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Question about my hot water heater

JudyH

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We live in FL and have a 7 year old electric hot water heater. The water has always been about 120 degrees and never felt hot enough to me, but I had hot water as soon as I turned on the faucet. A few weeks ago I took off the cover and insulation and found the temperature dial. Against my husband‘s opinion, I put it up to 130.
Now, all I get is cold water when I turn on the hot water faucet. It could run 10 minutes before the warm water comes through. It’s actually getting worse.
Did I break something? Is their some kind of shut off system in play? DH is catastrophizing and is sure I broke pipes someplace. There is no change on water pressure, just temperature.
Can this marriage be saved?
 

DaveNV

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I think your husband is overreacting. I don't see how you can hurt something by adjusting temperatures. (I've done it at my home without issue.) Try returning the setting to 120, and see if things go back to normal.

Dave
 

JudyH

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I think your husband is overreacting. I don't see how you can hurt something by adjusting temperatures. (I've done it at my home without issue.) Try returning the setting to 120, and see if things go back to normal.

Dave
That is my plan for tomorrow. I just don’t get how raising it a bit is connected to this problem.
 

isisdave

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If you used to have "instant" hot water and now don't, is it possible you have a circulating hot water pump that you somehow shut off when you adjusted the temperature?

Also, circulating pumps are often on a timer, so is it possible you're checking late at night now, or other time the pump isn't running?

Raising the temperature isn't going to break any pipes, but 130 IS too hot for humans, so faucets near the heater may be dangerous. Check with a cooking thermometer.
 

JudyH

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If you used to have "instant" hot water and now don't, is it possible you have a circulating hot water pump that you somehow shut off when you adjusted the temperature?

Also, circulating pumps are often on a timer, so is it possible you're checking late at night now, or other time the pump isn't running?

Raising the temperature isn't going to break any pipes, but 130 IS too hot for humans, so faucets near the heater may be dangerous. Check with a cooking thermometer.
No It’s not instant hot water. I really don’t think there is a circulating pump. Before I messed with it any sink or shower would have warm water after running about a minute. Now it can take over 5 minutes. Now this is so weird. If I run the hot water in my tub which is right next to the shower and sink, then both those get hot fast. If I don’t, it takes 5 or more minutes for shower and sink.
 

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I have been getting work done on my tank and have made a few adjustments over the years. The only thing I can think of is that you turned the temp the wrong way. Take another look at it. Making adjustments is not a big deal. Just make sure the breakers are off When you do that. If your thermostat went bad, it should only cost about $10 to replace it, plus labor. So call a plumber that does work on water tanks. The element should last 20 years and it would be unusual for that to go bad. Also, check and make sure electric is getting to your tank. Maybe you didn’t reset the breaker right. Sometimes it is tricky. Turn it off and on again. It should be an easy fix.
 

tompalm

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The distance hot water has to travel to your bathroom or kitchen is what causes the amount of time to get hot water longer. Also, if it is cold outside, the pipes are cold and it takes longer.
 

WinniWoman

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We “ upgraded” to a tankless system ( on demand) in our new house and so far we don’t like it. It takes forever for the water to turn hot. Meanwhile now we are paying for water for the first time.

Good thing we are only 2 living in the house because you can’t have more than one appliance or shower running at the same time either.

The tank in our former home went last spring just before we put it on the market and we had to replace it. It was 10 years old. One thing- we always had plenty of hot water as it was a combination 40 gallon reserve tank with an on demand system. We never ran out and it was hot enough. We had it set at 120 degrees.

Sounds like something is broken in your tank. 130 degrees - that tank should be maintaining that temperature

Living in the Northeast in a big house it used to take awhile for the water to get hot out of the faucets. The more we used the faucets the quicker the hot water would come out since it was being circulated all the time. We also had hot water baseboard heat.

This is also what they tell us with our new tankless one. The more we use it when we are actually living in the house, the faster it will come out hot.
 

