March 11th is World plumbing day and it should be a good time to remind ourselves how important the many aspects of plumbing are and how we shouldn’t take it for granted.

We are incredibly fortunate in this country to have access to clean drinking water, good sanitation and a whole host of utilities that make our homes warm, comfortable and our lives easier. As well as the dangers involved with boilers and gas central heating there is one peril that’s far more commonplace than you would imagine- scalding.Kevin Wellman, chief executive officer of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), and on the executive board of the World Plumbing Council, wants to raise awareness of the dangers of scalding – something that can be easily prevented.

As well as scalding resulting in long-term disability and disfigurement, tragically around 10-15 deaths each year are as a result of this seemingly mild danger.
Heating and Plumbing professionals are faced with many challenges when designing, installing or maintaining domestic hot water systems. A bit of a dilemma arises when installing a domestic hot water system that needs to provide water hot enough for bathing and washing that will not cause scald injuries but that is at a temperature high enough to prevent Legionella bacteria growth.
The experts say that, to kill off Legionella, the water should be around 60ºC, but according to the Health and Safety Executive this temperature can cause a partial thickness burn in about 90 seconds. Prevent accidents by raising awareness in your home and take precautions to keep the young and old safe.
As plumbers we ensure that hot water systems we install are fitted with anti scald valves, sometimes called tempering valves or mixing valves, which minimize the dangers of hot water causing burns to the skin.
So let’s join in World Plumbing Day and acknowledge how lucky we are to have running water that is clean enough to drink, hot enough to wash in but not too hot to cause injuries.
Of course as plumbers there are a whole host of other things we do to make lives that much easier, for a browse around some of them, take a tour here