Prevent Scalding Water Burns by Setting Temperature at 120 degrees

I do a lot of teaching on how to keeps kids safe from strangers and how to deal with bullies. But I think we are missing something if we focus only on these kinds of threats and neglect other things that can harm our children.

According to accident statistics from the National Safety Bureau, each year 37,000 children are treated for scald burns in the United States. These accidents can be prevented with some simple precautions. One measure is to turn down the temperature on your water heater. Most are set at 140 degrees, but this not only wastes energy, it also poses a severe safety hazard – scalding. I’ll admit, I never paid attention to this until I became a father, and then I turned our water temperature down. I recommend you do the same.

Turn your water down to 120 degrees F. Consult your water heater owner’s manual for instructions on how to operate the thermostat if you don’t know how. Usually the thermostat dial for a gas storage water heater near the bottom of the tank on the gas valve. Electric water heaters, on the other hand, may have thermostats positions behind screw-on plates or panels. NorthWestern Energy recommends as a safety precaution to shut off the electricity to the water heater before removing or opening the panels. Also note that that an electric water heater may have two thermostats. One for the upper and one for the lower heating elements.

To check the temperature of your water, and you should, let the hot water run at least three to five minutes to get hot. Some may take longer, but three to five minutes should get it to the max temperature. Insert a kitchen candy thermometer into a cup of the water. If it is hotter than 120 degrees, turn down the water heater thermostat or the control valve to a lower temperature.

This will not only save you money, it will help keep your kids safe from scalding water burns. (And if you want to see just how bad those are, google it. I don’t want to post those pictures here, but trust me, you don’t want that to ever happen to your baby or child.)