Water Heaters - Lower temp electric water heater wanted

Is there such an animal? I want to boost only the cold water near my washing machine. The cold water there is so cold (45 degrees) that you can't get warm wash water without turning the water heater up to an excessive temperature. And the rinse/spin cycle leaves the wet clothes very cold. There is a good spot directly under the washing machine, in the basement, with easy access to the plumbing, but I need a water heater that can be set at 75 to 80 degrees. It can be storage or tankless....

YOU dont say electric or gas. Had one gas away back didnt use it much just the pilot on it worked just fine. Electric you can push the tstat way down .Or just wire in the top tstat only.;) ;)

YOU dont say electric or gas. Had one gas away back didnt use it much just the pilot on it worked just fine. Electric you can push the tstat way down .Or just wire in the top tstat only.;) ;)

I said electric, in the title....

I have 2 gas heaters, one sits in vacation mode and valved out unless we need extra hot water, and the pilot light alone keeps it at 104 degrees. Guess I will try an electric water heater with the lower heating element disconnected, and the upper tstat turned way down low. Since it is only going to the washing machine, I guess it can run a bit over 80 degrees without a problem.

I've been looking at washers lately, some have a feature with an automatic temperature control. They also have a feature such as cold and cool; or tap cold or cold.

Setting a WH at 80º would be a receipe for legionaires disease or something similar. All manufacturers recommend not less than 120º

One way to solve that problem is use a heater set at a "normal" higher temp, and use a tempering valve on the output to get the temp water you wish to have.

I have seen bare prewarmer tanks. Tanks that are simply a bare tank with no heating elements and no insulation that receives outside city water first before going to water heaters and cold water lines and are found in unheated basements and in heated areas of the house. The purpose is to bring the water up slowly to room temps before they are used. I dont know if you can buy such tanks or if these tanks were simply being used that way but had some other purpose originally.

Setting a WH at 80º would be a receipe for legionaires disease or something similar. All manufacturers recommend not less than 120º

One way to solve that problem is use a heater set at a "normal" higher temp, and use a tempering valve on the output to get the temp water you wish to have.gonna have to check that on snopes, as it sounds fishy....
it is a sealed system, and the cold water in my Arizona house is often in the supposed danger range. The pipes are not insulated, run in the concrete slab, etc. and in the summer you can shut off the electricity to you water heater.

US Government source...

http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/legionnaires/faq.html

Q. What water conditions are best for growth of the organism?

A. Warm, stagnant water provides ideal conditions for growth. At temperatures between 20°C-50°C (68°-122°F) the organism can multiply. Temperatures of 32°C-40°C (90°-105°F) are ideal for growth. Rust (iron), scale, and the presence of other microorganisms can also promote the growth of LDB

The smallest on demand, single-stage electric water heater would probably do exactly what you want. And, you'd be only heating the water X number of degrees as you need it.
Check www.houseneeds.com for examples. You won't need a multistage to do what you want; and it don't make sense to store warm water for the ocassional wash. Have you looked into solar DHW?

Pete