Add another thermostat to gas or electric water heater

Alterations void product warranty

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Honeywell immersion thermostat
12-277 volt AC SPST controller
12-48 volt DC
Add to any hot water tank
Surface mount or immersion into tank
Temperature range: 100-180°F
Water over 135° poses extreme danger of scalding.
Add mixing valve.

Buy
Honeywell L4006
Rheem SP11798B made by Honeywell

Resources:
Advantages-disadvantages mixing valve
Control recirculation pump using controller
L4006 manual
L4006 wiring illustration
Honeywell L8104 water heater controller

Use torch or jig saw Use same idea to add another thermostat to electric water heater	This is concept idea. I have not tested this idea/ but seems reasonable Electric water heater thermostat could be installed onto the inner tank of gas water heater and provide electrical control based on water temperature inside tank... for example turn off power to recirculation pump that pumps water from solar panel or secondary tank...or control electric water heater from the gas water heater... or turn off solenoid valve that turns off gas line... or connect to indicator light to notify when tank reaches set point... or connect to solenoid water valve that turns on hot water. Thermostat is mechanical and will work with 12-12 Volt AC-DC, 120-208-240, 277 volt AC electricity. Operation would not conflict with ordinary operation or safety features of gas water heater assuming temperature of water does not exceed the 180-190 degree trip-off of gas control valve ECO. Read about gas control valve thermostats 1) Cut through outer shell near top of tank on opposite side from TP valve Voids product warranty Wear gloves and commercial face shield to avoid serious life-changing injury Buy Construction grade Face shield Angle grinder use 4-1/2" Grinder metal-cutting blade Grinder stone cutting blade Heavy work gloves
	2) Cut 3/4" hole for conduit connection and wires
	Tapered drill bit for plastic or metal box Buy tapered drill/ step drill bit for any size hole Step drill bits at Amazon Neiko tapered drill bit 1/4"-1-3/8 holes More resources; See inside main breaker box
	4) Epoxy or weld small clip to steel tank that holds thermostat
	Buy Adapter kit with thermostat clip
	Clip to hold thermostat/ Thermostat mounting bracket Bradford White part # 239-44479-00/ Mounting bracket plus 2 thermostats 265-51046-00 Buy Thermostat clip Adapter kit with thermostat clip
	Clip to hold thermostat/ Thermostat mounting bracket Bradford White part # 239-44479-00/ Bradford White part # 265-51046-00 Rheem AM23557 Buy Thermostat clip Adapter kit with thermostat clip
	5) Install ordinary upper thermostat Thermostat must sit flat against tank to read temperature through tank wall Choose thermostat set point between 90-150° -or- 120-180° Thermostat turns ON or OFF at thermostat set point, depending on wiring Rated 30 amps @ 240 Volt. Works with any voltage 12-24-28-120-208-240-277 Mechanical switch requires no voltage to operate switch Buy 90-150 degree F for residential tank: Rheem thermostats Water heater thermostats at Amazon Buy110-170 degree F commercial thermostat Camco 08304 / 180° Rheem SP8295 / 170° Camco 08314 / 180°
	5a) Use magnetic thermostat switch instead of water heater thermostat Magnetic .... no bracket needed. ON at 120F / OFF at 90°F... use relay if you want OFF at 120°F and ON at 90°F Rated 15 amps @ 120 Volt. Works with any voltage 12-24-28-120-208-240-277 Mechanical switch requires no voltage to operate switch Control contactor with thermostat Buy 90-120 degree F thermostat: Magnetic thermostat kit at Amazon Thermostat switches at Amazon Adjustable thermostat 130-90 Oven thermostat Resource: Bi-metal thermostat switch limits T36 therm-o-disc Contactors Select breaker and wire size
	6) Cover thermostat with insulation and add salvaged cover off electric water heater from recycle center. Thermostat must be covered with insulation. Exposure to open air will cause thermostat to misread tank temperature Resource: How to wire electric water heater thermostats
	Insulation and cover must be over thermostat. Exposing thermostat to cool room temperature will cause tank to overheat. Thermostat cannot read correct temperature unless covered correctly. Buy: Upper element terminal protector Lower element terminal protector Resource Troubleshoot electric water heater

