When it comes to a tempering valve, most of us actually do take hot water systems for granted. Imagine a Monday morning, just before the moment you have to rush to work, the even temperature water fails to drop. Then, suddenly, the cold water begins to come out of the tap or showerhead. Certainly, you might be one of the most annoyed people on the planet.
The most simple addition you can do to pamper your continuous hot water system is to ensure that the water supply being used all around the home is working at a perfect temperature through a valve.
Well, if you are not that much familiar with this term, let us share a brief rundown with you.
Basically, the tempering valve is also known as the mixing valve fitted in a standard hot water system. It has two or more two inlets that are adjustable and generally get activated by temperature. Putting it in simple words, the valve regulates the temperature of the water released from the outlets throughout the plumbing system by mixing cold and hot water to achieve a moderate temperature.
Talking about the Australian weather, definitely, the climate never fails to surprise. Normally, the local plumbers near you will always suggest that the hot water must be heated to a minimum of 60 degrees Celsius to block the growth of bacteria. With this, there's a compact tempering device that makes sure hot water is delivered to taps at a paramount temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.
Moving on, if you are quite concerned about the fact of how long a valve lasts, let us tell you that it normally has a lifespan of a maximum of five to eight years in total. After this passage of time, it begins to indicate replacement.
The correlation of your continuous hot water system with your valve will always depend on two major reasons. First of all, safety is quite important. This factor assures that water releasing is not too hot and doesn't cause any injuries or scalding. Secondly, the tempering valve needs to comply with the particular Australian Standards (A3500), especially in all the residential outlets.
So when you know that your valve needs some repair or a whole replacement. First of all, when you observe that the:
Water temperature is not that accurate
Excess Water Leakage through the joints
Overall, water flow is just not that normal
Valve produces weird noises.
Lastly, the main concern that may arise is to ask for expert help. As the connections around the valve are quite hard to locate and could lead to loss of hot water, it is always better to call a trusted local plumber who can sort all the faults.