Temperature of hot water at the washing up sinks
As an occasional user of onsite washing up facilities, I have noticed over time, that in many cases thermostatic valves have been fitted under each washing up sink which bleeds cold water into each hot tap and reduces the water temperature to a " safe " level. These devices can also be seen in schools & hospitals etc to prevent injury and indeed possible litigation under the guise of health and safety legislation. However, the effect of this temperature reduction in my opinion, renders the hot water, lukewarm in many cases, unfit for the purpose of washing up.
Consider a greasy frying pan, will lukewarm water actually do the job ?
Consider knives or a chopping board used for cutting raw meat, will hot water, cool enough to hold your hand under, make any impact in removing bacteria, or will it simply contaminate the whole sink for users later in the day ?
I can understand the H&S angle, but we are adults here in the main, and is the "safe" lukewarm water actually making it worse in respect of preventing the potential spread of salmonella etc. ?
Comments
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I don't often use the site facilities but, if I've got a greasy grill pan for example, I find it more convenient to do that in a 'big sink'. I've never had any issue with the water not being hot enough for such a job.
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Did not notice any difference last year and we did a few sites it was always to hot and thought the it was only showers and hand washing sinks had the controls on as we did not see any on the ones last year perhaps they have been changed for this year. I used to work with Adults with learning difficulties in gardening and then catering and we had to make sure they did not scold themselves again H&S but it was in an older building and now gone to make way for a new Aldi.
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We do exactly the same as you Jill, and I expect it depends which sites you visit. Some have had thermostatic valves fitted, others not...( yet ? ) Some that spring to mind where we found cooler hot water were Balbirnie Park and Poolsbrook ... Others too so far this year but it may have been Moreton in Marsh or Bladon Chains, I really can't remember, but I am noticing a trend, and if you look under the sinks if the water isn't very hot, there sits a thermostatic valve...
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Morning
Thermostatic mixing valves have a set temperature range. This range is decided annually by a third party company (on club sites). This year the range is between 39 and 43 degrees centigrade. Whether that is hot enough for your dishes is for you to decide. I think it has been decided that tmv's are only necessary in vulnerable areas, so I can see as a tmv becomes faulty it won't be replaced. The outlet temperature of a non tmv outlet will then be as it comes from the calorifier ie VERY hot.
JK
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When I was working ,one of our company scientists ,was questioned about water temperature and use of soaps and washing up liquids and he advised that they are effective even in almost cold water, as the "chemical" make up in all except the very mild soaps are designed to work at low temperatures it just needs you to use more as the temperature gets lower
Ps the water at clumber park is too hot?in the washing up and laundry sinks the cautionary signs are needed
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Hand wash basins perhaps do need cooler hot water, but in respect of washing up sinks, I don't have a problem with water that is too hot... I can add cold to suit. But water that isn't hot enough is, in my opinion, useless for washing up greasy pans or utensils used for raw meat and you can't make it hotter..
However, JK has kindly provided a temperature range above for what the hot water should be, if a sink has a valve fitted, and it is working... roughly 40 deg C.
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Hi
Every hot tap be it with a tmv or not will have a yellow caution sticker next to it.
If a tmv is faulty 9 times out of ten it will run cold rather than hot. We've just done a fail test on all our tmv outlets and surprisingly they all worked. I've worked on other sites where that was the opposite!
As JV mentions above, modern day detergents work at a low temperature, but I sort of agree that red hot water cuts through that greasy pan
. Having worked many years in the food industry I always wash everything twice, part of nvq training.
Anyway, this afternoons job is...….yep, testing water temps. We do that on a monthly basis on hot and cold outlets for the prevention of Legionella bacteria
JK
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The phrase 'please move me, i am burning' comes to mind. If a tap has a red indicator....expect it to be hot, if a blue indicator, expect it to be cold. Perhaps a Brail indicator for blind people ? apart from that.You cannot create a sign for Stupid.
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Why don't they use mixer taps so that the user could self regulate the temperature?
David
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If the temp is too low there is a risk of legionnaires disease spreading... however i agree on the very rare occasions we use the BBQ and wash it at the kitchen i find the water is not hot enough to cut the grease. At home i pour a kettle of boiling water over to help degrease and kill the bugs....
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Indeed we do have our own facilities and most of the time use them. But when we have a lot of washing up, or have particularly dirty or large items it is sometimes easier to go off to the facilities. For me, this is the very reason they exist, otherwise why have them in the first place ? What I find irritating, perhaps even insulting is that having trundled across to the block, I sometimes find that the hot water temperature has been deliberately limited to a level predetermined by someone somewhere sitting at a desk, on the off chance that I may not have encountered hot water previously and know that perhaps adding a bit of cold may be needed to achieve a temperature of my choosing......
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it gets hot enough when its in use 
