Hot water

[porsche tech]

All of a sudden, our hot water is much hotter than normal. A quick search says maybe a bad thermostat on the water heater. This morning I turned it down a bit but probably have to wait a while to see if there’s any change. The heater is probably about 7 or 8 years old. Anyone experience this or have an idea what is causing that? Thanks.—Dave

[biosurfer1]

I had something somewhat similar and it ended up being a thermocouple that was going bad. It's a temperature sensor that is supposed to control the water heater operation. If they start to go bad, things can get wonky. When they actually fail, the water heater won't ignite. Pretty cheap part too

[stevej37]

I was thinking electric...never dawned on me that it might be gas?

Which is it?

[john70t]

They do need to be flushed once in a while. Scale and rust builds up inside.
Better for laundry as well.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by john70t

They do need to be flushed once in a while. Scale and rust builds up inside.
Better for laundry as well.

I've never done it, but I understand once per year is the recommendation for flushing.

[Rusty Heap]

an element could of developed a hot spot in the coil?

[stomachmonkey]

No advice.

Just stopping by to say I'm proud of you guys.

Not one of you has called it a hot water heater yet.

Well done, carry on.

[gregpark]

Actually, in this case one might legitimately call it a hot water heater as his water heater is needlessly heating already hot water.
But ONLY in this case :^)

[stevej37]

I have well water and a water softener before the water heater...never flush it.
20 years on the current one now...and still works fine.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by gregpark

Actually, in this case one might legitimately call it a hot water heater as his water heater is needlessly heating already hot water.
But ONLY in this case :^)

LOL, valid point.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

No advice.

Just stopping by to say I'm proud of you guys.

Not one of you has called it a hot water heater yet.

Well done, carry on.

We used to have three water heaters in a series. So the first one just took the cold outside water and warmed it up before getting to the second one and that heated it more for the final water heater. Then it could flow out to the film and paper processors and supply a continuous supply of warm water. The film processors needed 100 degree water for hours on end.

In the summer if the water temps from the city were warm enough we could turn off the gas to the first water heater.

It was a LOT cheaper than buying some monster commercial water heater. So we indeed had a hot water heater. That last water heater was heating the water even more to mix with the incoming cold water to mix at the processor's mix valve.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by masraum

I've never done it, but I understand once per year is the recommendation for flushing.

Mine is probably due as well

There might be iodized/zinc rods which should be changed every 3-5 years.
(helps keep the internal rust down)

[oldE]

IF it is electric, it is possible the lower element has failed. This seems to place the load on the upper element. Since heat rises, the thermostat does not feel the temp in the top of the tank and so the water in the top of the tank gets hotter than usual. Check that out.

Best
Les

[porsche tech]

It is electric. This AM I adjusted the thermostat down a little lower and this afternoon full hot seems to be just a little cooler than it should be. I just turned the thermostat back to where it was and will monitor it. oldE has a good explanation. Thanks, guys.

[Por_sha911]

Keep a close eye on things. If the water gets too hot it can cause serious burns to the skin. This can happen if you have young children or a spouse that doesn't know what is going on.
If you hear any strange noises coming from the WH shut it down. A hissing sound means that it is over pressure. It is a rare occurrence but water heaters can explode.

[A930Rocket]

^^^^ The water heater should have an expansion valve, where if the pressure builds up too high, it will flow out. That said, I suppose the valve could go bad. You can test it by lifting up the lever and hearing the water run out.

[mattdavis11]

Water leak. We don't flush, rinse, wash or clean when it's shower time. You can either freeze, or get scalded, just depends. Choice words follow.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

Keep a close eye on things. If the water gets too hot it can cause serious burns to the skin. This can happen if you have young children or a spouse that doesn't know what is going on.
If you hear any strange noises coming from the WH shut it down. A hissing sound means that it is over pressure. It is a rare occurrence but water heaters can explode.

I miss MythBusters.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

^^^^ The water heater should have an expansion valve, where if the pressure builds up too high, it will flow out. That said, I suppose the valve could go bad. You can test it by lifting up the lever and hearing the water run out.

Valves have gone bad but, the hissing means the valve is working. The problem there is eventually the value has to open wide if the pressure keeps building. You want to avoid a flood and/or a massive electric bill.