My electric water heater (2 months old) has a problem:

When taking a shower, I set the proper water tmep at the faucets. About
5-10 mins into the shower, the water temp drops noticeably. I can
readjust the faucets and all is well for the remainder of the shower.

Testing water temps, this problem is consistent. There is a 10 degree
difference in water temps.

This heater has both an adjustable upper and lower thermostat. This
problem seems to happen at ANY thermostat setting. I can keep the top at
the "hot water" setting, and the bottom at the "A" (one level higher
setting), or keep both the exact same.

It always seems the top is hotter, regardless of what the bottom is set
at.

I do know for sure the bottom heating element does work. For a 50 gallon
tank, we don't run out of hot water. It just seems the top one
"overrules" the bottom a bit too hastily.

Life was better with the old heater where you couldn't set the top 'stat.

We do have sufficient hot water. This is more of an irritant to me than
anything.

I did do the "conversion" on the lower element to give it a higher
wattage. I just yanked the bussbar to bring it back to 3800 watts to see
if this will make any difference, and correct trhe problem.

Any advice, or do I just have to live with it?

Thanks!

Electric Water Heaters are slow recovery units. Unlike natural gas water
heaters. It is typical to experience a drop in water temperature when
youre showering after 5-10 minutes. As your electric water heater gets
older and sediment starts to accumulate in the bottom of the tank
(thereby decreasing its water holding capacity...), the problem will
become worse . A 10 minute shower with an average 40/50 gallon electric
water heater is about all you can expect to get . You can make the
situation better if you put two electric water heaters in series with
one another...but expect to pay bigtime in electricity.

"John L. Wilkerson Jr." wrote in message
...
My electric water heater (2 months old) has a problem:

When taking a shower, I set the proper water tmep at the faucets. About
5-10 mins into the shower, the water temp drops noticeably. I can
readjust the faucets and all is well for the remainder of the shower.

Testing water temps, this problem is consistent. There is a 10 degree
difference in water temps.

This heater has both an adjustable upper and lower thermostat. This
problem seems to happen at ANY thermostat setting. I can keep the top at
the "hot water" setting, and the bottom at the "A" (one level higher
setting), or keep both the exact same.

It always seems the top is hotter, regardless of what the bottom is set
at.

I do know for sure the bottom heating element does work. For a 50 gallon
tank, we don't run out of hot water. It just seems the top one
"overrules" the bottom a bit too hastily.

Life was better with the old heater where you couldn't set the top 'stat.

We do have sufficient hot water. This is more of an irritant to me than
anything.

I did do the "conversion" on the lower element to give it a higher
wattage. I just yanked the bussbar to bring it back to 3800 watts to see
if this will make any difference, and correct trhe problem.

Any advice, or do I just have to live with it?

Thanks!

This is Turtle.

I have a cure for it all. Get Natural Gas to you tankless hot water tank system
and get a Rinnal Continuum Model gas tankless hot water system and just set the
exact temperature of the water you want with a digital read out thermostat and
use all hot water. The water will stay the temperature you set it on for days
and weeks or even a shower that takes a year. You will have none stop hot water
and exactly the temperature you want it to be and will supply 8 gallons a
minute. The burners will range between 15,000 btus to 200,000 btus as need be.
Bad part $900.00+ for the equipment.

You know adjusting the temperature could do it. Set the temp. of the bottom 5
degrees hotter than the top.

TURTLE

John L. Wilkerson Jr. wrote:

My electric water heater (2 months old) has a problem:

When taking a shower, I set the proper water tmep at the faucets. About
5-10 mins into the shower, the water temp drops noticeably. I can
readjust the faucets and all is well for the remainder of the shower.

Testing water temps, this problem is consistent. There is a 10 degree
difference in water temps.

This heater has both an adjustable upper and lower thermostat. This
problem seems to happen at ANY thermostat setting. I can keep the top at
the "hot water" setting, and the bottom at the "A" (one level higher
setting), or keep both the exact same.

It always seems the top is hotter, regardless of what the bottom is set
at.

I do know for sure the bottom heating element does work. For a 50 gallon
tank, we don't run out of hot water. It just seems the top one
"overrules" the bottom a bit too hastily.

Life was better with the old heater where you couldn't set the top 'stat.

We do have sufficient hot water. This is more of an irritant to me than
anything.

I did do the "conversion" on the lower element to give it a higher
wattage. I just yanked the bussbar to bring it back to 3800 watts to see
if this will make any difference, and correct trhe problem.

Any advice, or do I just have to live with it?

Thanks!

Are you handy with a soldering torch? or if not do you have a buddy who
is? And if not again, are you willing to pay a plumber to solve your
problem?

