"Jesse" wrote in message
...
We find that when the hot water has not been used for several hours
there will be not sufficient hot water for a bath. If we for example,
run the dishwaher before the bath, there will be enough hot water.
Does this sound like the tank needs replacing? Tx, your suggestions
please. jesse

The tank was made in 1999, which I think was right during the time frame for
a lawsuit regarding the plastic used in dip tubes of that era - they crumble
& disappear in the tank because they changed the formula for the plastic.
Check for a missing dip tube on the cold water intake. It's a $10 part.

Also, make a heat trap out of copper pipe on the hot water side. I did that
to mine and the heater doesn't light up as much as it used to - the heat
stays in the tank, it doesn't radiate through the pipes anymore (makes
insulated pipes unnecessary). I don't think the 6" long heat traps you can
buy will do much good nor last very long because they are nothing more than
nipples with rubber flapper valves in them. Making one out of copper pipe
or a long section of copper flex tube will last forever and always work -
laws of physics.

Otherwise it sounds like a normal hot water heater that just doesn't get
used enough. Mine acts this way sometimes, and sometimes I've set my
dishwasher to delay starting for about 4 hours after I go to bed so that
I'll have HOT water in the morning.