Hot water heater is really a luke warm heater

[conneticat]

I installed a new gas hot water heater and have an annoying problem: I only have hot water in the morning if I run hot water (ie, dishwasher) the night before. Otherwise, I have tepid water when no hot water is used within ten hours or so. If I run hot water in the morning for a few minutes, and wait ten or fifteen minutes, the heater kicks on and recovers fairly fast. If I turn the heater up past "hot", it just dumps hot water out from the overflow. It's like the heater believes if I'm gone for ten hourse or more, I'm never coming back. Any ideas?

[Speedy Jim]

The gas control (thermostat) is a pretty crude device. The thermostat has a very wide differential (On/Off band).

And no 2 are alike. Sounds like you got a dud.

Now we'll see how responsive the company is...

Jim

[conneticat]

Well crappo...it's out of warranty by now. Maybe it's being energy efficient...

[Speedy Jim]

If the heater is new enough to keep going, replace the control. I haven't looked lately, but I guess controls are around $90.

Jim

[Meat Plow]

If it's new see how the place where you bought it will help you replace it because the temp control has gone bonkers.

[trainfan1]

"Hysteresis".

Rob

[trader4]

You said you installed a new water heater, so how can it be out of warranty? I have a garden variety State, from HD, that is about 6 years old and when the thermocouple on the pilot went bad I called them up and they had a new one here in 2 days under warranty.

[hallerb]

how old is the heater?

[Bob M.]

You're describing exactly the problem I had. Check the cheap things first. The plastic dip tube - did you put it in and/or is it still there? You have to take off the cold water supply side and look/feel inside the nipple to know if the tube is still there (if it ever was).

If it's gone, they're $10 at the local hardware store. That fixed my problem anyhow.

As others have asked, it's a new tank and already it's out of warranty? How "new" is this tank?