[JerryM]

What is the temperature of your home's hot water?

Static temperature, (more than two hours after the heat-source has shut off, more than two hours before it typically ignites) at the interior faucet closest to the water heater.

At that temperature, what is your water heater setting? Midway on the dial? Above or below midway?

Recent happenings with my water heater have made me curious. I used my electric barbecue probe, held downward into the water stream, and got 127.1° F. The arrow on the gas valve is centered on the "W" of the word "Warm".

Thanks, & have fun,

Jerry

[GT Audio Works]

A good temp at the faucet is 130F...hot enough for you dish washer to work properly and not to hot to scald or use too much energy..BTW..run the water till hot at the kitchen tap before starting dishwasher, otherwise the tub will fill with cold water that is in the water pipe  and not do as good a job.
The problem with energy efficient water heaters is slow recovery,,Like a car with a small engine it takes longer to get up the hill but saves gas. Water heaters can be slow to regain the preset temp after a shower or a load of laundry. This is where a higher capacity helps..more gallons of hot water at the ready..but this costs more money.
Tankless on demand heaters are best...all the hot water you want and no wasted money keeping 50 gallons hot when you don't need it.
Greg

[Bob in St. Louis]

I just installed a nine year, self cleaning, 50 gallon, electric unit within the past year. Last I checked, the hottest the kitchen gets is 118.
It's a bit colder than you typically hear about, but hot enough to "get the job done" when you're taking a shower, and hotter than I can stand when I do dishes*.
I'm simply too lazy to take the covers off to turn it up. 118 seems fine to me, plus, it makes me feel better knowing I'm probably saving some money too.

Bob

* Yes, believe or or not, regardless how much of a studly mans man you think I am, I do perform the task of dishwashing by hand.

[borism]

We have had a tankless water heater for about 10 years. It is set to 140F. Overall, it was a great decision for us. We frequently have guests and now we never run out of hot water. Finally, since our water heater has no pilot light but turns on when there is demand, I believe there are substantial savings (though never bothered to calculate).

[FullRangeMan]

Heat/store water hours before use is expensive and demand time.
Two weeks ago I replace my +10 years old eletric shower to a new one:
http://www.lorenzetti.com.br/site_in/portal_duchas.asp
Cost me only $15 and 30mins to install.
There is some more fashion models:

[Bob in St. Louis]

It is set to 140F

 

[thunderbrick]

I just installed a nine year, self cleaning, 50 gallon, electric unit within the past year. Last I checked, the hottest the kitchen gets is 118.
It's a bit colder than you typically hear about, but hot enough to "get the job done" when you're taking a shower,........ \

I keep mine about 120.  I figure if I have to mix in a little hot water when I'm taking a shower then the heater is set too high.

OTOH, when the warden comes home on weekends from her job I boost it to thermonuclear levels.  She just doesn't understand that the dishwasher has a built-in heater.     

[JohnR]

I keep mine about 120.

I nearly freaked out when I saw that.

Then I remembered you guys use an archaic system... Uh... google help me..

[JohnR]

Oh. 50 degrees. That seems on the low side. Ours is supposedly set to 60 at the heater. I think that's a regulation here.

[Elizabeth]

Apartment here. The hot water is pretty good. Never have 'run out'. It is a little hotter than a hand can stand keeping it in the stream with only hot on.

When i was a child even through teen years.... I liked taking long hot baths.. I would sit for two hours running the hot water a bit on and off to keep the tub hot... I would use up the whole apt building's hot water and only reluctantly quit when I had done so.
My parents managed the building.. LOL
I hope I have grown up a bit since then.

[JohnR]

* Yes, believe or or not, regardless how much of a studly mans man you think I am, I do perform the task of dishwashing by hand.

 

Why do you wash by hand? Our dishwasher does better than I ever could. Unless you really need to scrub it with force. It doesn't break glasses either

[mark funk]

140



                                                                                                                       

[Guy 13]

Apartment here. The hot water is pretty good. Never have 'run out'. It is a little hotter than a hand can stand keeping it in the stream with only hot on.

