Anti-scald devices are also known as anti-scald valves, tempering valves, mixing valves or scald guards. A scald guard is a device that will help protect your water coming from the faucet from becoming too hot. This will protect you and your family from the risk of burns. Thermal shock and scalding can happen very easily. Safeguarding against them is one of the most important things you can do for your household, especially if that includes young children or elderly adults. The scald guard is not only a safety feature but can also lower energy costs by decreasing temperature and water pressure when you are not needing it. As long-time plumbers we know cost savings is a big perk for families.
The scald guard is often a handle equipped on the side of a faucet. It allows you to set the maximum water temperature at the faucet. The design of the scald guard allows you to increase or decrease the maximum water temperature at the faucet without making an adjustment to the water heater thermostat or disconnecting your home’s water supply. This ability is beneficial because you may not want to raise or lower the water heater temperature for the whole home. For example, you may want very hot water for a dishwasher or a clothes washer, but you want to protect the temperature at the faucet.
A pressure balance scald guard, as the name suggests, is pressure sensitive. The guard has a special diaphragm or piston mechanism that will immediately balance water pressure. It works to balance the water pressure of the incoming flow between the hot and cold water. If there is not enough cold-water supply coming through, the pressure balance scald guard will sense the difference, and reduce the amount of hot water pressure to ensure that the water supply in the faucet is not too hot. Conversely, if there is not enough hot-water supply coming through (or too much cold water), the scald guard will sense the difference and increase the amount of hot water pressure to ensure that the water supply in the faucet is not too cold. The pressure balance scald guard is a balancing act to ensure that the temperature of the water is kept within a given range.
A thermostatic scald guard will be more expensive and a bit more complicated. It also works a bit differently. It has two handles: one to control water pressure and volume, and another to control water temperature. With this type of scald guard, you can control the water pressure at the faucet without impacting the water temperature. This will help you to easily make a change to get the water pressure you need, for say rinsing your hair, but conserve water while you are shampooing or shaving.
The other handle is there to protect the temperature of the water at the faucet. The thermostatic scald guard responds directly to the water temperature rather than to the pressure of water like the pressure balance scald guard does. There is a wax element inside the guard that expands or contracts in reaction to heat. When water exceeds the maximum set temperature, the element expands to reduce the flow of hot water and allow more cold water into the mix. Conversely, when water is below the minimum set temperature, the element expands to reduce the flow of cold water and allow more hot water into the mix.
As you can see, a scald guard is a device that can help protect your family. Contact us at Fite Plumbing to choose the best option for your faucets! Just give us at a call at 317-271-5400.
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