The mean temperature of the hot water supply of 62 randomly selected Dunedin homes with preschool children was 67.8 degrees C. More than 95% of the households visited had temperatures above the recommended temperature of 55 degrees C. The temperature was related to the socioeconomic status of the major earner of the household, the thermostat setting, the age of the water cylinder and its size. Accessible thermostats were of the water cylinder and its size. Accessible thermostats were only reliable in cylinders under 20 years old.