A.D. from Cook County, Illinois writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I live in an older condominium building in Chicago (15 units). We all share the same water heater, and the water for my unit which is almost the farthest from the water heater reaches 135F. I can imagine that units closer to water heater are reaching 140F. I have read about anti-scald laws and wonder if our building is in violation since we do not have anti scald limiting valves that prevent water temperatures of over 120 F from reaching our showers. Are there any articles that I can show to our new board to support my concern?
Mister Condo replies:
A.D., your concerns are valid although I am not aware if there is yet a law on the matter for your state. I read about a bill that is working its way through the Illinois State legislature but I don’t think it’s yet passed. Check it out here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=3427&GAID=15&SessionID=108&LegID=120023
That being said, let’s talk about the Board employing some common sense here. Legislation or not, if a person gets scalded because of an association-owned water heater producing dangerously hot water, there will likely be a lawsuit. I would recommend that you bring your findings to your Board and ask them to take preventative measures to protect residents, guests, and the association from burns from scalding water. All the best!