I have a 14 year old electric water heater (40 gal, 2 4500w elements). The water temp begins to cool down significantly in the middle of a second shower. There are only 2 people in the house.
Thermostats work - both come on and off normally depending on how I set them and they properly apply voltage to the heating elements. Both heating elements show 15 ohms and draw 17+ amps.
Anybody got an idea what the problem could be?
TIA
Chuck
Bad dip tube.
I agree with Bob F, bad dip tube. The cold water is mixing at the top of the tank with the hot water. With a 14 year old tank, I'd just replace it, before the next thing goes
Shower together at the same time.
Your two showers are using more than 40 gallons of hot water.
Turn the temp up so you use less hot water, get a water conserving shower head, or quit being so lethargic in the shower.
You may need to flush the deposits off the bottom of the tank. They not only insulate the flame from the water and slow the recovery, but if they are deep enough, they reduce the actual water capacity. I pulled (with a coat hangar) a BUSS TUB full of deposits off the bottom of mine once upon a time. Of course if you do this, be prepared to replace it. Mine started leaking the next week after that.
sthey should be flushed at least a couple times a year.
It wasnt like this last winter with the cold winter water temp and everything else is equal, maybe a dip tube. 2 showers and cold incomming water is a lot of immediate load on electric, was water temp output as hot last winter.
i just noticed that when i re-read my reply. duh..
i guess they'd have to get REAL deep to get up over an electric element eh?
s
Lower element burned out, or a dip tube that's dissolved/broken midway down.
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