HOMEPAGE
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PLUMBING SYSTEMS
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Tap Water Scalds
Document #5098
Each year, approximately 3,800 injuries and 34
deaths occur in the home due to scalding from excessively hot tap
water. The majority of these accidents involve the elderly and
children under the age of five. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) urges all users to lower their water heaters to
120 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to preventing accidents, this
decrease in temperature will conserve energy and save money.
Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150
degree water for two seconds. Burns will also occur with a
six-second exposure to 140 degree water or with a thirty second
exposure to 130 degree water. Even if the temperature is 120
degrees, a five minute exposure could result in third-degree
burns.
Various procedures for lowering water temperature in the home
exist, depending on the method of heating. Here are some
suggestions:
Electric water heaters. Call your local electric company to
adjust the thermostat. Some companies offer this service at
no-charge. Hot water should not be used for at least two hours
prior to setting. To make the adjustment yourself, start by
shutting off current to the water heater, then turn off the
circuit breaker to the heater or remove the fuse that serves the
heater. Most electric water heaters have two thermostats, both of
which must be set to a common temperature for proper operation. To
reach these thermostats you must remove the upper and lower access
panels. Adjust the thermostat following the instructions provided
with the appliance. Hold a candy or meat thermometer under the
faucet to check water temperature. |
Gas water heaters. Because thermostats
differ, call your local gas company for instructions. Where
precise temperatures are not given, hold a candy or meat
thermometer under faucet for most accurate reading first thing in
the morning or at least two hours after water use. If reading is
too high, adjust thermostat on heater, according to manufacturers
instructions, and check again with thermometer.
Furnace heater. If you do not have an electric, gas, or
oil-fired water heater, you probably have an on-line hot water
system. Contact your fuel supplier to have the temperature
lowered. If you live in an apartment, contact the building manager
to discuss possible options for lowering your tap water
temperature. Reducing water temperature will not affect the
heating capacity of the furnace.
The CPSC notes that a thermostat setting of 120 degrees Fahrenheit
(49 degrees Celsius) may be necessary for residential water
heaters to reduce or eliminate the risk of most tap water scald
injuries. Consumers should consider lowering the thermostat to the
lowest settings that will satisfy hot water needs for all clothing
and dish washing machines.
Never take hot water temperature for granted. Always hand-test
before using, especially when bathing children and infants.
Leaving a child unsupervised in the bathroom, even if only for a
second, could cause serious injuries. Your presence at all times
is the best defense against accidents and scaldings to infants and
young children.
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Send the link for this
page to a friend! Consumers can obtain this publication and
additional publication information from the
Publications
section of CPSC's web site or by sending your publication request
to info@cpsc.gov.
This document is in the public domain. It may be reproduced without
change in part or whole by an individual or organization without
permission. If it is reproduced, however, the Commission would
appreciate knowing how it is used. Write the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, 4330 East
West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 or send an e-mail to
info@cpsc.gov.
POLYBUTYLENE PIPING:
WHAT IS POLYBUTYLENE PIPE?
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PolyButylene is a
form of plastic resin that was used extensively in the manufacture
of water supply piping from 1978 until 1995. Due to the low cost
of the material and ease of installation, PolyButylene piping
systems were viewed as "the pipe of the future" and were used as a
substitute for traditional copper piping. It is most commonly
found in the "Sun Belt" where residential construction was heavy
through the 1980's and early-to-mid 90's, but it is also very
common in the Mid Atlantic and Northwest Pacific states. |
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These are
typically gray or white in color with a dull finish. Most are
shown with pipe attached. Figure (4) is a new fitting.
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The piping systems
were used for underground water mains and as interior water
distribution piping. Industry experts believe it was installed in
at least 6 million homes, and some experts indicate it may have
been used in as many as 10 million homes. Most probably, the
piping was installed in about one in every four or five homes
built during the years in which the pipe was manufactured.
How to Tell
If You Have Poly
Exterior -
PolyButylene underground water mains are usually blue, but may be
gray or black (do not confuse black poly with polyethylene pipe).
