What is the maximum hot water delivery temperature at a bathroom basin or shower?
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Try it free for 14 daysHot water delivery temperature is a plumbing matter, set by NCC Volume Three (the Plumbing Code of Australia). At the outlet of each sanitary fixture used for personal hygiene, heated water must be delivered at: [1]
- 45 °C maximum in the residential part of an aged care building, a patient care area of a health-care building, parts of early childhood centres and schools used by children, and designated accessible facilities in certain building classes;
- 50 °C maximum in all other cases, which covers the basin and shower in a typical home.
South Australia's variation of the clause also pulls three further scenarios into the requirement: all new solar water heater installations (including replacements), alterations or extensions that add a personal-hygiene fixture where none existed, and water heater replacements where a temperature control device was already fitted. [1]
A jurisdiction note that catches people out: SA runs a split adoption. Building work stays on NCC 2022 (Amendment 2) until 30 April 2027, but the Plumbing Code is already on NCC 2025, operative since 1 May 2026, so a plumbing question in SA is answered from the 2025 edition today. The temperature limits themselves are unchanged between editions. [1] [2]
- 1NCC 2025 Volume Three — Plumbing Code of Australia (SA variation)B2D5 Maximum delivery temperature · p. 275
- 2NCC 2022 Volume Three — Plumbing Code of Australia (SA variation)B2D5 Maximum delivery temperature · p. 249
This answer is for professional reference only and does not replace a registered building surveyor or certifier. The operative edition of the NCC differs by jurisdiction and changes over time. Verify against the current code for your jurisdiction before relying on it.