Is it possible that a tall profile hot water heater does not keep water as hot as a low profile hot water heater?

We recently put in a new hot water heater and for the first time, we put in a tall profile model that was a few gallons bigger than all the others we have ever had which have been low profile and a little smaller. Now there does not seem to be enough hot water to take a decent shower or bath like I used to take.My plumber said that a taller model did not keep the water as hot as a lower model because the top water was farther from the elements at the bottom. Asked by ohio223 44 months ago Similar questions: tall profile hot water heater low Home > Home Improvement.

Similar questions: tall profile hot water heater low.

Try turning up the temperature Virtually all new hot water heaters have a temperature setting that is adjustable by the homeowner. Check the owners manual and labels to find out exactly how to adjust this and turn it up. Make sure you do this gradually and give it a test at a slightly higher setting.

Turning it way up may get you burned when you test it. Another solution, although it will cost a bit more money is to install a low capacity on demand water heater near your primary shower. It will increase the temperature of the water somewhat when asked, but won't waste energy keeping the water hot all the time.

The technology is still not there, so it is recommended for situations like yours to supplement an existing water heater that isn't quite getting the job done. Home Depot sells these on demand water heaters if you wanted to have a look at them. Sources: my opinion .

Your plumber does not understand water heaters very well. An electric water heater has two heating elements: one a quarter of the way from the top, and the other a quarter of the way from the bottom. The principle the design uses is that hot water rises, like hot air does.

The top element runs first, to heat the top half of the tank, getting a small amount of hot water available as quickly as possible. Once the top half is up to temperature, the top element shuts off, and the bottom element comes on to heat the rest of the water. Once the whole tank reaches the preset temperature, the whole heating system turns off until needed again.

When you use hot water, the tank draws hot water from the top of the tank, and adds cold water to the bottom of the tank. It is designed this way to have a minimum of mixing, to keep the temperature of the water you are using as steady as possible. What REALLY determines how hot your water is, is the water heater thermostat.It is likely that the thermostat on your new water heater is not set as hot as the thermostat on your old ones.

Some water heaters do not have an adjustable thermostat, but most do. One of the water heaters I am responsible for has a control panel on top, including the thermostat, and others have the thermostat behind the access panel on the side of the water heater. If you turn it up a little bit at a time, you should be able to reach a point where you once again have sufficient hot water.

(the closer it is set to JUST meet your needs, the more efficiently you are using it. ) .

Turn up the thermostat on the heater. Assuming the new heater is fully functional: Plumbing companies won't set the temperature on a water heater up above a rather low setting (usually marked as "safe" by the manufacturer). They don't want to get named in a lawsuit after some child (or adult) gets scalded.

I don't blame them. However, the safe temperature in the heater may result in pretty cold water at the tap after it winds its way through your pipes, particularly if they are copper, buried in the slab, or open in the attic. Turn the thermostat up a little at a time, and try each temperature for a day until it is warm enough.

You want the temperature to be as low as possible to save money on heating water. On the other hand if you have a house full of adults that all take morning showers, you may need to have the water hotter (to mix with cold) and be careful to not get scalded. Also, be careful to warn your guests, as you don't want them injured.

If something on the heater isn't working: Gas-fired water heaters get their heat from a fire, which you can look in and see. Electric water heaters often have two heater elements, one near the bottom and one further up. One of these can be non-functional, even on a brand-new water heater.

Make sure the elements are checked to be sure they aren't "open" and are properly wired. You would not be the first to have this or similar problems with a brand-new electric water heater. And having an electrician check the heater often finds problems the plumber just assumed were working.

A word about tank-type water heaters: Water, as does most any fluid, including air, rises as it is heated. This causes the water in the tank to circulate in the tank (rise and fall) until it is relatively even in temperature, top-to-bottom. After the heat stops being added, the water starts to stratify, colder on the bottom, warmer at the top of the tank.

A properly plumbed tank releases hot water from the top of the tank, and injects water down at the bottom of the tank, through a "dip tube". The cold water slowly pushes up in the tank, pushing the hot water out the pipes to the open tap. When the cold water reaches the thermostat sensor, near the bottom of the tank, it causes the heat to come on and the warmed water will start rising.

This often makes the water hotter a minute or so after a shower starts. With older piping systems this isn't as noticeable, as the first water out of the tank is used to heat the pipes. What else could be a problem?

Well, the dip-tube could be broken or not installed, causing the cold water to mix directly with the hot, and making it much cooler. A bright helper could have installed the water heater backwards. No self-respecting plumber would ever do this, but a helper--they can do anything.

I think the tall vs. low-profile configuration is really saying, "Please don't bug me, I only work here. " It makes no logical sense I know of, although somebody could have a bizarre installation that would make a small difference, I suppose. However, the water should get just as hot in either configuration, only cooling could be involved.As far as tank height and temperature are concerned, water heater tanks aren't very tall, regardless of the configuration.

Most cooling is often radiant in a modern water heater (that is, mass transferring heat to mass) rather than convective or conductive so a small difference in surface area is insignificant, especially since heaters are now pretty well insulated. Radiant cooling is another subject, as water heaters are often placed in areas where the surrounding mass is considerably cooler than the water."Heat flows as the square of the difference in temperature", so placing a heater in a 56 degree basement or a 35 degree attic can cause significant more power usage than one surrounded by room-temperature walls, when the water is not being used. In an actively used water heater, the vast amount of the energy is used just to raise the temperature of the water from say 60 degrees to 120 degrees.

I would have to agree that your first step is to adjust the thermostat on the heater. If this makes no difference, you may want to have a qualified plumber that specializing in water heaters come out and take a look at it. Water Heater Las Vegas .

1 agedwirehead, regarding your answer "Turn up the thermostat on the heater. ": since you mentioned the possibility of defective-on-installation, if the top element is defective, there won't be hot water at all; and if the lower element is defective, the hot water will run out QUICK. Hopefully it will just be a lower thermostat setting, though.

There is a trick I have been taught to replace elements without draining the water heater though.

Agedwirehead, regarding your answer "Turn up the thermostat on the heater. ": since you mentioned the possibility of defective-on-installation, if the top element is defective, there won't be hot water at all; and if the lower element is defective, the hot water will run out QUICK. Hopefully it will just be a lower thermostat setting, though.

There is a trick I have been taught to replace elements without draining the water heater though.

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If you have a tankless hot water heater, what has been your experience --positive and negative. Thanks.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.