You have probably experienced this situation several times in your life: You’re in the shower, and someone runs the water in the kitchen sink. All of a sudden your comfortable shower turns into a painful experience.

Thousands are scalded by hot water every year, and many of them children. It can take less than a second for 160 degree water to cause scalding.

The reason for the scenario in the beginning of this article is that a sudden loss of pressure in the cold water pipes of your home, such as due to a faucet being turned on somewhere else, the hot to cold ratio in the water you are receiving will be drastically altered.

To prevent this from happening, anti-scald valves are installed to maintain water temperature despite pressure fluctuations.

These valves can be installed at the water heater to cover the whole building, or by a specific fixture. They are fairly inexpensive and simple to install, so if you are experiencing problems with temperature fluctuations, it is a wise investment.