Your problem can be easily solved and you'll have "more" hot water if
you just install a "thermostatic tempering valve" at the water heater's
location.(Watts makes good ones.) and then set the thermostats on your
water heater to keep the water at about 155 F. Adjust the tempering
valve to deliver 120 F water and that's what you'll have flowing in your
hot water pipes until you run the heater tank down below that
temperature. See:

http://wattsreg.com/scripts/baserun2/baserun.exe?_cfg=./db/wattsreg-products.cfg&_sn=wattsreg-products&_fil=alltrim(cat)%3d'Tempering_Valves'.an d.alltrim(family)%3d'Tempering_Valves'&_tar=_view3

Happy Holidays,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

"JustCallMe Norman" wrote in message
...
Electric Water Heaters are slow recovery units.
I agree.
Unlike natural gas water
heaters. It is typical to experience a drop in water temperature when
youre showering after 5-10 minutes.
That's a long shower!
As your electric water heater gets
older and sediment starts to accumulate in the bottom of the tank
(thereby decreasing its water holding capacity...), the problem will
become worse . A 10 minute shower with an average 40/50 gallon electric
water heater is about all you can expect to get .
Then wrote;
You can make the
situation better if you put two electric water heaters in series with
one another...but expect to pay bigtime in electricity.

Don't understand this 'series' comment! Do you mean parallel?

If you put the two heater elements 'in-series', even if they are now both on
at once you will get only half the wattage! So that will just take longer?

You may perhaps be referring to the fact that many electric water heaters
have an upper thermostat that, after the upper element has heated the top
section of the tank it 'flips over' and then allows the lower thermostat and
heater to heat the bottom of the tank. It is often possible, by moving one
wire, to bypass the 'flip flop' and allow both the upper heater under
control of its thermostat and the lower heater under control of the lower
thermostat to work independently. In other words both upper and lower can be
on at once/same time thus speeding heat recovery if/when the whole tank is
cool/cold.
Naturally this means that at certain times this method will increase the
amount of current required; if the upper and lower heaters are the same
wattage the amount of current will double.

One 3000 watt heater at a time requires 13 amps; double that if both upper
and lower can come on at same time.
So it becomes a matter of whether the wiring and the circuit breaker are the
correct size to supply 26 amps.
But overall can't see why it would increase the amount of electricity
required! The amount used is a function of how much water has to be heated
to the required temperature! Not how quickly it is done!

Final comment; it would not normally be desirable to have both heaters
switched on/off by the one thermostat at double the normal current!

John L. Wilkerson Jr. wrote:
My electric water heater (2 months old) has a problem:

When taking a shower, I set the proper water tmep at the faucets. About
5-10 mins into the shower, the water temp drops noticeably. I can
readjust the faucets and all is well for the remainder of the shower.

Testing water temps, this problem is consistent. There is a 10 degree
difference in water temps.

This heater has both an adjustable upper and lower thermostat. This
problem seems to happen at ANY thermostat setting. I can keep the top at
the "hot water" setting, and the bottom at the "A" (one level higher
setting), or keep both the exact same.

It always seems the top is hotter, regardless of what the bottom is set
at.

I do know for sure the bottom heating element does work. For a 50 gallon
tank, we don't run out of hot water. It just seems the top one
"overrules" the bottom a bit too hastily.

Life was better with the old heater where you couldn't set the top 'stat.

We do have sufficient hot water. This is more of an irritant to me than
anything.

I did do the "conversion" on the lower element to give it a higher
wattage. I just yanked the bussbar to bring it back to 3800 watts to see
if this will make any difference, and correct trhe problem.

Any advice, or do I just have to live with it?

Thanks!

Huh? you have two thermostats, set the upper one to a few
degrees lower than the bottom thermostat. "Hot water" and
"A" setting. My electric thermostat was set in degrees. In
any case set the bottom higher than the top. 50 gallon
tank shouldn't change much for a 20 or 30 minute shower, my
old electric sure didn't. The new Gas is a PITA, way too
much difference in temp between thermostat on and off.
Electric was less than 5 degrees.

You can make the
situation better if you put two electric water heaters in series with
one another...but expect to pay bigtime in electricity.

Don't understand this 'series' comment! Do you mean parallel?

If you put the two heater elements 'in-series', even if they are now both on
at once you will get only half the wattage! So that will just take longer?

No, he means in series, but he's talking about the water lines, not the
electrical ones. If you pipe the output from one water-heater into
a second one, and thence to the shower, you get two advantages,
first, your starting supply of water is twice as big, and second, whatever
water you draw through the system passes over twice as many heating
elements, which almost doubles the heat-rise.

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in
:

Huh? you have two thermostats, set the upper one to a few
degrees lower than the bottom thermostat. "Hot water" and
"A" setting. My electric thermostat was set in degrees. In
any case set the bottom higher than the top. 50 gallon
tank shouldn't change much for a 20 or 30 minute shower, my
old electric sure didn't. The new Gas is a PITA, way too
much difference in temp between thermostat on and off.
Electric was less than 5 degrees.


Have'em se that way now. Top on "hot" and bottom on "a" After 5 or so
mins the temp drop is still there.

It also seems the upper element is operating. As a matter of fact I hear
a sound coming from the area of BOTH heating elements at times.

I wonder now if I wired that sucker wrong. I have a 2 wire supply, but 3
wires on the heater. I did hook the 2 wires together as indicated in the
diagram. The only thing that confuses me is that they have an "L1" and
"L2" listed... not a black or white wire.... I have no clue what either
is so I simply hooked up the black wire on the supply to the black wire
on the heater, plus whatever extra wire color was called for.

at any rate
I am still stumped.