Engineers’ body expresses concern about new hot-water safety measures
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineers has warned that the Government’s new safety measured on hot water do not go far enough.
From October 2009, all new-build homes will have protective devices fitted to baths to limit the temperature of hot water. They must also meet a new minimum standard of providing for 125 l of water per person per day. The aim is to prevent scalding and improve water efficiency.
However, the Part G regulations relating to sanitation, hot-water safety and water efficiency, only apply to new homes and not ongoing maintenance. According to CIPHE, this opens the door to accidents or poor practice when new owners of a house that is several years old may not know how or why the original installations were meant to work.
In the interests of public safety, CIPHE wants the Government to provide legislation to ensure the continued maintenance of hot-water systems.
Blane Judd, chief executive of CIPHE, says, ‘We have voiced our concerns about the ongoing maintenance of these devices and will support CLG in raising awareness about it. From a sustainability perspective, the inclusion of water conservation is a positive one, and the CIPHE is well placed to educate installers and the public about these issues.
‘The new hot-water safety measures are vitally important. It is unfortunate that it took two fatalities associated with the incorrect installation of hot-water storage systems before they were introduced.’
