Water Heaters - Temperature

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Ralph_T
10-17-09, 11:09 PM
What is the ideal temperature for a 1800sqft home. The heater was set to 140deg at first but it was steaming hot. Then I set it to 120deg but we ran out of hot water taking showers and running the dishwasher. Is a bigger tank recommended over turning up the temp to 140 if we can't take showers at 120?

GregH
10-18-09, 04:24 AM
What you first need is a reliable and accurate thermometer to measure the actual temperature of the water.
The degree settings on the dial are only a guide and could be way off.
Many hw tanks only have dots as a set point.

140 deg F is a typical setting.
You do not want to go much below 130 deg F as bacteria growth in the hw tank will go up.
shacko
10-18-09, 01:00 PM
Like the other post said most are set at 140deg. do to the possibility of bacteria growth. With it set that high you should have temperature+pressure balancing valves in your bath.

Key questions are what size water heater you have, and is it gas or electric?, will make a difference on how much hot water you get.

The size of the house only has a bearing on your water if you have long runs in the piping system. :confused: