But comfort areas are hugely different.. I prefer the range from scolding hot to ice-cold (I start my shower in the middle area, then prefer to turn up gradually as I get used to it until it's very hot (so hot I'd feel uncomfortable if I started at this temperature), then after a while I get very warmed through, and I turn straight to the coldest setting and enjoy the constrast from burning hot to burning cold, and that's the perfect finish for my shower. Then I step out of the ice cold shower and enjoy the warm air against my skin (even if that warm air is about 19.5C at the moment, it still feels warm in contrast to the ~2C water)
A manifesto on shower temperature control
161–170 of 176 posts
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was off by 6 degrees (looked lazily at axis labels, not at the actual data). But the OP actually measured the temperature. It says, right in the article: > The minimum temperature was 44.4°F (6.9°C) and the maximum temperature was 134.1°F (56.7°C). So yes, this shower violates the code.
> So yes, this shower violates the code. Again, the shower is not the only one dictating how hot the water can get, the water heater does as well. Turning down the temperature on the water heater will make the max temperature of the shower also go down, vice-versa if you put up the temperature in the water heater. Could be that they just run their water heater really warm, some people seem to do.
You can't turn down the water heater by much, the temperature is usually kept at around 60C/140F to prevent bacterial growth.
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because that’s where there’s light to find the switch ;) Seriously I’ve never had a problem with the switch being inside or outside as long as it’s by the door
Here's a scenario: you took a nice long hot bath. It got dark outside. You get out and want to turn on the light. Do you want to open the door and let the cold air in? Do you need to cover yourself first?
Crack the door open, reach through and flip the switch. It's only going to be momentarily cold and if covering is required a quick wrap of the towel will suffice.
I take your point though :)
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an aside, I just want any form of mixing tap for my sink in the UK, but apparently that’s still too much to ask for in many buildings here so I’m left with the separate hot/cold taps that are inevitably too far away to sort of “splash together.”
Mandatory Giphy: https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/5p9xfs/wash_yo_hands/ Also mandatory explanation why UK historically has had 2 taps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHgUu_8KgA Which in the end is understandable. It's outdated. What isn't understandable is having the light switch OUTSIDE of the friggin' restroom.
In codes written before GFCI, making sure you can't electrocute yourself by accident could be achieved by:
a) establishing a minimum distance between the sources of water and electrical switches that would have to be measured, inspected carefully, be expensive to re-do, and possibly not be practical inside a small bathroom, or
b) requiring the switch to be outside the room
Some locales chose b, and never updated.
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#165Much of the confusion in this thread comes down to the fact that in the US, the standard shower valve is a 'pressure-balanced' valve, which allows you to select a flow-ratio between hot and cold feeds, but does not in itself maintain any particular temperature - it just ensures that in the event of pressure changes on one or other feed, the overall mix is maintained (preventing temperature spikes if someone flushes a…
> So most Americans have simply no idea that thermostatic valves are a thing.
Having very limited travel experience outside the US, my mental model of what the temperature control on showers was supposed to be doing was thermostatic, and I just assumed that they were just bad at it. You may have just explained one of my longest running minor peeves, which is that I've always found it basically impossible to maintain a shower temperature I find comfortable without needing to make adjustments. Given that I don't own my home at this time, I probably can't do anything about it any time soon, but at least from now on when I have to deal with the fluctuations in temperature I'll know that I'm not crazy and this is actually expected behavior.
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#166Much of the confusion in this thread comes down to the fact that in the US, the standard shower valve is a 'pressure-balanced' valve, which allows you to select a flow-ratio between hot and cold feeds, but does not in itself maintain any particular temperature - it just ensures that in the event of pressure changes on one or other feed, the overall mix is maintained (preventing temperature spikes if someone flushes a…
> So most Americans have simply no idea that thermostatic valves are a thing. Having very limited travel experience outside the US, my mental model of what the temperature control on showers was supposed to be doing was thermostatic, and I just assumed that they were just bad at it. You may have just explained one of my longest running minor peeves, which is that I've always found it basically impossible to maintain…
It gets even worse when the water heating is flow activated (switching between 0 and 100%) and your faucet/shower head is too gunked up to allow for enough flow from at the desired hot/cold mix.
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because that’s where there’s light to find the switch ;) Seriously I’ve never had a problem with the switch being inside or outside as long as it’s by the door
Here's a scenario: you took a nice long hot bath. It got dark outside. You get out and want to turn on the light. Do you want to open the door and let the cold air in? Do you need to cover yourself first?
None of the above; I use the pull cord switch to turn the light on
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an aside, I just want any form of mixing tap for my sink in the UK, but apparently that’s still too much to ask for in many buildings here so I’m left with the separate hot/cold taps that are inevitably too far away to sort of “splash together.”
Go to IKEA. Buy mixer tap. Install mixer tap?
1. I’m not permitted to do so in my current housing situation (a temporary thing).
2. I would still occasionally need to use public toilets with separate taps.
I realise I phrased this as an issue with my specific sink, but I meant more broadly the situation in less-recently renovated buildings in the UK.
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#169> "it seems very reasonable to design a shower valve that is biased for human temperature preference"
It's not that simple. Hot water temperature varies greatly from one home to another. Cold water temperature varies tremendously from summer to winter. Take a picture of your shower control for the same water temperature in winter or in summer. You will see it's not turned at the same angle, because in winter you need a lot more hot water to balance the ice cold water from outside (especially if you live in the country, it will be ice cold, trust me). As a consequence, the part of your shower control that you call "confort zone" can be almost 100% too hot or 100% too cold in another home or in another season.
Re: A manifesto on shower temperature control
#170Concerning " Why are we wasting so much potential control area on water temperatures that no one wants? ", I am a professional plumber, have been for decades and... on one occasion I was told by an aging resident of a new-build home that there " wasn't ENOUGH control area" on her brand new Moen tub/shower faucet!
WOW.