Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Hot Water Tank Help!!

I have been having problems getting a heating contractor to give me a logical answer on this problem, so I was hoping someone here could help me out. Here goes:

Our hot water tank does not keep water hot. By this, I mean, when I use hot water for laundry or the dishwasher, etc., the tank refills and the water is hot. This isnt the problem. The issue, however, is that if the water is not used for a day or so, it does not stay hot in the tank. So, if I were to go away for the weekend and come home and want to take a bath, there is maybe 2 inches filled in the tub of relatively hot water, then it becomes lukewarm then cold.

My question is, shouldnt there be something like a themostat in the tank that will keep the water hot no matter how long it has been since it has been used? I made a couple calls today, and they have told me that unless you use the water, it will not stay hot. This just doesnt seem logical.

My parents have a vacation home, and they could be away from it for months at a time, and when they get there, the water is just as hot as it should be.

Maybe I'm nuts, but any information or help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello,

I am not sure what you mean by "Tank"?

Is this a hotwater boiler fed water heater tank?

Or this a free standing Waterheater? Gas or Electric?

If you have a free standing water heater, and it's gas.. Two things.


1- Could be the t-stat and it's not responding very well..

2- Could be the problem for #1, Have you ever flushed the water heater at all in the past?? If not, then I bet you have a bed of lime and other settlement on the bottom, and chances are the sensor may be burried in that bed of settlement..


So if it never been flushed, I would avdise you to get it a good flush, (If you can get any water out of the drain valve!).. Hope this will give you a start..


Copy from another sight..
~~~~~~~~~~~
Water heater manufacturers recommend flushing periodically. How often your model needs to be flushed depends upon the quality of the water in your area. Areas with high mineral content will have to flush more often.

Over time, your heater can accumulate sediment consisting of sand, gravel, and various mineral deposits. This buildup can reduce the amount your water heater holds, create a variety of interesting noises, and reduce the efficiency of your unit. The buildup of sediment at the bottom can harden and sometimes clog the drain valve.

Turn off the heater!

If your unit is gas, set the gas valve to "Pilot" to prevent the burners from coming on while you are flushing it. If your heater is electric be sure to turn off the circuit breakers. If the water level drops below the heating elements and the thermostat turns the elements on, the heating elements will probably burn out quite rapidly.

Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Make sure the outlet of the hose is in a safe area away from pets and children. It can be very hot can scald quickly

Close the shut off valve on the cold inlet to the unit.

Carefully open the temperature/pressure relief valve at the top of the tank by lifting the lever. Leave the valve open.

Open the drain valve at the bottom of the heater allowing the water to flow out through the garden hose. If the sediment is clogging the drain valve then try closing the temperature/pressure relief valve and turn the cold inlet valve back on to "power flush" the sediment out.

In some cases the sediment hardens into large chunks that can block the drain valve. At times I have run the hot water out of the tank by opening a hot tap and letting it flow until it is cool so I could remove the garden hose and use a long screwdriver break to break up the clog . This is a very messy procedure.

When the garden hose runs clear you are finished.

Close the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and remove the garden hose.

Close the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank and turn the cold inlet valve back on.

Open a hot faucet in your house, and let it run until no air bubbles come out.

Turn the heater back on.

Thanks a ton for the response... I guess I will see which kind I have first. I am fairly certian that it is a free standing tank, and just as fairly certian that it would be electric.

The problem I run into is that my husband is in the camp that says "It's normal not to have hot water if you don't use if for awhile.", so I am forced to try to find out my own information, and I don't really have the "do it yourself" skills that I need to figure this stuff out.

Thanks again, I will see what I can come up with....maybe I will call my father, so I don't have water all over the basement while trying to figure out what to do.

ETA: If it is the t-stat, is that something that is easy to change, or does someone have to come in a do it?

Hubby should be able to do that easily. Get Make, model and SN and power in voltage if it's electric. Most appliance stores or even a hardware store will have them. Your inclination is correct, going away for a week should make no difference in water temp. If it's what is refered to as and indirest watrer heater, it is dependant on the boiler water to heat the domestic hot water by using a circulator pump, moving hot water through a heat exchanger coil in the tank.

Ill bet you that the bottom element is out are the tstat is not working right. When you are gone the top element heats the water just there at the top is all. So you do have some hot water that way. When a electric water tank is on the top element heats the water then it tell the bottom element to take over and heat water. When you use water the bottom gets cold and will turn on first so most of the time it is the bottom element that will go out first. So like Jay said you do have to keep the bottom of the tank clean or it will take out that element. To change one or the other just turn the tank power off .Water off. drain it and pull the element out. Put new one in .FILL THE TANK FIRST then turn power back on.;)

Thanks again guys...I'll get the hubby on it this weekend!:)