Has your need for more hot water increased in recent times? Does your household complain of hot water running out at the most inopportune times? You can solve this issue by digging deeper into your pocket and installing a new and bigger water tank. A better approach is to invest in a thermostatic mixing valve.
What’s a thermostatic mixing valve, you ask? It is a relatively cheap valve that can be mounted to the vast majority of water systems. The mixing valve serves the function of traditional valves while also functioning performing the function of hydronic heating in commercial and residential settings.
At its core, it’s a mixing valve. You connect hot water and cold water supply and connect the valve at the exit of your hot water tank. Once you set your desired hot water temperature, the valve will mix the hot water and the cold water to attain the desired temperature.
For instance, you can set the temperature of the hot water tank at 160 degrees. However, your ideal temperature at the tap might be 120. The valve will control the flow of both hot water and cold water to ensure the temperature at the tap is a precise 120 degrees. This approach to hot water supply has its advantages including:
#1. More And Steady Hot Water Supply – By installing a mixing valve, you can increase your supply of hot water, without having to install a big hot water tank. All you have to do is set a higher temperature at the hot water tank than necessary. The valve will mix the hot water and cold water to the precise temperature you want at the tap.
This means you don’t use up hot water from the hot water tank every time you open the tap as is the case with a tank-to-tap set-up. Instead, you use a mixture of cold and hot water, reducing the depletion of the hot water from the tank, which in turn allows the water in the tank to last longer.
#2. Protection Against Scalding – A mixing valve will reduce the problem of temperature fluctuations common with hot water tank to tap set-ups. The works to control the temperature of water its outlet by allowing the necessary amount of hot and cold water to pass through.
#3. Protection From Disease-Causing Pathogen – Some disease-causing pathogens survive and even thrive in mild temperatures such as 120 degrees. If you set the temperature at the mild temperature you desire the exit temperature of hot water to be, there is a risk bacteria will infest and breed in your hot water tank. Using a mixing valve allows you to set the hot water tank at a higher temperature, killing all bacteria and negating the risk of diseases.
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