knowledge article
How Often Should TMVs Be Serviced?
Identify the valve model, outlet served and installation instructions. Establish whether the setting includes people particularly vulnerable to scalding, and whether specific requirements apply to the premises. The valve must be suitable for that use before a servicing interval can be meaningful.
Discuss your requirementsDefined services, clearly scoped.
Overview
Review commissioning and previous service records. Repeated temperature instability, scale, restricted flow or failed tests may require corrective work and a revised programme. Moving the next visit closer does not repair an unsuitable installation.
HSE's guidance on hot and cold water systems explains how scalding prevention sits alongside legionella control, including particular considerations for healthcare and care settings.
Separate the activities on the schedule
Describe routine monitoring, the applicable performance tests and servicing as distinct tasks. Include manufacturer-specified cleaning, inspection or component attention where required. Record the test method and acceptance criteria rather than relying on a generic pass box.
Mixed outlet temperature and upstream supply temperatures answer different questions. A comfortable outlet reading does not establish that the hot-water distribution meets the site's hygiene controls. Keep the valve programme connected to the wider water-management arrangements without treating it as a substitute for them.
HSE's technical guidance, HSG274 Part 2, provides the broader hot and cold water system context.
Frequently asked questions
Does an annual service cover every requirement?
Not automatically. The actual programme may contain different monitoring, testing and servicing activities. Follow the valve instructions and applicable setting-specific requirements, using assessment and results to establish the complete schedule.
What happens if a valve fails a test?
The finding needs a defined response, including the decision about continued outlet use and the repair or replacement required. Retain the failure and corrective-action records together. A later passing result should identify the work or change that preceded it.
Should a new owner continue the previous schedule?
Review the inherited information first. Confirm the valve types, users, recent results and whether the system has changed. Keep effective arrangements running while resolving missing records; an ownership change does not make outstanding defects disappear.