Hi Jan: Really interesting............ A puzzle I've never encountered before. I'm a retired Contractor and Building and Plumbing Inspector so can offer an answer based on experience. - In hot weather, attics get REALLY hot. - An attic is an unusual location for a hot water tank. - A thermostat senses the temperature of the water in the tank and determines when it needs to be heated. - I would be suspicious that in your installation, the temperature in your attic is higher than the "high limit" for your water heater. To phrase it another way, since the attic temperature is really high, and the tank thermostat is in the attic, it "thinks" that the water is already at the required temperature. The only real "fix" that I could suggest would be to locate the hot water tank in the moderated temperature area of the dwelling. Hope this helps. I would appreciate your letting me know by comment to this post if that is the problem. Cheers, and thanks for the puzzle.
Answers & Comments
Hi Jan:
Really interesting............
A puzzle I've never encountered before.
I'm a retired Contractor and Building and Plumbing Inspector so can offer an answer based on experience.
- In hot weather, attics get REALLY hot.
- An attic is an unusual location for a hot water tank.
- A thermostat senses the temperature of the water in the tank and determines when it needs to be heated.
- I would be suspicious that in your installation, the temperature in your attic is higher than the "high limit" for your water heater.
To phrase it another way, since the attic temperature is really high, and the tank thermostat is in the attic, it "thinks" that the water is already at the required temperature.
The only real "fix" that I could suggest would be to locate the hot water tank in the moderated temperature area of the dwelling.
Hope this helps.
I would appreciate your letting me know by comment to this post if that is the problem.
Cheers, and thanks for the puzzle.