There used to be a British Standard (BS 1970:2012) that applied to Rubber / PVC hot water bottles and compliance with this standard would deem the product to be safe. However, this standard has been withdrawn and at present, it has not been replaced. Therefore, Rubber / PVC hot water bottles still need to comply with General Product Safety Regulations 2005 but unfortunately there is no current British Standard to act as a benchmark for compliance .
The previous British Standard required that the following marking must be legibly and permanently marked on the hot water bottle
BS 1970:2012
Name or identification mark of manufacturer
A daisy icon indicating the year of manufacture
For the near future, it is anticipated that any second hand hot water bottles you may receive in donations will continue to bear these markings. However, over time, since the standard has been withdrawn you may start to get hot water bottles with no markings. This does not necessarily mean that the product is non compliant or unsafe since the British Standard requiring the markings has been withdrawn.
There are also very specific instructions for use that must be provided with hot water bottles to ensure they are used and stored correctly.
It would be difficult to ensure that second hand hot water bottles are safe. Important points to take into consideration are:
What if the previous owner of the bottle has not handled or stored the hot water bottle appropriately? There may be internal damage and weakening of the rubber which is not visible to the naked eye.
It is recommend that rubber hot water bottles are replaced after few years of use. Some manufacturers/retailers also appear to recommend that hot water bottles should not be purchased if the hot water bottle has been produced more than 2 years previously due to concerns regarding how the bottle may have been stored by the retailer etc.
The British Standard (prior to withdrawal) required that manufacturers of hot water bottles provided very specific instructions for use with the product. Second hand goods are generally not expected to have the original packaging and all instructions for use. However, a hot water bottle would be considered an item that should be provided with instructions for use since incorrect use could cause serious burns.
Due to all the potential unknown factors associated with the sale of second hand hot water bottles such as age, previous misuse, previous storage conditions and the likelihood that it will be donated without instructions for safe use, we have been advised that second hand hot water bottles should not be sold.