Do you keep running out of hot water but don’t want to invest in a bigger water tank? Most people have never heard of a Thermostatic Mixing Valve, even though it could really help their hot water supply. The way they work is pretty simple and these relatively inexpensive valves can be mounted to most hot water systems and have three very big potential benefits.
The mixing value is essentially a temperature control value. You connect it to your hot and cold water lines right above the hot water tank. You set your desired water temperature and then the valve mixes hot water from your tank with regular cold water until it gives you the temperature you want.
So if your hot water tank is set to 150 degrees and your mixing value is set to 120 degrees, then it will mix cold water with your hot water until it reaches 120 degrees and then that water is what is released to your house. You might think you could just set your hot water tank to 120 degrees and be done, but here are three very good reasons why you should use the value instead:
1) Protection against scalding. Hot water tanks can fluctuate in temperature, they can go up and down no matter what they are set at. A Thermostatic Mixing Valve is one of the best ways to control your water temperature.
2) More hot water supply! If your water tank was set at 120 degrees then any time you use hot water, 100% of the water is coming from your tank and your temperatures will start dropping right away. But if your tank is set to 150 degrees and being mixed with cold water outside the tank to reach 120, then you are using less hot water from the tank. So by turning your water tank up hotter, you can significantly increase how long you can use hot water before it dips below your desired 120 temperature. This means that a smaller tank can give you as much hot water as a larger tank and a larger tank can perform like an extra-large tank.
3) Protection from disease. Some dangerous bacteria can grow at milder temperatures like 120 degrees. If you lower your water tank temperature to protect against scalding then you could be creating a breeding ground for bacteria. But if you crank up your water tank to extra hot and use a mixing value to control temperature then you have a much safer water supply.
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