Replies

1. 
   rjw | Dec 01, 2003 04:53am | #1

   Give some serious consideration to turning them both down - 140 degree water will seriously scald you very quickly. safety experts generally recommend no higher than 120.

   _______________________

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   Tool Donations Sought

   I'm matching tool donors to a church mission to Haiti - we're shipping a bus converted to a medical facility in January (we hope) and can fill it with clothes, tools and all sorts of stuff needed in that poorest of all countries. A few hand tools or power tools can provide a livelihood for an otherwise destitute family. Please email me if you have tools to donate.

1. 
   brownbagg | Dec 01, 2003 06:47am | #2

   I lowered mine to 115 from factory setting and it drop my power bill by $40 a month.

   The best employee you can have but you wouldn't want him as a neighbor " He the shifty type"

2. 
   Dinosaur | Dec 01, 2003 07:04am | #3

   The system is designed to work that way--only one element is supposed to run at a time. This way you can wire the WH with 12-2 on a dual-20 amp breaker instead of having to use 10-gauge and 30 amps.

   If you're running out of hot water too soon, it may be that your average usage is higher than the design output capacity of the tank--in which case you need a bigger tank--or you could try closing the gap a little: set the lower 'stat to 135F instead of 130.

   Don't let any so-called safety experts convince you to turn down the overall temp unless you have a specific reason for doing so living in the house:  very young children (2-3 years old) or very elderly not-all-there parents or pensioners who could goof up and get a mild scalding. When you run a tank designed for 140F at 110 or 120, you'll never have decent hot water and thus will tend to use more, so your electric bill will go way up. And you'll probably lose that marginal 2nd-shower-in-a-row that a standard 40 gal (50 US gal) tank can provide when it's being run at its design temperature.

   The most dangerous element in modern plumbing as far as scalding accidents goes is not a water heater run at standard temperature, but those dad-blinkin' scum-sucking one-armed-bandit faucets. One inadvertent bump with your elbow or bum as you shower the shampoo out of your hair and all your cold mix water is cut off and you get lobstered. I hate those things. I refuse to install them.

   Dinosaur

   'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?

1. 
   rjw | Dec 01, 2003 12:17pm | #5

   >>Don't let any so-called safety experts convince you to turn down the overall temp unless you have a specific reason for doing so living in the house: very young children (2-3 years old) or very elderly not-all-there parents or pensioners who could goof up and get a mild scalding.

   Personally, I'd take the advise of the University of Michigan and the Canadian Safety council and EVERY other source I've ever read before I'd take the advice of someone using a nickname to identify himself.

   I think your opinion is wrong, and that your expressing it is irresponsible.

   Scald burns can be very serious.

   Can you show me that you have any basis for that opinion? Do you have any authoritative source to back up that opinion?

   QUOTE

   The following chart shows just how dangerous hot water can be.

   Temperature Time to Cause

   of Water a Bad Burn

   -------------------------------------

   150°F (66°C) 2 seconds

   140°F (60°C) 6 seconds

   125°F (52°C) 2 minutes

   120°F (49°C) 10 minutes

   -------------------------------------

   http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_hotwatr_hhg.htm

   Or check this site (49C = 120 F, 60C = 140)

   http://www.safety-council.org/info/home/tap.html

   Or see ALL of the other sites I found by googling "water heater temperature setting"

   _______________________

   Tool Donations Sought

   I'm matching tool donors to a church mission to Haiti - we're shipping a bus converted to a medical facility in January (we hope) and can fill it with clothes, tools and all sorts of stuff needed in that poorest of all countries. A few hand tools or power tools can provide a livelihood for an otherwise destitute family. Please email me if you have tools to donate.

   Edited 12/1/2003 6:48:40 AM ET by Bob Walker

1. 
   jgrimes227a | Dec 02, 2003 02:10am | #6

   120 degrees is what both those thermostats should be set for - given the normal US plumbing situation.  I was recently in Japan and they seem to be a very safety conscious nation.  In the newer hotels they use the following arrangement for sinks and tubs.  The Left handle adjusts volume of water.  The right handle adjusts temperature.  The adjustment goes only to a maximum of 120 degrees where it is stopped.  If you want hotter water than 120 degrees, you then press a button on the valve handle and that allows the valve handle to be turned beyond 120 degrees.  Guess they like their hot water and have come up with this scheme to have access to it safely.  Pretty cool.    FYI==All the carpets in public buildings (hotels especially) have little tags attached in a corner or out of the way place that spells out that they meet safety standards for burning and not giving off dangerous gases when burned.  Interesting. 

3. 
   CapnMac | Dec 01, 2003 07:26am | #4

   Run them both the same.  The differential (delta T) in the tank is never going to be further than the precision of the dial, anyway.  So, you could put the bottom one at 120, and the top at 115--probably would never see a 5° delta T in the tank anyway. 

   Now, 120° is aperfectly good setting (scalding is a very serious thing to avoid).  But, it's a good idea to double check that the washer & dishwasher will heat water to what ever temperature they require, though.

   Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)