When i was a child even through teen years.... I liked taking long hot baths.. I would sit for two hours running the hot water a bit on and off to keep the tub hot... I would use up the whole apt building's hot water and only reluctantly quit when I had done so.
My parents managed the building.. LOL
I hope I have grown up a bit since then.

Hi Elizabeth and all Audio Circle members.
I am going on 66 years old and I still take one hour long super hot  bath
a few times a week, even if here in Vietnam outside temperature is 31C.
We have now a solar water heater, therefore hot water is free.
The solar heater including installation cost us less than 500 USD.
Of course if it's cloudy for a day or two, we don't have burning hot water,
but warm water which is good enough for taking showers.
By the way, the city water pipes are only buried 1 foot below ground,
therefore the cold water is never really cold.

Guy 13

Hi Bob in St.Louis.
I don't wash the dishes,
but I do wash the clothing and hang it on a cloth line.
No need drying machine with 30C+ outside.

[JLM]

Heat/store water hours before use is expensive and demand time.
Two weeks ago I replace my +10 years old eletric shower to a new one:
http://www.lorenzetti.com.br/site_in/portal_duchas.asp
Cost me only $15 and 30mins to install.
There is some more fashion models:

I looked at those point of use electric water heaters (after we built  ) but understand that many 'provide' a small electric shock to the user and I'm not sure how to easily wire them up in an existing house.

[macrojack]

We use a Rinnai natural gas fired on demand water heater set at 115 degrees. That's hot enough for showers and hand dish washing, etc. Our laundry machine and dishwasher are made by Asko of Sweden. Both machines heat their own water making it unnecessary for the Rinnai to be set any higher than 115.

There is a caution about maintaining low temperatures in a hot water tank as it has been determined to pose a risk of Legionnaire's Disease.

[Ericus Rex]

Up here in New England, we often use our oil-based/radiator furnaces as our hot water heaters.  And so we have to have the water hot enough to heat the house and then mixed down to a more user friendly temp via a mixing valve.  So the furnace water temp is set to 145 (125 min) and our tap reads about 130.

[audiogoober]

Up here in New England, we often use our oil-based/radiator furnaces as our hot water heaters.  And so we have to have the water hot enough to heat the house and then mixed down to a more user friendly temp via a mixing valve.  So the furnace water temp is set to 145 (125 min) and our tap reads about 130.

+1

[FullRangeMan]

I looked at those point of use electric water heaters (after we built  ) but understand that many 'provide' a small electric shock to the user and I'm not sure how to easily wire them up in an existing house.

From what you said your electrical grounding is not working.
On my building the grounding is not in operational conditions too or nor was done, so I consulted a profissional electrician and he unknow the solution without do a new grounding installation on the building.

Next day I talked with the maintenance services elderly of my condo and he gave me the solution for free, and it was very simple:
Remove the wall extension metal water pipe and put a plastic(PVC) pipe, the grouding green wire of the electric shower must not be used is this case, as it will conduct tension again.

These modern eletric showers require 4mm copper wiring run from a 40A circuit breaker(minimum is 30A).
If you have these conditons it is very safe, the instalation is plain jane and fast:
1) Put some Teflon tape on the shower screw input water line and turns the shower into the water pipe.

2) Connecting the shower's 2 wires in to the 2 wires on the wall.

My apto use 2,5mm wire and is working at 20 years.
The electric bill is low, some gov reseach reveal these 5500W showers spend us$0,15 per 8 mins of hot water, also there is others models of 7000 and 10.000W.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Why do you wash by hand? Our dishwasher does better than I ever could. Unless you really need to scrub it with force. It doesn't break glasses either

I only wash the big stuff...pots, pans, large bowls, etc.... The utensils, plates, small bowls go int the dishwasher.

[Bizarroterl]

120Deg.

Tankless.  Endless hot water, silent, instant heat, small, efficient (98%).