Photo by Aaron Lee on Unsplash
This article is meant for users of digital and heat pump water heaters – because you can control your heater thermostat from your control panels.
Upon getting your digital heater, users naturally set the temperature at 38 to 40°C, their ideal shower temperature. Do not do this! You should set your temperature to 50°C instead. Here are 3 good reasons why.
1. Prevent bacteria, keep your family safe
Although 38 to 40 degrees might seem like a high temperature to us, it is not sufficient to kill a certain type of Legionella bacteria. Users should set their heaters to 50°C to prevent bacteria development.
The legionella bacteria is a rare strain in Singapore as our waters are relatively clean, but it is better to be safe than sorry!
Useful tip: to do a thorough ‘detox’ for your heater, you may set your heater temperature to 70°C for 15 minutes every 6 months.
2. Prevent heat loss, save money
Most traditional electric heaters are preset at 70°C by the factory and this setting cannot be changed by the user unless you have a digital control panel.
The reason for the high setting of 70°C is to accommodate users living in colder climates, where the incoming cold water temperature is 10°C. The cold water needs to be balanced out with sufficient hot water at the mixer point so users get a comfortable temperature.
In warmer countries like Singapore, setting at 70°C is unnecessary as our incoming cold water temperature is a high 30°C. A 70°C body of water will lose heat to the environment at a quicker rate than a 50°C body of water. In short, that just means setting at 70°C makes our money evaporate quicker. So set your heater at 50°C to avoid this.
3. Preheated water, a better shower experience
