Do you have a hot water unit older than 5 years?

If your storage Hot Water Service (HWS) or an Instantaneous Unit is more than 5 years old, you might be putting yourself and family members at risk.

Most Temperature Control Device(TCD) manufacturers will recommend you replace your valve every 4 to 5 years.

What are Temperature Control Devices you might ask?

Temperature Control Devices is a device that is designed to maintain the hot water temperature at a safe level coming out of a bathroom outlet.

TCDs deliver a mixture of hot water from your HWS or Instantaneous Unit along with cold water to provide hot water at a lower temperature to a hot outlet. If you look at this graph below, you can see why making sure your TCDs is in working order should be taken very seriously.

This was taken from the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Plumbing Code Development Research.

As you can see if you have a young child or even an older parent/relative living at home with you, just a few seconds longer under hot water could mean the world of difference.

Types of TCDs

There are two different type of TCDs

– Thermostatic mixing valves(TMVs)

– Tempering Valves

Tempering valves are the most common device you will find installed in you house. Always found right next to your HWS, you should see a device with a colour coded Cap.

Yellow Cap – Suitable for storage hot water systems.

Orange Cap – Suitable for solar + instantaneous hot water systems

Knowing which Cap you have and telling your Plumber ahead of time will make the installation quicker both for you and the plumber. Which means less down time of not having any hot water.

If you require any other further information or just want to ask a question. You can Call 0475 407 670, send an email to admin@primeplumb.com.au or even fill out our online enquiry form and we will get back to you ASAP.