JudyH

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Before we moved to FL we lived in an 100 yr old farm house. It had oil heat. We had a furnace that gave us instant hot water for bathrooms and radiators. Lots of different circulators for radiators for different parts of the house. The bathroom over the furnace got hot immediately. Our upstairs bathroom took a while. Even so there was never enough hot water for my big soaking tub so I didn’t use it much. And we could always count on something to break in the winter so we had a good wood stove.
 

wackymother

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It's possible your hot water heater has some other problem and it just happened to fall apart right when you made a change. Or it tried to heat the water to 130, the heating element couldn't do it bc it was on the verge of failing anyway, and it failed. Hot water heaters are supposed to last ten years, but sometimes they don't make it.
 

TheTimeTraveler

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We live in FL and have a 7 year old electric hot water heater. The water has always been about 120 degrees and never felt hot enough to me, but I had hot water as soon as I turned on the faucet. A few weeks ago I took off the cover and insulation and found the temperature dial. Against my husband‘s opinion, I put it up to 130.
Now, all I get is cold water when I turn on the hot water faucet. It could run 10 minutes before the warm water comes through. It’s actually getting worse.
Did I break something? Is their some kind of shut off system in play? DH is catastrophizing and is sure I broke pipes someplace. There is no change on water pressure, just temperature.
Can this marriage be saved?


Could be a good time to contact an expert such as a plumber. It's too bad that Mike Holmes isn't in your area to get his expert opinion.



.
 

Passepartout

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That is just what I have been thinking. Yep. Time to call a plumber.
An earlier thread mentioned a circulation pump. Those are really nice to have (for the instant not water), and because you're not having to reheat all the water in the pipes, they can actually save money over time. Something else to ask the plumber about.
 

SandyPGravel

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We “ upgraded” to a tankless system ( on demand) in our new house and so far we don’t like it. It takes forever for the water to turn hot. Meanwhile now we are paying for water for the first time.

Good thing we are only 2 living in the house because you can’t have more than one appliance or shower running at the same time either.

My DH is in the trades(steamfitter) and his friend the plumber(He plumbed our house when we built) did not recommend the tankless water heater. The plumber put one in his house when he built and he hates it.
 

geist1223

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We “ upgraded” to a tankless system ( on demand) in our new house and so far we don’t like it. It takes forever for the water to turn hot. Meanwhile now we are paying for water for the first time.

Good thing we are only 2 living in the house because you can’t have more than one appliance or shower running at the same time either.

The tank in our former home went last spring just before we put it on the market and we had to replace it. It was 10 years old. One thing- we always had plenty of hot water as it was a combination 40 gallon reserve tank with an on demand system. We never ran out and it was hot enough. We had it set at 120 degrees.

Sounds like something is broken in your tank. 130 degrees - that tank should be maintaining that temperature

Living in the Northeast in a big house it used to take awhile for the water to get hot out of the faucets. The more we used the faucets the quicker the hot water would come out since it was being circulated all the time. We also had hot water baseboard heat.

This is also what they tell us with our new tankless one. The more we use it when we are actually living in the house, the faster it will come out hot.

Is your On demand Hot Water Heater Gas or Electric? We put a Gas Fired one in our previous house. The triple exhaust pipe was expensive. It was a large model. We loved it. It took maybe a half minute longer to get hot water to the upstairs bathroom. But then you had lots of hot water for as long as you wanted in the shower. And we could be using hot water in several different locations in the House at the same time.
 

VacationForever

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We bought our brand new home with recirculating pump already installed. We turned off the timer and have it running all the time because the HVAC plumber said it uses very little electricity. We get hot water within seconds from every tap in the home. It saves water and improves our comfort level. We tried having a recirculating pump installed in our California home and we were told it was not possible due to the way the house was plumbed.
 

geekette

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Before we moved to FL we lived in an 100 yr old farm house. It had oil heat. We had a furnace that gave us instant hot water for bathrooms and radiators. Lots of different circulators for radiators for different parts of the house. The bathroom over the furnace got hot immediately. Our upstairs bathroom took a while. Even so there was never enough hot water for my big soaking tub so I didn’t use it much. And we could always count on something to break in the winter so we had a good wood stove.
oh gosh, counting on something to go wrong... yes. wood stove, yes. it is the only way I can stay home when an ice storm comes yet it would be treacherous to leave. I can do without running water (ends when power ends), but not heat.

