COVID-19 and Your Water Heater

With the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) wreaking fear and uncertainty everywhere, the single most important thing that we can do to prevent spreading the virus is to wash our hands.  Proper hand washing protocol advises at least 20 seconds of thorough washing with soap.  To remind ourselves of how long 20 seconds is, we found this cute video that takes you through the proper technique AND it is 20 seconds long to make it easier for you!

What the song doesn’t say is how important the first step is in hand washing.  The first step is to turn on the hot water at your sink.  The temperature of the water for good hand washing is 120 degrees F. Get your hands thoroughly wet with the hot water and then, turn off the water.  Twenty seconds is the recommended time to wash your hands and twenty seconds is a long time to be running the hot water unnecessarily.  With wet hands and the water turned off, start soaping up your hands and begin singing.

The Hot Water 911 team is always aware as to how important hot water is in our everyday life…something we all tend to take for granted.  During this health crisis, hot water will be in demand more than ever.  Suddenly your water heater is one of the most important steps in the line of defense.  This important line of defense starts in your home’s water heater and moves all the way up the chain to healthcare facilities, offices, food service locations, dialysis centers and more. 

Take time today to check your water heater.  Make sure that it seems to be functioning properly.  Check for water on the floor.  Move any combustible objects away from the water heater and furnace area.  If you aren’t sure about your water heater’s health, give us a call at 800-464-6892.

Oh, and one last thing.  There is still a lot of Influenza A out there.  If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, there is still time to protect yourself from the viruses that it covers. You can find out where to get the flu shot near you here.