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Things you can do to increase amount of hot water |
 Electric water heater thermostats Thermostats stick melt and come out of calibration... replace thermostat Symptoms: Cold water, uneven temperatures, reset tripping, TP releasing water Buy: Water heater thermostats at Amazon Resources: How to replace electric water heater thermostat Add another thermostat to water heater How to wire thermostats Marathon water heater thermostats Two water heaters Troubleshoot electric water heater |
  Gas water heater thermostats If tank is overheating or not heating correctly, replace thermostat Symptoms: Cold water, uneven temperatures, TP releasing water Buy: Gas water heater thermostats at Amazon Resources: How to replace gas water heater thermostat Add another thermostat to water heater Troubleshoot gas water heater |
Things
to do:  #1 Adjust
water heater thermostat to higher temperature.Resource How to adjust thermostat Higher thermostat setting such as 130-140°F means the tank is full of hotter water ... which means more cold is mixed at shower valve to temper bath-shower down to typical 104-110°F°. Once heated, the 130-140° tank holds more hot water energy that should yield more usable hot because less hot is drawn out of tank for each gallon of 104° hot used at shower ... which also means less cold water enters tank, and tank cools slower ... so a tank full of 130-140° water lasts longer than tank heated to 120°, and the result is higher first hour delivery (amount of usable hot water from a single continuous draw). Adjust water heater temperature higher in winter when incoming water is colder. 120° F is temperature for optimal savings, 140°F is for killing bacteria Temperatures above 135° are increasingly dangerous and will scald (burn) the skin in seconds, and can lead to permanent injury or death.  Older
people and children have less sensitivity in feet and
extremities, cannot react quickly, and are more easily injured by hot
water.To protect against scalding, install mixing valve at water heater. Mixing valve can be adjusted to different temperatures. The valve automatically adds cold water to prevent high temperature water from entering household plumbing. Buy from my affiliate links: Mixing valve kit Water heater mixing valves |
 #2 Mixing
valve
can increase amount of hot water when waater heater thermostat is set
higher than 120°F.The valve automatically adds cold water to prevent high temperature water from entering household plumbing. This also reduces the amount of cold water that enters tank each time there is a draw. Every 10 feet of 1/2 pipe holds .12 gallons of water. If bathroom is 20 feet away ... 3 showers per day = .72 gallons per day x 365 days = 262 gallons of cold water that does not enter tank. That means 262 gallons of cold water is not heated to thermostat set point. Buy from my affiliate links: Mixing valve kit Water heater mixing valves Resource How to save hot water using mixing valve |
 #3 Add a second heater or use old
heater as passive tempering tankYou can preheat cold water with a passive tempering tank that uses ambient room temperature to heat incoming cold water before it enters main tank. Or turn on power to tempering tank when guests arrive or demand is higher. Resources: Two water heaters Tempering tank |
 #4
Hand washing adds cold water to tankWhen hot is turned on, even a moment, cold water immediately enters water heater. This cools the tank and reduces amount of hot water inside tank. Install small under counter water heater and connect to cold water so it draws no hot from tank. Connecting small heater to cold means you can wash hands, clean up etc without removing hot from main water heater. This means the main heater will supply more hot water. This is also a good strategy for conserving water without waiting for hot to arrive from main tank. Buy: Point of use water heaters |
 #5 Use dual
handle faucet:
When hot is turned on, even a moment, cold water immediately enters water heater. A single handled faucet lifted in center will draw hot water from tank, and add cold water into tank. Applies to gas and electric heaters. Buy Dual handle faucets at Amazon Adding cold water to tank reduces the amount of hot water inside tank resulting in lower first hour delivery (usable hot water from 1 draw). Installing dual handled faucets makes it easier to isolate hot-cold usage and avoid adding cold water to heater. You can also turn off hot water going to each sink, and install small under counter heater at 1 sink and use that faucet for hand washing. |
 Tea KettleUse a tea kettle, pot heater at sink. For some folks, this saves drawing hot water from heater. A small tea kettle keeps water warm or hot to make tea or wash a glass etc. Buy: 750 watt pot heater 1500 watt Tea kettle |
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#6 General
things
to do to increase amount of hot water: How to increase
amount of water: -Buy new heater with higher efficiency if old heater is on last days. Don't oversize, don't undersize, buy right size What size water heater -Maintain water heater to keep efficiency high How to maintain water heater -Clean sediment out of tank Clean sediment out of tank -Fix faucet cartridges. Bad single-handle cartridge can add cold water to hot. Check for crossover -Fix drips and leaks
that run hot water out of tank.