	Buy residential upper and lower thermostats Thermostats are interchangeable/ each works with your water heater Typical bath shower is 104° 89T is discontinued/ replace with Apcom or Therm-o-disc Buy 90-150° F for residential tank: Rheem UV11698 Rheem SP11698 Camco 08163 Aprom / 110-160° Water heater thermostats Camco thermostats More thermostats Resources: Therm-o-disc 59T-66T sell sheet/ pdf Therm-o-disc thermostats Difference between Rheem thermostats
	DIY help for 2 water heaters: Make lower thermostat from upper Read about two water heaters Best to replace both thermostats. There is no guaranteed way to test thermostats. If thermostat is sticking, then test includes rotating temperature knob which can temporarily unstick thermostat. So bad thermostat appears to work correctly.
	Buy HIGH density kit: Apcom plumbers pack Amazon Therm-O-disc high density plumbers pack Therm-O-disc high density Therm-o-disc high density / copper element 90°-150° Resource How to replace elements
	Buy LOW density kit: Apcom plumbers pack Amazon 110°-160° Resource How to replace elements

Be careful when connecting stock tank to AC voltage
NEVER touch this metal tank when power is ON
Install safety shut-off switch
Label the tank. Label the safety switch
Stand on dry boards
Never stand on bare soil
If you connect 48 volt DC solar power to elements, using small soar array or windmill generator, to keep tank from freezing, then that voltage will not kill
Install element
Drill 1" hole
Insert element
Use element washer or use silicone O ring
Tighten element with 1" stainless nut
NOTE: the element is straight thread, not tapered thread

Control with water heater thermostats or with digital controller
Buy:
Silicone O ring
1" straight pipe thread to hose thread
1" stainless nut
Water heater elements
dernord heating elements
bucket heating element

Resource:
Read how to convert AC water heater to DC/ high voltage
Convert AC water heater to DC/ low voltage

Formula for heating in perfect environment without considering heat loss from exposure to open air, lack of insulation:
Gallon Per Hour (Electric) = (KW x 3413) divided by (temp. rise x 8.25) or (KW x 414) divided by (temp rise.)
Let's say you have 5500 watt elements.
let's say incoming water temperature is 65°F and you want to heat tank to 105°, or 40° rise in temperature.

5500 watt or 5.5Kw elements x 3413 = 18771.5
40 degree temperature rise x 8.25 = 330
So in this situation, each element would heat 56.88 gallons per hour

If you have 4500 watt elements and incoming water temperature is 55°, and you want to heat to 120°, then the temperature rise is 65°
4.5 KW x 3413 = 15358.5
65 degree temperature rise x 8.25 = 536
So one element would heat 28 gallons per hour

This number is for EACH element, but does NOT consider heat loss from open tank, room temperature, or lack of insulation.

Larger image Control box for the tank shown above using digital controller Digital controller activates a contactor (simple electromagnetic switch) There are 4 contactors... 1 for each element There are 4 breakers... 1 for each element And they installed a delay timer because the entire load of 4 elements is 120 amps... and they wanted 2 elements to start later than first two elements so the main breaker does not trip Buy enclosure: Fiberglasss enclosures Arlington / 12 x 12 x 4 14x12x6 enclosure Altelix enclosures Polycarbonate enclosures Tapered drill bit 1/4"-1-3/8 holes Resources: Delay timer installation Contactors Select breaker and wire size
Digital controller... activated by temperature probe Proportional Integral Derivative/ PID control PID controller is activated by temperature-sensitive thermocouple or RTD. Use the PID to control any other circuit. Best to use PID to control a contactor or relay instead of directly connecting load to PID Use contactor or relay as shown in illustrations below ''Output actuator has a resolution of about 3%''. So if temp setting on PID is 140° then actual temperature is 140° ±3% or 4.2° margin of error. Using a separate contactor or relay that is rated for elements and motors allows millions operations without risk of overload and burnout of PID terminals. Buy: PID temperature sensor PID with relay output and thermocouple/ ITC-100HR/Temperature rang :-50～250ºC PID with SSR solid state relay output ITC-100V PID Temperature controllers Inkbird PID Digital temperature controller 30 amp contactors Omron relay Solid State Relay Board for Arduino Resources: Contactors Select breaker and wire size Inkbird .pdf Inkbird spec sheet

