Water heater temperature

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DonL

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I was told dip tubes could melt during soldering.

It maybe could.

Can you take a picture of it (Top, and T-stats) and give us the model number.

If the dip tube is missing it will be mixing hot with cold water.

Was it full of water before Power was applied ?
 

Dana

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If the pipe is installed in or under the slab, the odds are pretty good the temperature drop is simply due to the heat loss to the slab or soil. Neither concrete, soil, nor copper is very insulating, and running 120F water at 1-2gpm through half-inch pipe in a concrete slab is pretty much how radiant floor heating works. If any of that slab extends out beyond the wall insulation, it's going to be a bigger issue in mid-winter than during the summer

Running the potable plumbing under the slab a common (but pretty crummy) way to route plumbing in slab on grade, bad for hot water heating/distirbution efficiency, and impossible to repair. But if that's what you've got, it's probably not cost effective to do anything more than bump the storage temp up. In some areas builders are required to insulate any buried hot water distribution plumbing to avoid this problem, and the efficiency hit associated with it. But even there it can still happen if the inspectors didn't see it before the slab was poured, or if it wasn't clear after the pour which was intended to be the cold side plumbing and which was the hot.
 

DonL

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Good theory Dana.

If it was slab cooling, you would think it would have been a lot colder in the bathroom. (I assumed, Farthest Faucet, I Know...)

They run the pipes in the attic here, and attic temp make a Big difference on a cold day.

Not sure what part of Texas the OP is in. Never would have thought they would be in the slab.


Have Fun.
 
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DonL

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quote; May I ask the calibration procedure ?

Normally to put it in boiling water and then rotate the needle to 212 degrees.


That is what I would do, after it was removed from the heat.

At sea level it will be very close.
 

Bluebinky

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Did you actually measure the water temperature inside the water heater? It doesn't matter what the thermostat says...
 

Jadnashua

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Cant you just boil it longer ?

LOL, Yes it was a joke.

Boiling water never gets hotter than the boiling point over time, only with changes to the pressure (this has nothing to do with the temp of the steam if it can get extra heat). So, it depends entirely on the purity of the water and the air pressure above the open container...close that container and yes, the boiling point can be raised.
 

DonL

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That was meant to be a joke.

I could not resist.


Have a Great Day.
 
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