3 Reasons to Set Your Temperature to 50°C

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

Photo by Alexandru STAVRICĂ on Unsplash

Many users ask us why it is good to preheat their water in the tank? Afterall, the control panel comes with an ‘instant’ feature which gives you hot water in 2 minutes. Does that not make pre-heating redundant?

The ‘instant ‘ function is the last minute, an urgent need for some hot water. The user will find himself constantly adjusting the lever to the ‘hot’ side for hot water and that is not ideal. Pre-boiling means you get more hot water and that is preferred especially if there are 2 or more people showering. The whole idea of getting a storage heater is so that you can draw from a pre-heated reservoir of water. This is what gives users the consistency of good temperature delivery that small tankless units or the ‘instant’ function cannot fulfil.

The Magic 50

So, always remember to set your thermostat to 50°C, that is the magic temperature for optimal enjoyment and safety!

1. Prevent bacteria
2. Prevent heat loss (save money)
3. Preheated water (good shower experience)

Now go and enjoy your hot showers in peace!