If so, do you just use your hand or a digital thermometer?
I use a thermometer to check hot water temperatures at the bathroom or kitchen faucet. Safety issue - always gets reported.
Hot Water is defined in the IBC as water at 110° fahrenheit. In the case of excessive water temperature (above 120°) I recommend adjusting the WH temperature setting.
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What I do. Use a digital thermometer.
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I use a 2x4 laying flat … 
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We use a thermometer.
Dangerously high water temperatures were found in 41% of inspected urban homes, with rental
properties at greater risk for unsafe levels. 9 Actual tap water temperatures can vary from the
heater thermostat settings. 9 Therefore, test water temperatures at the faucet with a candy/meat
thermometer after allowing the hot water to run for 1 – 3 minutes. Adjust the heater setting
accordingly. Re-test in 24 hours.
. In fact, it
only takes 3 seconds of exposure to 140°F/60°C water to cause a burn serious enough to require
surgery! 6,8 Hence, set water heaters at 120°F/48°C or just below the medium setting. A safe
bathing temperature is 100°F.
Source? So what exactly is considered dangerous 101°F?
That’s not even considered hot water.
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Talk about a cold shower! That is only 1 degree higher than my average body temperature.
I check temperature with a thermometer (not IR gun) at the bathtubs & showers. I report as deficient water temperatures that are more than 120 degrees. (Typically limiting device missing or improperly set)
I do not report as deficient, high water temperatures at sinks where a person can pull their hand away. To me, that is no different than needing to report that a fire inside the fireplace can burn you if you touch it or not to fry bacon in your bare feet.
Besides, having a high water temperature from the water heater has advantages. My volume goes farther when showering. My appliances (clothes & dish washers) can sanitize or clean more effectively when needed.
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Why do you ask?
I check the hot water temp with a digital thermometer at the kitchen sink. I also include a picture of the temp reading in the report. Temps below 120 get my “low water temp” narrative, and temps above 135 get my “water too hot” narrative.
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Not true. In fact if you ever bothered to read the instructions that came with your clothes washer you would know that hot water can SET stains. Hot water also shrinks clothing. Clothes washers do just fine with cold water and many clothes detergents are advertised as cold water. If you do a lot of laundry cold water will save your WH energy usage (be it electric or gas).
Dishwashers can provide their own water heating on higher settings. The main purpose of hot water in dish washing is to dissolve caked on dried up food particles. A little rinsing before putting your dishes in the DW will solve that.
Dang, Bob! Did you miss the part of the sentence that said “when needed”?
I never said I don’t wash with cold water. That is just an assumption you made up & ran with.
This might blow your mind but my clothes washer has temperature settings (5 of them) that I can chose of my own free will. Even if my water heater is set to 800F, I can still wash clothes on cold by simply pushing the button.
Besides, I like to wash things like our bath mats on hot to somewhat sanitize them & couldn’t care less about shrinking or stain setting. You don’t have moldy bath mats do you, Bob?
Not true. My washer’s manual doesn’t state a single thing about high temperatures setting stains or tell you what setting to wash your clothes. Instead, it recommends following the clothing label. The manual details each factory pre-set temperature so you know where to set it to achieve the cleaning recommendation on the label of each clothing article. It’s all right there in that manual you assumed I didn’t read.
In fact, the only mention of supply temperature in the entire 144 pages is for minimum temperature.
Some but not all stains. I have 2 little girls. Grass stains & play makeup (among others) are constant. I sweat, especially working outside & at my ranch in SW Texas. I use hot water “WHEN NEEDED” to tackle those. If you would bother to read some literature from leading manufacturers like Maytag you wouldn’t have to assume so much.
That isn’t news. I still remember how small I shrunk my wifes sweater when we first got married 20 years ago. Hahahaha!
I use hot water sometimes to intentionally shrink my kids’ pants when they get an outfit. Shoot, another “When needed” case.
You see, little girls like outfits which consist of a “top” & a “bottom” that are sold as one unit. When I buy an appropriate size so that the shirts fit, the pants/shorts that come with it (same size) fall off my kids’ skinny ass. Oh, but their ol’ dad is crafty & can typically snug them up just enough with some hot water washing so that they can fit in both pieces of their new outfit. Bonus, I save more money by not having to buy 2 different sizes to ensure proper fit for 1 child.
There’s another assumption but it isn’t true for everyone.
