What is the ideal temperature for your hot water tank or immersion heater?
A hot bath or steaming shower is one of life’s pleasures. Whether it’s after a long weekend hike in the hills, a 20-min run at lunch, or simply just to relax and unwind in the evening, there’s nothing quite like a good soak.
But if your heating system uses any type of hot water storage cylinder, it’s vital that you keep it at the correct temperature: 60-65 degrees Celsius. And here’s why...
It’s healthiest
The most important reason to make sure your cylinder thermostat is doing its job properly is your health. Because keeping it at the recommended hot water tank temperature is a sure-fire way to ward off bacterial nasties.
Legionella bacteria thrives at temperatures between 25 and 45 degrees Celsius – but 60°C and above is enough to kill the bacteria. Legionella bacteria is what causes the type of pneumonia we call Legionnaires’ diseases – and it can be very serious. But at 60°C and above? You’re good to go and your household will have nothing to worry about.
But not too hot
Storing hot water at between 60 and 65 degrees Celsius is not only hot enough to ward off dangerous bacteria, it also means you’re not paying to overheat the water. So if your thermostat’s up to scratch, you could be saving money, too. It also helps to avoid scolding-hot water. If your stored hot water is consistently kept between 60-65°C, by the time it reaches your taps (by way of your water system), it should have cooled from down to around 35-46°C. And that should be just right for piping hot, but safely so.
Control your hot water via our smart home app
With our smart thermostats you can also control your hot water wherever you are via the Hive app. So if you’re expecting to be away, you can easily adjust the schedule so you don’t pay to heat water you won’t need.
It also has a quick boost functionality that works for both your hot water and room temperature. So if there’s a chill in the air or you fancy a longer, more luxurious bath, a quick tap is all you need. And you don’t have to worry about turning it off because it will do that automatically.
Interested to find out more? Check out our smart thermostats and we’ll get the ball rolling.
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