degrees Celsius in order to prevent the growth of bacteria. Temperatures this high are enough to produce third-degree burns on contact to the skin.
How to Make Bath Time Safe
Ultra Under Bath Thermostat (22mm)
A roll top bath is a great way to prevent young children from splashing about, but to avoid any risk of scalding install a thermostatic mixing valve. This blends the hot and cold water to a safe but pleasing temperature.
A thermostatic mixing valve (also known as an under bath thermostat) is fitted out of sight beneath the bath where it will control the temperature of the water which is being fed to the bath taps. As the valve does not affect the style of your bathroom taps you’re free to choose whatever style you like.
Each thermostatic mixing valve works with the use of a thermostat which can be programmed to control the blended water temperature. Within each valve is a heat responsive element which expands or contracts depending on the varying temperature of the water supply. As the element grows or shrinks it causes a sliding valve element to move, controlling the amount of hot or cold water reaching the mixing chamber of the valve.
As an added precaution, if the cold water supply should completely fail the mixing valve will cause the slide valve to shut off the hot water supply completely.
A thermostatic mixing valve should be serviced once a year to ensure the best performance.
Please note: It’s recommended that bathing temperature is between 37 – 37.5 degrees Celsius.
Author: Laura Davis