The water heater in this house is massive, and somewhere past the 20 years I have been here, and it wasn't new then. It does take a while to get hot water to the far bathroom, but I have never had to run water for 10 minutes to get it. My hot water is HOT so if anything, I'd turn it down but have never been bothered by HOT HOT as that can be tamped down with some cold.
 

tompalm

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Solar hot water tanks last 20 years or more and I have seen some that are 25 years old before anything goes wrong. The element should last that long too and seldom goes bad. I guess if you own the cheapest tank made, it might last 10 years, but that is a cheap tank and I have never seen that. I sold or was a consultant for solar hot water in Hawaii for two years and talked with more than 200 customers per year. If you have four people or more in your home, solar is the way to go in Hawaii because electric cost are three times higher than average mainland prices. The OP might be interested in upgrading to a better tank if it is going bad after a few years. But, I doubt that is needed.
 

easyrider

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We live in FL and have a 7 year old electric hot water heater. The water has always been about 120 degrees and never felt hot enough to me, but I had hot water as soon as I turned on the faucet. A few weeks ago I took off the cover and insulation and found the temperature dial. Against my husband‘s opinion, I put it up to 130.
Now, all I get is cold water when I turn on the hot water faucet. It could run 10 minutes before the warm water comes through. It’s actually getting worse.
Did I break something? Is their some kind of shut off system in play? DH is catastrophizing and is sure I broke pipes someplace. There is no change on water pressure, just temperature.
Can this marriage be saved?

Push the little red button on the thermostat to reset the thermostats. Use a screwdriver to push it if you are unwilling to use a finger.

Bill
 

tompalm

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Push the little red button on the thermostat to reset the thermostats. Use a screwdriver to push it if you are unwilling to use a finger.

Bill
That is the first step that should be taken. I forgot about that. After that, turn the breakers back on and it will probably work.
 

Teresa

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We “ upgraded” to a tankless system ( on demand) in our new house and so far we don’t like it. It takes forever for the water to turn hot. Meanwhile now we are paying for water for the first time.

Good thing we are only 2 living in the house because you can’t have more than one appliance or shower running at the same time either.

The tank in our former home went last spring just before we put it on the market and we had to replace it. It was 10 years old. One thing- we always had plenty of hot water as it was a combination 40 gallon reserve tank with an on demand system. We never ran out and it was hot enough. We had it set at 120 degrees.

Sounds like something is broken in your tank. 130 degrees - that tank should be maintaining that temperature

Living in the Northeast in a big house it used to take awhile for the water to get hot out of the faucets. The more we used the faucets the quicker the hot water would come out since it was being circulated all the time. We also had hot water baseboard heat.

This is also what they tell us with our new tankless one. The more we use it when we are actually living in the house, the faster it will come out hot.

A tankless system doesn't heat water UNTIL you ask for it. The reason it is cold 'longer' than a tank system is that the pipe that carries the water from the tankless needs to clear of cold water that's in the pipe before it sends hot water. A tank will cause the hot water lines to have warmer/hot water in them close to the tank just because it's always heating water so 'surrounding pipes' get warmer too.

Sounds like your tankless system is too small for your needs. Gas (natural gas) tankless units are much better than electric. An electric tankless will use a LOT of power to get water hot and my experience with electric is 'not so good'. Probably because we're in Ohio. Put a small electric tankless in a Florida home (for one bathroom that was far away from water heater) and it does fine. No gas available there. A gas tankless will use more gas to get things hot but most gas tankless units require a larger diameter pipe for gas (at least 3/4" versus 1/2" for gas tanked heater). The bigger the unit (energy-wise) the more hot water you can get at one time. We have had a tankless for years (over 15) and can do dishes, take a shower in one bathroom and also in another bathroom. My gas bill is lower but my water bill is a bit higher (because of all that pipe clearing).

