Water Heaters - very cold water, toilet tank sweats

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UtahBill
04-12-06, 10:11 PM
very cold water in northern climates enter our homes at around 50 degrees in the winter. I wanted to find a small water heater with controls that would heat the water to 75 degrees, or ambient room temperature. That would end the toilet sweats for sure, and make it easier to get warm water to the washing machine. As it is now, the cold is so cold that when mixed with hot, the washing machine is still getting cold water instead of warm. Vacation mode water heaters can be set at 50 degrees, not warm enough. Does anyone know of a thermostat for water heaters that can be set at 75 degrees? I want 75 degrees for my cold taps, not 50 degrees.
I have been looking and have not found one. So I am working on making my own, using an uninsulated tank (at 75 degrees, it doesn't need insulation), and a heat exchanger loop fed from the hot water heater, an Omron temperature controller, and a small circulating pump. All the other methods of eliminating toilet tank condensation have their limitations, and I am thinking that a 30 gallon tank of water maintained at 75 degrees is the best way to go. I have heard of a mixing valve that can be set that low, but it appears to be only a rumor until I can get a brand and model number.


594tough
04-13-06, 08:19 AM
Once you start heating water, it is not safe to set the WH lower than 120 ( 130 is better) . Bacterial growth is supported by the lower temps.

The time-tested method of fixing tank sweat is to install a tempering valve on the supply to the toilet. You could also use a tempering valve ( possibly one valve could be hooked up to kill both birds) to warm up the cold supply to the lav,

Tempering valves are readily available at any supply house, or even on line.