How HOT is Hot?

[OldSaw]

Just to make it more fun I did this as a poll.

I see a lot of posts referring to using hot water in regards to shaving and sometimes someone will say something like, "...as hot as you can get it." At my house that would cause serious damage. Obviously I am not naive enough to slap something that hot directly to my face, but this has me wondering how hot someone else's water might be. Some even advocate microwaving water for shaving, (unless it's stone cold I won't be adding that step).

Nearly every place I have lived I have had to turn up the water heater so I can run both hot and cold to get the temperature I want. When I was in the Navy I worked temporary duty with a maintenance crew and they set the water heaters in the base housing quarters to a tepid 110^ F. I find that a bit low. 115^ F to 120^ F is about the hottest I can handle, but I keep my water heater set at about 145^ F so it is at least 140^ F at the tap.

So anyway how hot is your water at the tap?

 

[Xavier]

Let me ck....(2 min later)...my digital thermometer read it at 102 degrees F. Believe me initially I thought it was too hot to wet my face between lathering but now I got used to that temp. I cannot imagine having it any hotter.

 

[ratcheer]

I do not know the actual temp. But, I have my gas water heater set on the main "HOT" setting. There are a few higher settings, but I don't mess with them.

Tim

 

[TorzJohnson]

I turned mine down when we had our first child, it won't scald anybody but it's comfortable enough for me.

 

[Prince]

I have a 4 year old. We keep it moderately warm.

 

[infotech]

I live in an apartmen so I'm not sure what they have it set at, but it's very hot. Even after I get out of the shower I have to run some cool water into the sink so I don't burn my hands in the water. It could be quite dangerous for a little kid.

 

[_JP_]

Mine is at about 120 F. I really should turn it up, the six gallon water heater in my RV gets waay hotter than that!

 

[Newfie]

When my daughter was home (and young) we kept it fairly low, like 110F. Now it's kept at 145F

 

[Magnulus]

I think it's at 140 or so... I really should turn it down because I have this problem showering, it's either too hot or too cold most of the time, probably caused by the hot water. Also, the hot water out of the sink, once the pipes get warm, is nearly scalding- almost as hot as a hot cup of coffee.

 

[Isaias]

More than 120? I really do not see the necesity of having it hotter than that. I wonder how much energy would you save by lowering the temp.

 

[GsSixgun]

With no kids running around our house..... As 'HOT AS THAT PUPPY WILL GO'
AHHHHHHHHHHH I love hot showers and water hot enough that I have to be careful when I shave

Glen

 

[Markus]

temp says 130, hot enough for shaving I think

 

[OldSaw]

More than 120? I really do not see the necesity of having it hotter than that. I wonder how much energy would you save by lowering the temp.

It really depends on your demand and tank size. If I kept mine at 120 when three teenagers lived here, it would be all used up after the first one or two showers and the rest would be waiting for it to recover. Hotter tank water means less usage at the faucet when bathing. I also like water above 140 for rinsing dishes.

If I ever build a house, I will have on demand heaters at each location that needs hot water.

 

[Isaias]

It really depends on your demand and tank size. If I kept mine at 120 when three teenagers lived here, it would be all used up after the first one or two showers and the rest would be waiting for it to recover. Hotter tank water means less usage at the faucet when bathing. I also like water above 140 for rinsing dishes.

If I ever build a house, I will have on demand heaters at each location that needs hot water.

I see. I guess every heating system is different. I live in MI where winters can get really cold. At that time, we need to have 120 degrees just to heat up the pipes at the begining, but after that, each time you use the shower the water gets warmer. Still, I can see how dishes may need higher temp.

Now that I think about it, maybe it is just me.