A committee examining the proposed reduction of the maximum allowable domestic hot water temperature in the National Plumbing Code has rejected most aspects of the idea. The Canadian Commission of Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) Standing Committee on Building and Plumbing Services has recommended that only water delivered to showers and bathtubs should be reduced to 49?C (120?F), Its the right approach, said Ralph Suppa, president of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating. Most scalds, when you look at the statistics, occur in the bathtub. The committee rejected an industry proposal to maintain the tank at a minimum of 60?C (140?F) while reducing the temperature at the tap to a maximum of 49?C, as well as the initial proposal to reduce the storage tank temperature to 49?C (120?F). It also recommended the withdrawal of proposals to reduce the temperature at the lavatory and to reduce the temperature in recirculating DHW systems. The proposal to reduce the maximum DHW temperature was initially put forward by Safe Kids Canada as an anti-scalding measure. It was pulled from consideration for the 2005 National Plumbing Code after the executive committee determined the CCBFC had voted on something that it didnt have enough information to make a reasoned decision. They were focusing for a long time on the water heater, but the water heater is not the problem, noted Suppa. He believes the latest changes occurred because the original proposal did not stand up to technical scrutiny by engineers and because of pressure from utilities. The change has already occurred in Ontario, where many homeowners rent their water heaters from utilities. They have been installing a mixing valve on the outlet to reduce the water to 49?C. However, many homeowners have complained that the water isnt hot enough. A key concern was that deadly Legionella bacteria could survive to 55?C. As well, as reported previously in P&HVAC, Ontario, had run into a number of difficulties. The cost to the homeowner proved much higher than expected when some municipalities started demanding permits for water heater changeouts and, in some cases, two trades were required because gas fitters refused to do plumbing. CIPH is currently working to persuade the Ontarios Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to change the Ontario Building Code. I think the industry and the regulators want uniformity right across the country, said Suppa. Ontario officials are monitoring the issue as it makes its way through the national code development process and may recommend changes to the Ontario code once the process has reached an appropriate stage, reported David Brezer, director of the Building and Development Branch of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The new proposal would be a simple modification of the existing National Plumbing Code. It already requires that mixing valves supplying showerheads be pressure balanced, thermostatic, or a mixture of both. As part of the new performance-based code, the new proposal does not dictate how the designer or plumber must achieve the lower temperature. The Standing Committee recommendation must now go to the CCBFC executive committee and then to the full Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes in February. If approved, it will mark the end of a five-year battle for CIPH and its water heater manufacturer members.
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