Example PID thermostat wiring To use thermocouple (millivoltage input caused by heating thermocouple probe), connect thermocouple to terminals 4-5. Thermocouple is 2 different metals joined together that create small electric current when heated. PID interprets changing flow of electricity as change in temperature. Thermocouple can take time to cool down after circuit turns off. Water likewise takes time to cool down. Ordinary water heater thermostat is mechanical. Two different metals are joined. The metals expand at different rates and bend when heated, creating a switch that toggles one direction when heated, and bends back after cooling. To use RTD (resistance caused by heating RTD sensor): When connecting three line RTD sensor, #3 terminal is for red wire, #4 and #5 are for other two blue lines. For some sensors, #4 and #5 terminals should be connected together. RTD best for -100 to +500°F RTD is a variable resistor that limits milliamp (current) flow through the RTD. PID interprets change in resistance as change in temperature. RTDs are superior to thermocouples in that their readings are more accurate and more repeatable. Repeatable means that users reading the same temperatures produce the same results over multiple trials. Check input and output voltage before buying PID Max water heater temperature for residential heater 210° before TP releases water. Maximum temperature setting for residential water heater thermostat 150°, ideal tank thermostat setting 120° for residential heater, typical bath shower 104°, danger from scald begins at 140°, temperature for killing bacteria 140°, Thermocouples can be used to measure up to 2700 degrees Fahrenheit. Check control and output voltage before buying PID Buy: PID with relay output and thermocouple/ ITC-100HR
General information on PID Wiring on this page requires PID with relay output, and voltage rating 120-240 volt. The relay output includes terminals 8-7-6, with terminal 7 the COM, and 6 and 8 the switching terminals NO and NC.... (normally open, normally closed) Output relay max 3 amps ... sufficient to energize contactor. Add 3 amp line fuse to protect PID from 30 amps that ave available on the water heater circuit. Thermocouple is accurate for water heater. For more precise control of temperature, an RTD can be used. Buy: PID with relay output and thermocouple/ ITC-100HR Panel mount fuse holders at Amazon ANL fuseholder Fuse blocks at Amazon Din rail fuseholder 10 x 38 mm fuse Ceramic fuses at Amazon Fast acting ceramic fuses Electrical terminals
Other models of PID have 12-24Volt AC-DC input voltage, and some specify SSR solid state relay output (12-24 volts DC), instead of relay output.. Solid state output terminal are 8 + and 6 - .... these terminals are connected to solid state relay that can activate a circuit. Solid state relays are generally not robust enough for 30 amp water heater circuit, and if they fail, they fail in ON position. Manual
This wiring design, both hot wires to element are cut off by contactor. Do NOT connect 240 volt 30 amp water heater circuit to PID... must use contactor Buy: PID Temperature controllers Digital temperature controller 30 amp contactors Solid State Relay Board for Arduino Resources: Contactors Select breaker and wire size PID manual Re-wire water heater for PID Insert probe near lower thermostat. Position against tank wall and cover w insulation Wire thermostat and element as shown 240 volt line for water heater MUST be routed through ECO located on upper thermostat. Why? Because ECO is safety device that will cut power to element in event of overheating. PID is powered by 120 volt for example. Hot and neutral are needed for PID. Set temperature controller program. When temperature probe senses cold water, then PID activates contactor Contactor switches 30 amp water heater circuit, and lower element tuns on. Lower element keeps tank hot. Buy: PID with relay output and thermocouple/ ITC-100HR
Add PID to water heater to turn off solar pump before it overheats tank and trips ECO-reset on upper thermostat This is for a dual-purpose tank, where you connect your own solar collector, but keep the electric connection. Typical home water heater is NOT rated for solar applications, and ECO-reset button will not turn off solar pump unless rewired for that purpose. Solar temperatures can reach 180°F ... this is a fatal temperature if tank ruptures when you are resetting the ECO. Insert probe near upper thermostat. Position against tank wall and cover w insulation Saves having to reset on very sunny days, prevents tank from overheating, keeps you away from very hot water. Shortcoming of this design is that it not fail-safe if the PID or the contactor fails. And the ECO trip only tells you that the tank overheated. The tank is rated 300°F, but older tank is probably weakened by rust. A critical water heater safety device is the TP valve that releases water at 150°, but doesn't protect rusted tank or your property. Always stand clear of the TP valve release. Buy: PID with relay output and thermocouple/ ITC-100HR PID Temperature controllers Digital temperature controller 30 amp contactors Solid State Relay Board for Arduino
Buy: Fish bit
Control temperature using oven thermostat 16 amp @ 240 volt. Use contactor to control 30 amp 240V element Buy: Oven thermostat Magnetic thermostat kit at Amazon Thermostat switches at Amazon Adjustable thermostat 130-90

Clip-on thermostat control

Control 120 volt circuit with clip-on-pipe thermostat

Clip on thermostat control
120 volt thermostat-switch clips onto water line
Intended for use with UP series pump and timer
Lets you control pump or any 120 volt circuit based on temperature of water pipe
Read manual and make sure it fits intended application
Local hot tub at YMCA/ temperature set at 105/ Typical shower-bath 110 degrees F

Buy:
Taco aquastat 95-115 degree
Thermostat/ ON at 85 degrees/ OFF at 105 degrees
Aquastat (thermostat)/ ON at 105 degrees/ OFF at 115 degrees
24 hour programmable timer for UP series pumps
Grundfos recirculation systems at Amazon
UP series pump at Amazon

Resource:
Clip on thermostat manual
UP series specification sheet
How to install recirculation system

What is 3-phase electric: power plant to end user

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