Most people make the mistake of adjusting the water (both with tank and tankless) when they first turn the water on with both cold and hot on. The tankless has to clear the hot water pipe of cold water before you get hot water. It relies on a certain volume of water moving through the tankless for it to get warm/hot. By mixing cold and hot at the start, it may not be getting enough 'volume' to heat well. Turn on only hot until you're getting hot water. Then add in cold. Tanked uses the same theory - hot only first then add cold. This way you're mixing cold and hot when you need cold to adjust. Running both while you're waiting for hot is just running cold water from the cold pipe down the drain.

AND if you're going to be filling a large tub - you will not drain the tankless of hot water. It will heat as long as you have the hot water valve on. That's one of the reasons many people switch to tankless - the 'endless' hot water. Caveat - if you or someone in your family takes long showers - they can. No more chance to use the reason, 'save some hot water for the rest of us.' When our tankless goes - we'll get another one.
 

WinniWoman

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Is your On demand Hot Water Heater Gas or Electric? We put a Gas Fired one in our previous house. The triple exhaust pipe was expensive. It was a large model. We loved it. It took maybe a half minute longer to get hot water to the upstairs bathroom. But then you had lots of hot water for as long as you wanted in the shower. And we could be using hot water in several different locations in the House at the same time.

Propane gas
 

WinniWoman

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A tankless system doesn't heat water UNTIL you ask for it. The reason it is cold 'longer' than a tank system is that the pipe that carries the water from the tankless needs to clear of cold water that's in the pipe before it sends hot water. A tank will cause the hot water lines to have warmer/hot water in them close to the tank just because it's always heating water so 'surrounding pipes' get warmer too.

Sounds like your tankless system is too small for your needs. Gas (natural gas) tankless units are much better than electric. An electric tankless will use a LOT of power to get water hot and my experience with electric is 'not so good'. Probably because we're in Ohio. Put a small electric tankless in a Florida home (for one bathroom that was far away from water heater) and it does fine. No gas available there. A gas tankless will use more gas to get things hot but most gas tankless units require a larger diameter pipe for gas (at least 3/4" versus 1/2" for gas tanked heater). The bigger the unit (energy-wise) the more hot water you can get at one time. We have had a tankless for years (over 15) and can do dishes, take a shower in one bathroom and also in another bathroom. My gas bill is lower but my water bill is a bit higher (because of all that pipe clearing).

Most people make the mistake of adjusting the water (both with tank and tankless) when they first turn the water on with both cold and hot on. The tankless has to clear the hot water pipe of cold water before you get hot water. It relies on a certain volume of water moving through the tankless for it to get warm/hot. By mixing cold and hot at the start, it may not be getting enough 'volume' to heat well. Turn on only hot until you're getting hot water. Then add in cold. Tanked uses the same theory - hot only first then add cold. This way you're mixing cold and hot when you need cold to adjust. Running both while you're waiting for hot is just running cold water from the cold pipe down the drain.

AND if you're going to be filling a large tub - you will not drain the tankless of hot water. It will heat as long as you have the hot water valve on. That's one of the reasons many people switch to tankless - the 'endless' hot water. Caveat - if you or someone in your family takes long showers - they can. No more chance to use the reason, 'save some hot water for the rest of us.' When our tankless goes - we'll get another one.

This is gas.
 

JudyH

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I think I fixed it.
I didn’t know it had two thermostats. I raised the one on the bottom and never touched the one on the top. It’s a Rheem hot water heater. After going to google I learned that the top heats the cold water as it enters the top of the heater and the bottom maintains the lower water. Since I raised the lower section the top section never turned on. So top was cold. Or something like this.
Anyway I reset the lower one back to the original setting. After a bit it seemed like it was working again. The Rheem manual said it’s ok to raise both a bit. Both are set to 125.
I guess I’ll leave it like this.
Thanks all for the as usual helpful TUG advice.
Judy
 
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