Hot Water Bottles

[rutineli]

Unfortunately I am at an age where the most reliable bed partner is a hot water bottle.
I have one that was passed on to me by a friend a couple of years ago and I "forgot" to give it back.

I noticed when emptying it in the mornings that there was a trace of residue from the rubber so I went to Boots and was mug enough to cough up �12-00 for a covered pvc replacement.

The label on it very clearly warns against filling the bottle from the domestic hot water supply. I have always used that as the temperature is just right for me.

Does anyone know why it is supposedly bad for a Boots bottle??

[weeal]

Normally you should use very hot but not boiling water from a kettle

http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/assets/files/******* *******************_web.pdf

[weeal]

no idea why that link was blocked, not rude wording lol

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/item.phtml?item Id=759045&nodeId=ed2e140eb19253ef8c1044474d170 0fb&fn=Hot%20water%20bottles,%20safety%20alert .pdf

[smudge]

I gave up using hot water bottles years ago, for one of these small electric heat pads:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumb er/4428121/Trail/searchtext>HEAT+PADS.htm

Excellent for warmth & aches & pains.

[Naomicorlett]

I always fill mine from hot tap but was told that it might perish more quickly.

[CheekyChops]

Mine is from Boots and just says not to fill with boiling water. I do occasionally but usually I just use the hot tap.

What else are you supposed to fill it with? Boil the kettle and then wait for it to cool a bit, what a pain!!!

[Dee Sa]

try a wheat pad instead, the ones you buy for aches & pains that you put in the microwave for about 2 mins, much more practible than the old fashioned HWB [ hot water bottle].

[ethandron]

i have a cherry stone hotty, a bit like a wheat pad but filled with cherry stones instead. i do it for 3 minutes in the microwave and it's wonderful. the heat lasts ages too. i would never go back to a tradional water-filled hotty.

[Naomicorlett]

I just like my hotty so hot that I dont find the wheat or cherry stone ones hot enough. Got to turn my skin red to be any good .

[rutineli]

So folks, the sum of the first 8 answers would appear to be "I don't know! "but nobody actually used that phrase in their reply.

Thank you all anyway !!!

[ethandron]

naomi, just do a wheat pad or cherry stone one for longer, until it's hot enough to turn your skin red. as the winter gets colder, i do mine for longer too, i like it so hot i can barely stand it.

[rutineli]

I do not know
It has a certain ring to it don't you think??

[smudge]

P.S. I used to have Boots hwb's & always poured boiling water from the kettle into them. I then used to wrap a little guest towel round them, then took them off as it got cooler. But - too much faffing about for me & couldn't stand waking up to freezing cold water bottles between my knees! lol

That's why I prefer my lambswool covered, electric heat pad. I keep it on the lowest heat & it keeps my tootsies warm all night.

[rutineli]

And I STILL DON'T KNOW why I should not us hot water from the tap for my hot water bottle. Does anyone work for Boots??????

[weeal]

youve had plenty of answers - phone BOOTS if we're annoying you

[solera]

Boots are being cautious, they do not know how hot the water is from your tap and more to the point they do not want to be responsible for any scalds you may inflict on yourself.

[rutineli]

Weeal what is the point of having a lot of answrs if they are to the wrong question and by the way who is this WE you seem to belong to ?? Bet it is lonely

[smudge]

I think WE all meant well rutineli. ;o}

[weeal]

youre a cheeky git eh rutineli lol

[rutineli]

Well you got that one right anyhow, all of WE ! !

[jayellell]

The instruction you refer to isn't specific to Boots but applies to all rubber hot water bottles. Domestic hot water cylinders are usually made of copper and small particles of copper get into the water supply which is why we should never drink from the hot tap. In the same way, copper causes damage to rubber and over time may shorten the life of your hot water bottle.

I have to honest and say this is a rule I disregard as "hot tap temperature" is just right for me. I believe that using water that is too hot is not only more dangerous, but likely to cause greater damage to the bottle than hot tap water.. I still manage to get many years use out of my bottles.

Incidently, as far as your old bottle is concerned, (assuming you still have it) I wouldn't throw it out just because a few bits of rubber came out while being emptied. This happens as bottles gets older, but is only the early stages of wear. I find that mine still have many months of safe use left in them at this stage. It's only when cracks start to appear in the rubber that I would think about replacing them.