The ASSE International Scald Awareness Task Group is now accepting applications as it reforms to develop a new white paper concerning recommended installation practices for residential tankless/on-demand water heaters to reduce the danger of scalds.

This new white paper will be a companion piece to the group’s latest white paper, Recommended Installation Practices for Residential Storage Type Water Heaters to Reduce the Danger of Scalds. The task group has also published four previous publications: Guidelines for Temperature Control Devices in Domestic Hot Water Systems, Adjustment of Automatic Compensating Valves to Prevent Potential Scald Hazards, Understanding Potential Water Heater Scald Hazards, and Scald Hazards Associated with Low-Flow Showerheads.

“During the development of the Recommended Installation Practices for Residential Tankless/On-Demand Water Heaters to Reduce the Danger of Scalds, the group discussed whether to include tankless/on-demand type water heaters in the paper,” said Richard J. Prospal, IPP, FASSE, chairperson of the ASSE International Scald Awareness Task Group. “It was finally decided to have two distinct papers for the two distinct types of water heaters, especially with the development and completion of three new ASSE product performance standards for tankless type water heaters – ASSE 1082 (Water Heaters with Integral Temperature Control Devices for Hot Water Distribution Systems), ASSE 1084 (Water Heaters with Temperature Limiting Capacity), and ASSE 1085 (Performance Requirements for Water Heaters for Emergency Equipment).”

All task group meetings for this paper will be conducted via conference call — no face-to-face meetings are anticipated. The first conference call will be held in mid-July.

Participation in the Scald Awareness Task Group is open to all interested parties; membership in ASSE International is not required. All who are interested in volunteering must complete a working group application — even if they have participated in the development of past ASSE scald awareness white papers. Working group applications may be downloaded online. Applications must be completed and emailed to Prospal at rjprospal@yahoo.com no later than June 16.