My PSA-- turn down the hot water heaters!

[Creativebeth]

I never chime in here....I am afraid of the community board.....but I am a wound nurse and recommend a product called Biafine made by OrthoNeutrogena. It would be a prescription item from the doctor. It is an awesome cream that will take the sting out of the burn and help to heal it alot faster than anything else.

 

[wdwmom2]

I never chime in here....I am afraid of the community board.....but I am a wound nurse and recommend a product called Biafine made by OrthoNeutrogena. It would be a prescription item from the doctor. It is an awesome cream that will take the sting out of the burn and help to heal it alot faster than anything else.

Good to know about this cream! I work in peds and we always keep Silvadene on hand.

 

[robinb]

I never chime in here....I am afraid of the community board.....

How DARE you come over here and add your unsolicited advice !

Just kidding . We're really not that scary here . Stop in anytime.

OP: I'm glad that your DD enjoyed her day. Pixie dust going your way for a quick and complete recovery.

 

[golfgal]

I am glad she is doing better. I would also recommend getting the scald guard faucet controls if you have small children. They run the temp coming out of the faucet AND showerhead so it will prevent this in the future.

 

[Imzadi]

No she was ending the shower. She moved the lever to that turns the water from the shower head to the sprout. Then instead of turning the water off she turned it in the direction of hotter. I didn't know she was going to attempt to shut it off on her own. I was in the bathroom with her - cleaning up the sink area. I taught them all to stand outside the shower to turn it on. On the other hand - dh stands in the shower when he turns it on.

We have been practicing turning the water handle for a while now. We practice at the pool and at home. But this was the first time she did it on her own w/o me knowing she was going to.

You might want to tack up signs or paint the ceramic tile around the faucet handles with acrylic paint (that scrubs off at a later date,) with arrows for the directions of ON & OFF.

If it were me, I would call the doc back and see if he would recommend you using Silvadene cream. It is a great RX burn cream. We use it in our office and then cover it with gauze wrap. The kiddos heal great!!! We applied the Silvadene and he healed wonderfully. No scars!!!!

I tried making and melting molten hot glass beads with a jewelry torch for a while. The glass artists use the Silvadine. There is also a natural ointment, you can probably get it at a health food store, called Weleda Burn Care Ointment.

I never chime in here....I am afraid of the community board.....

Don't be afraid. Just stay away from the more controversial threads and you'll be fine. I generally stick to TV show threads and fluff threads, here.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm so sorry to hear about your DD - but happy to hear that she's feeling better..

Just a heads up for you - don't expect that burn to heal very quickly.. I received a very bad second-degree burn on the inside of my wrist 3 weeks ago (my own stupidity) and it's just now healed to the point where I don't have to worry about getting any germs in it.. It's pretty well glazed over, but I'm going to have one heck of a scar.. (The burn was larger around than a silver dollar and of course at my age, my skin is pretty thin anyhow..) Initially the doctor had me using a Neosporin-type product on it and keeping the entire wrist wrapped with multiple layers of gauze pads and rolled gauze so it wouldn't become infected.. (No washing dishes and such either..) Once it healed to the point where all of that could come off (just a few days ago), I then developed a very itchy rash on each side of the burn that was driving me crazy!! After a couple of days of anti-itch cream it finally settled down though.. Like you - with your DD - the doctor was adamant about me drinking as much water as possible.. Burns can be very serious, so I'm glad to hear that your DD is doing well with hers.. If a 2nd degree burn can be as painful as this one was, I don't even want to think what it must be like for those poor folks who suffer 3rd degree burns - and usually over a large portion of their bodies.. Just awful!

Anyhow - make sure that burn stays covered and as clean as possible until your doctor says otherwise.. And don't be surprised when the skin starts pulling away and shredding.. It's ugly - and will literally look like grayish dead skin - but it's best that it comes off..

It was good of you to come on here and post about the hot water heaters, because often times people aren't really aware of just how high they are set - until it's too late.. Never hurts to check in the hotels and such when you're vacationing either before you actually get in the shower.. I've been in some that were barely luke warm and others that would absolutely burn someone if they weren't aware of it ahead of time..

Hugs to your DD - and keep us posted..

 

[bicker]

I hope your DD recovers quickly.

Besides the safety angle, there are also a couple of other reasons to turn down the water heater. Feel free to use these as ammunition against anyone in your home who's resisting the idea of lowering the hot water heater temperature.

First, as a matter of efficiency: While it may seem that mixing equal parts 150F "hot" water with 50F "cold" water to get 100F water would be just as efficient as just using 100F "hot" water straight, the reality is that the latter is a lot more efficient, because even though hot water heaters are insulated, and perhaps super-insulated, there is still loss. You should set your hot water heater so that you use mostly heated water; such that you have enough, but only just enough hot water.

Second, as a matter of reliability: There is a component of your hot water heater, the sacrificial anode, that helps extend the life of your hot water heater, by forestalling corrosion of the tank itself. FWIR, the hotter you keep the water in the tank, the quicker the anode degrades, and the sooner you have to replace it (or if you don't replace it, and most of us don't) or the sooner the tank itself corrodes.

One way around both of these concerns is to get rid of your hot water heater and replace it with a tankless water heater.