Water Safety For all Time
Because of regulations put in place after the outbreak of legionnaire’s disease in the 90’s, installation of Domestic Hot Water (DHW) systems were changed for the sake of public safety. All DHW systems, whether storage based or tankless, must now meet the conflicting requirements of holding DHW at a minimum of 140°F (60°C) to comply with such standards as OSHA Technical Manual Section 3 Chapter 7, to combat Legionella growth, while delivering hot water at a temperature that prevents scalding injuries in sinks and other fixtures. For decades, commercial plumbing installers have embraced a 3 way mixing valve or “tempering valve” as the perfect solution to the dilemma. Early tempering valves were controlled manually with fixed setpoints, but in 2020 we have evolved to using motorized valves under the direction of a standalone electronic control station that adds flexibility, reduces energy use, provides alerts and alarms, and generally improves the safety of any domestic ...