Scald protection valves are the last line of defense in protecting occupants from dangerously hot water in plumbing systems. Point-of-use mixing valves keep building occupants safe and enable a variety of important domestic hot water recirculation applications. How are designers using scald protection mixing valves to advance the broader topic of DHW recirculation?
An ASSE 1070 compliant thermostatic mixing valve, often called a point-of-use mixing valve or scald protection valve, combines hot water from a DHW source, with or without a recirculation pump, with cold water to deliver safe, tempered water to the fixture “hot” inlet. The valves have a maximum set point adjustment of 120° F and can be set even lower, for example, 115° F or 110° F, to meet specific building requirements and even individual room-to-room needs. The valves require a tool for temperature control in order to prevent occupants from casually adjusting the setpoint.