It is usually 1/2" or 1" in diameter, and it may be found entering
your home through the basement wall or floor, concrete slab or
coming up through your crawlspace; frequently it enters the home
near the water heater. Your main shutoff valve is attached to the
end of the water main. Also, you should check at the water meter
that is located at the street, near the city water main. It is
wise to check at both ends of the pipe because we have found cases
where copper pipe enters the home, and poly pipe is at the water
meter. Obviously, both pipes were used and connected somewhere
underground.
Interior -
PolyButylene used inside your home can be found near the water
heater, running across the ceiling in unfinished basements, and
coming out of the walls to feed sinks and toilets. Warning: In
some regions of the country plumbers used copper "stub outs" where
the pipe exits a wall to feed a fixture, so seeing copper here
does not mean that you do not have poly.
See the
photos below of PolyButylene pipes and
fittings.
Will the
Pipes Fail?
While scientific
evidence is scarce, it is believed that oxidants in the public
water supplies, such as chlorine, react with the PolyButylene
piping and acetal fittings causing them to scale and flake and
become brittle. Micro-fractures result, and the basic structural
integrity of the system is reduced. Thus, the system becomes weak
and may fail without warning causing damage to the building
structure and personal property. It is believed that other factors
may also contribute to the failure of PolyButylene systems, such
as improper installation, but it is virtually impossible to detect
installation problems throughout an entire system.
Throughout the
1980's lawsuits were filed complaining of allegedly defective
manufacturing and defective installation causing hundreds of
millions of dollars in damages. Although the manufacturers have
never admitted that poly is defective, they have agreed to fund
the Class Action settlement with an initial and minimum amount of
$950 million. You'll have to contact the appropriate settlement
claim company to find out if you qualify under this settlement.
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"A series
of reports have suggested that increased use of chloramines
accelerates corrosion and degradation of some metals and
elastomers common to distribution plumbing and appurtenances.
With
regard to elastomers, the study showed that with few
exceptions, solutions of chloramines (either monochloramine or
dichloramine) produced greater material swelling, deeper and
more dense surface cracking, a more rapid loss of elasticity,
and greater loss of tensile strength than equivalent
concentrations of free chlorine."
----Steven
Reiber, HDR Engineering, American Water Works Association
Research Foundation |
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Adapters-
Typically used to connect PolyButylene pipe to fixtures. |
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Other
fittings. |
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Manufactured
Manifolds. |
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A riser (22)
is a pipe running from sink, toilet, or other fixture to a
valve. Pipe may be white PVC (23), black polyethylene (24),
cream CPVC (25), or gray PolyButylene pipe marked "PB 2110 M"
(26). |
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PolyButylene
Plumbing System: PolyButylene pipe with plastic or metal
fittings
PolyButylene Yard Service Line: PolyButylene pipe utilizing
any kind of fitting |
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These are
typically gray or white in color with a dull finish. Most are
shown with pipe attached. Figure (4) is a new fitting.
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Metal Insert
Fittings- These are typically made of copper or brass. New
fittings are shown in (11, 12). |
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PolyButylene
Pipe- Yard Service Line is typically blue (13), gray (14), or
black (15). Inside Pipe is typically gray (14) or Black (15). |
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Florida Master Home Inspectors, Inc. Serves: |
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Bal-Harbor, Belle Glade, Boca
Raton, Boynton, Clewiston, Coral Springs, Dania, Davie,
Deerfield Beach, Delray, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce,
Green Acres, Hallandale, Hialeah, Highland Beach, Hobe Sound, Hollywood,
Hypoluxo, Indiantown, Jensen, Juno, Jupiter, Lake
Worth, Lantana, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Loxahatchee,
Manalapan, Margate, Miami, Miramar, North Lauderdale,
North Miami, North Palm, Oakland Park, Okeechobee, Opa-Locka, Pahokee, Palm
Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm City, Parkland, Pembroke Pines,
Plantation, Pompano, Port Saint
Lucie, Port Salerno, Royal Palm, Riviera Beach, South
Bay,
Stuart, Sunrise, Tamarac, Tequesta, Wellington, West
Palm, Weston, Wilton Manors |
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Palm Beach County -