=BF=BDThe usual
thermostats lose calibration and drift, kids turn knobs. things happen.
increasing the tanks temperature a little may solve the problem. he could turn the tank to max after adding a tempering valve so no one can get scalded
If may fix the problem. if you're using 150 degree hot water instead of
90 degree hot water, you'll need much less as it'll be greater dilutted with cold water.
Agree. If I had an 18 year old gas water heater, I'd replace it just based on age to avoid a potential disaster. If a tank lasts that long, a new one would work out to ~$30 a year, which is a small price compated to a flood in the middle of the night.
Also, for someone worried about the energy usage of a 20 min shower, I would think they would want either a new higher efficiency conv tank or tankless instead of an 18 year old one.
I wasn't the guy that was worried about the energy usage, just giving my experiences. Right now there's not enough free cash laying around to simply replace it; if I had a lot of cash I'd consider it, but new clutch hydraulics for the car, new tires for the pickup, etc. have taken precedence lately over proactive replacements of home appliances that are still working. And I don't think that I'm "working hard..." everything I've replaced has taken a few minutes with a pipe wrench and/or socket/breaker bar, not a whole lot of labor involved.
nate
20 minutes!! Wow. I thought DH's 10 minute showers were bad. Yes, his hair is waist length (so's mine) so there's washing and conditioning, but he shaves at the sink. I shave my legs in the shower, and I still can get out in under 4 minutes. Of course, I don't feel the need to stand there in a zen trance forever, like DH. All that's missing is the "ooommmm".
No, nothing is fixed. If one element is out it will take twice as long to get to temperature and once you've diluted the high temperature, it is going to take longer to recover. It may be a temporary work-around, but it does not fix something broken. Those thing usually come back to bite you in the ass at the worst times. There is no substitute for a proper repair.
i could just feel around my heaters elements to tell if it was working..
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A city-slicker is strolling down a country lane when he spots a farmer holding a pig up in the air so the pig could nibble at low-hanging apples.
"Just WHAT are you doing?" asked the city-slicker.
"What does it look like I'm doing," replied the farmer. "I'm feeding the pig!"
The city-slicker shakes his head and comments: "Looks like a tremendous waste of time to me."
Farmer smiles and replies: "Shows what you know. What's time to a pig?"
You can't fathom that it might simply be the thermostat? It is worth checking.
I can fathom that, but setting it up to 150 still does not fix it if broken.
If the thermostat is the problem it must be re-calibrated or replaced. For a long time he was OK with the present setting. It no longer works. Why can't you fathom that something changed and must be fixed properly to make it work properly again? If it is set at 125 and the water is 90, something is wrong. If it is set at 125 and the water is 150, something is wrong. Using 150 degree water mixed with cold does not negate the fact that wherever it was set at worked before and does not now.
Work arounds are not fixes. Duct tape may get you by, but it is not a weld or a rivet. If one of the elements is broken, setting the temperature to 150 may compensate, but after the second element burns out, should he then set the thermostat to 200?
Ed: Yes. Tanks we have used during last 50 (1960 to present) years have lasted an average of about 9-10 years. All have been 40 US gallon electric with two elements usually 3000 watts IIRC correctly. Minerals in water, an acidic soil and acid rain from mainland north America seem to be reasons for short life.! All tanks here are electric; no gas available except propane, used by RVs and for some propane fireplaces and is expensive. Impression from OP is that an electric being discussed? No; do not drive a Prius etc. have along paid for and hopefully, in these corrosive conditions next to the North Atlantic, pickup will last for another 8 years or so. So while gas is expensive here, drive only as necessary.
Another worthless Bubba post, from mr worthless.
Just google 'water heater diagnosis'. You'll find sites with gobs of easy-to-follow instructions.
Just cant handle it when you are wrong huh ransley? Face it, you just aren't the brightest bulb in the pack. Bubba
you too sound like your married, typical husband wife banter:)
Could be going out, how old is it? Hard water? Running the hot water for 20 minutes is a large amount, especially done daily. You might opt for a larger replacement unit. Or, install a new showerhead upgrade, the kind that have 50+ sprays, self-clean and have an easy On/Off water saver.
on 12/30/08 1:52 AM Bob F said the following:
This is the logical response I need. Thanks. I only take a 20 minute steam shower when I have a chest cold.
Thermostat is set properly. Close to scalding to clean my wine glasses.
Hi, If you have clamp type ammeter, it's real handy. 'stat can fail open or close. I'd check bottom 'stat and element first.
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