-Insulate water pipes throughout house. Insulate water heater Read 9-ways to save with water heater -Install two water heater tanks. Two water heaters -Install under-counter water heater at sinks. How to install under-counter water heater -Install insta-hot
faucet in kitchen. Use pot boiler at kitchen sink. See examples
-Install larger water heater with more gallons. How to install gas water heater -Gas water heaters heat more quickly than electric. Buy 50,000 BTU heater instead of 40,000 See chart -Install water heater with higher recovery rating, and higher first-hour delivery. Calculate first hour -Electric water heater can be rewired to increase recovery time so tank heats faster and delivers more hot before running out. Rewire electric water heater for simultaneous -Install larger wattage element in electric heater water if wiring supports conversion See chart Should I replace 4500 watt elements with 5000 watt elements? Change water use -Install low flow shower heads and aerators so hot lasts longer. -Don't use the oversized bathtub -Take showers instead of bath. Shower uses 5-9 gallons hot water, bath uses 12-15 gallons See details -Take showers in quick succession so hot water located at top of tank does not cool when incoming cold water arrives. -Do not turn on hot water when using cold water so more hot is available. Single handled faucet lifted straight up will cause cold water to immediately enter tank Read about:. Dip tube & Crossover Other options: -Electric: convert elements from non-simultaneous to simultaneous operation. requires additional circuit breaker and wire to heater, and rewire of heater. Simultaneous wiring -Gas water heater: install external air intake so ambient room temperature is not lowered in winter when combustion draws cold air through cracks and doors. -Reduce water pressure in house using pressure reducing valve. Turn down water well pressure. Hot water lasts longer. Plumbing pipes and fixtures last longer. -Clean restrictions in pipes. Low hot water pressure -Shorten distance from hot water tank to usage point. Distance hot water travels in 30 seconds -Install recirculation system Recirculation system puts hot water at faucet so there is less waiting. -Turn off hot water to washing machine. -Install dishwasher on cold water line instead of hot. Wash dishes by hand. -Leave gallon jugs of water in sun during day for hot water needed at lunch or dinner. -Install solar water heater in addition to other sources. Solar water heater |
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Hot
water slow to arrive at faucet? 1) Use timer and 1 gallon container to see how many gallons of water come out of faucet in 30 seconds. 2) Measure distance from water heater to faucet. 3) Open hot water faucet. Use timer and see how long it takes hot water to arrive at faucet 4) Measure water pipe diameter. Most pipes from water heater are mixed 3/4" & 1/2" 5) Use chart above to see if hot water is slow to arrive at faucet. Resources: Low hot water pressure Crossover Broken dip tube |
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#7 Low
/ High water pressure Low pressure can cause shower to run short of hot water High water pressure can push the water too hard and can run tank out of hot water The source of problem can be tracked down Resource Low hot water pressure Max household pressure should be 80 psi Check for low and high pressure at outdoor spigot Buy: Water pressure gauge Temperature-pressure gauge |
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Regular
bath uses 13- 15
gallons of hot water (20 gal water total) Set water heater timer for 45-60 minutes for hot bath Resources:  DIY
box timerDIY wall timer DIY wall timer, home automation module Control water heater with switch Control water heater with switch2 DIY Wi-Fi control Wemo wifi DIY Zwave DIY zwave 2 Z wave switch controls heater Off-peak Change temperature using timer Add meter to water heater |
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Shower
uses 6 - 8
gallons of hot water (10 gal water total) Set water heater timer for 20-30 minutes for hot shower  Family chart for setting water heater timer, based on incoming water temperature |
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#8 Storage tank Storage tanks are used alongside ordinary water heater. Hot water from ordinary heater is circulated into storage tank when temperature inside storage tank drops below set point. The objective is keeping the storage tank fully heated. Storage tanks can supply more hot water for high usage conditions, but water heater must have enough heating capacity to keep up ... you cannot expect a 20-30 gallon heater to supply enough BTUs of hot water for a storage tank, depending on size of tank and usage ... single batch once per day vs continual draws throughout day. Resource: Storage tank and booster-heater.pdf Tank plus booster heater AO-Smith-storage-tank.pdf Commercial-storage-tank-specs.pdf Two-water-heaters-and-storage-tank.pdf |
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#9
Booster heater A booster heater is for supplying 180°F hot water Typically used for commercial applications such as washing dishes. Use for sanitizing or commercial process Gas and electric models Single-phase and 3-phase models Can be used to increase supply of hot water Buy: Hatco booster heaters Resources: Hatco booster heater sell sheet Storage tank and booster-heater.pdf Tank plus booster heater |
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Water heater holds 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 / 80 gallons of hot water depending on size of tank. A fully heated 40 gallon tank gives you 2 baths and a shower at one time. | ||
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Resources: Troubleshoot electric water heater Troubleshoot gas water heater |
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Buy Industrial electric Industrial supplies Tools and home improvement Home and garden Hayward pool Pentair pool Southwire electric |
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Buy
Tools DEWALT Black and Decker Stanley SKIL Makita Porter-Cable Bosch Irwin Hand tools Klein hand tools Fluke electrical testing Dremel hobby tools Campbell Hausfeld air powered Tekton automotive Powerbuilt automotive Saws and saw blades |
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Resource: Compare box timers DPDT timers Intermatic Control water heater w/ Z-wave |
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Resource: Intermatic control centers: and parts Digital control centers and parts Tork control centers and parts Subpanels All control centers and parts Enclosures |
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Resource: Programmable timers Countdown timers Off delay timers On delay timers Timer modules Din rail Twin & one-shot Woods Intermatic Tork |
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Recirculation systems |
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