Replace water heaters after 10 years – Energy Commission

PUTRAJAYA: The Energy Commission (ST) has advised consumers to replace their old water heaters, especially those over 10 years old, as the older models do not meet the latest safety specifications.

ST Electrical Safety Regulation director Mohd Elmi Anas said this was important to avoid untoward incidents, including electric shock accidents and explosions, caused by unsafe water heaters.

“The new storage-type water heater models now come with the latest safety features, which include thermostat and the built-in thermal cutout that have been available since 2000. Apart from that, the heaters are now fitted with inlet/oulet isolation barriers, which was made mandatory since April. As for the instant water heater models, they now come with 15 miliamps (mA) residual current device (RCD) and the hose is now made of plastic, instead of steel,” he told Bernama at his office here recently.

He said 10 years ago, most instant water heaters in Malaysia were supplied with stainless steel conductive hose which has now been banned as electricity could flow through a victim in case of a leakage. Mohd Elmi said two incidents of water heater explosion which occurred in December 2014 at a resort in Kundasang, Sabah and at a condominium unit in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur last February, were due to faulty equipment or safety system failure in the storage water heater. - Bernama