running out of hot water

[George E. Cawthon]

That's not what I said!

You don't need any of that. In fact all you need is a continuity tester for as little as $2.00, get a fancy one for maybe $10.00. Or buy a digital VOM from Harbor Freight for $4.00

Baloney! Continuity testor or cheap VOM is all you need. All you are going to do is test for voltage at various places in addition to using your eyes and using your hands to feel for warmth.

I didn't say that!. are you talking to me or to someone else. BTW, I looked in my file and found the sheet, but I could also get the sheet from the store that is still in business. It give a simple by the numbers check procedure. If Ryan wants a copy he can ask and I will scan and send it to him.

[George E. Cawthon]

Some dishwasher have a preheater so they don't need 150 degree water. 180? some (?most? (?all?) water heater don't go as high as 180. 150 or 155 is closer to the top.

[George E. Cawthon]

Good. Check the actual water temp. Don't you use a flexible tubes to connect the water heater? Solid copper or iron connections are archaic.

So now you know that your heating elements are working and by inference the thermostats are closing the connection. So what are the possibilities? The elements are undersized, they work intermittent, your thermostats 130 setting is really 5,10 or 15 degrees lower(or one is set too low), or the two thermostats don't work together correctly.

Have you drained your tank, or justs open the bottom to get the gunk out? Maybe the crud in the bottom is clear up to the bottom electrode and screwing it up. Or maybe, the element is the incorrect model.

I found my old check list prepared by a local electrical supply for home owners to check a hot water tank. It should be generic enough for your tank. If you want me to send a scan, just send a request to my e-mail address.

[Ryan]

I guess I'm archaic. I don't have flexible lines running to/from the water heater. Just straight copper. That's how I bought the house... I checked the water temp. It's set at 130 and I'm getting about 128 at the faucet. I would expect to lose a few degrees somewhere :)

The elements are not undersized. Both are 4500w and are the type that curl under (double).

I completely drained the tank when I replaced the elements a few weeks ago. The first few seconds of drainage was orange. Otherwise, no crud.

That would be great. I'll send you an email.

I think at this point there are two possibilites.

- I have a crack in my dip tube. I find this unlikely since I changed it last year.

- This started happening when winter hit. I think the more likely possibility is that the water entering the tank is just too cold. After 15 minutes of this, the tank can't keep up and the water turns to warm.

Thanks. Ryan Grimard

[George E. Cawthon]

[Jane]

Better take a fast shower

HAHAHAHHA

Jane

[Ryan]

Last year, the dip tube broke off. While replacing the tube, I figured I would drain the tank to get the gunk off the bottom as well as replace the anode rod. At the same time, I decided to take a look at the elements. They appeared to be in good shape. Why would I spend the money on new elements and thermos when I knew they were working fine? When I put everything back together, it worked great.

This year, I'm having a similar problem, although not nearly as big a problem. Instead of tearing everything apart and replacing everything I figured I would do a little more research. I replaced the elements, thinking that the short older elements couldn't handle the cold water. It helped a little, but didn't completely fix the problem. Since everything else on the tank was new, I figured I'd post here. There's nothing else to replace, except the thermos which I believe are in working order.

Here's the big question for those of you living in a cold climate. With your 50 gallon tank set at 130 degrees, how long would your shower last at about 85% hot water? Mine lasts about 15 minutes until it starts to get luke warm. Maybe that's fine. I dunno...

Ryan

[George E. Cawthon]

Our 50 gallon tank was set at about 135 and it would provide hot water to a shower as long as you wanted to run it, never ran it more than 60 minutes though.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

You must be good at fixing hot water tank problem without a clamp amp meter to see the amps being drawed on each leg to see it you have any bleed over or unbalance of load or the thermostat is bleeding electricity back to the other element while you have the other on running. If you give me just a digital VOM to work with. I could figure it out by the process of alimination and about 4 hours to go throught the cycles. I don't have 4 hours at $55.00 a hour to waist on fixing a hot water tank. You may have the time but i don't. With a clamp amp meter and a vom. It will take about 5 minutes to tell you what it is.

All I can say is Your Good.

TURTLE