I don’t have a commercial facility but do a lot of processing of wild game & domestic animals at home. You see, “WHEN NEEDED”, I use my dishwasher’s high (sanitize) setting to sanitize some of my equipment. Water temp needs to be 160F+ to kill pathogens. Before I purchased my dishwasher, I retrieved some answers from the manufacturer. Yes, the dishwasher can handle 160F+ temps. The rate of heating from the appliance element is 1 degree per minute. The manufacturer confirmed that a higher starting temperature from the supply water would simply reduce the amount of time to heat the water to my desired temperature when using that setting. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sure does! The rinsing at the sink takes even less effort with my hot water.
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Dang, Brandon Did you miss the part of the sentence that said, “CAN set stains?”
Didn’t assume anything, it’s not about you. I don’t personally give a shit how you wash your clothes or do your dishes.
The temperature should be adjustable. There’s only a problem worth noting if it isn’t. I have never reported water temperature unless the temperature control on the water heater is broken. Some people prefer water hot. I prefer to keep mine at a temperature high enough that most people consider it to be painful. It’s a personal choice.
If the water temperature at an inspection feels unusually hot to me, I will look at the setting on the water heater to see if it looks right for the water’s temperature. If the water feels hot, but the temperature is set to the minimum, then it’s worth mentioning. If the water is hot and the water heater is set at or close to the maximum, there’s nothing to mention. If a customer asks me during an inspection about the water temperature, I will tell them that the temperature is adjustable.
A home inspection should be about identifying material defects and deficiencies, not about criticizing how the current occupants run the home.
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George, let’s be reasonable. No one is reporting water temperature to criticize how the current occupants run the home. It is done as a safety item to protect young children and senior future occupants (who are most easily scalded). After explaining the safety implications of water temperature most people thank me with the admonition that they had never thought about it.
A great many debilitating accidents in the home can be prevented with a little “nudge” in the form of education. Most of the people I’ve met as clients have little knowledge of these things (even that the water temperature was adjustable). New home owners have none. All appreciate my concern for their families safety.
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digital thermometer
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You can take a photo of a digital thermometer. You can’t take a photo how you hands feels under water.
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If the it’s particularly hot or cold day outside, you sense of hot or cold can become subjective. A digital thermometer isn’t subjective.
Bob, I respect your opinion, but I am going to respectfully disagree with you on this one. I think reporting on anything that is ADJUSTABLE based on a current setting is one of the dumbest things home inspectors do.
I have a condition that makes me extremely sensitive to cold. I haven’t been in a movie theater in decades because they are always to painful. If the A.C. is on in a home that I’m inspecting , the first thing I do is to turn it off. BUT, if a home inspector were to inspect a house for me and were to report the A.C. because of the current occupant has the thermostat set to an intolerable 65°F, I’d tell him that he has lost sight of what a home inspection is as I walked over to turn the temperature up, or better still, turn it off!s
I’m a home inspector. I looked at existing SOPs BEFORE I got into the business. The SOPs haven’t changed much in the past 25 years. There are more of them now because more states regulate home inspections and inspectors. Each state puts their slant on their SOP, but they have used existing SOPs with only slight modifications for the most part.
With every SOP I’ve read, which is probably all of them in North America, there has been one constant underlying theme. That is that a home inspection is all about the home’s CONDITION! That’s what my customers pay me for. I don’t express my opinions about the home’s design, what they set temperatures of their furnace or water heater at, the color of bedrooms, compliance with building codes, or any of that stuff that a lot of inspectors are doing.
I tell my clients that that they are welcome to accompany me on the inspection and they can ask me almost anything they want to ask about operating or maintaining the home, but my report will focus on the home’s condition. I also make it very clear to my clients that I don’t point out the obvious. However, I invite them to call me with any questions they have whether at the inspection or after the fact.
If a client seems unusually obtuse, I suggest that they buy Home Depot’s big orange book.
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Simply put, I use my hand. If it feels too hot, I use a thermometer. 99% of the time, I don’t have to test it with a thermometer.
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There could be a compromise here. If an inspector believes there is a potential safety issue due to the water heater settings, then there is no harm in narrating the concern.
The water heater has an adjustable thermostat, which was observed to be the highest setting. This may increase the risk of scalding, notably for the elderly and children. I recommend you ensure your water heater is set to a safe temperature for your use.
Here is a helpful link:
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