My Reliance 606 40 gallon water heater only heats up enough hot water to fill a bathtub. We've drained it, the pilot light is fine, it heats up the water really hot, but it just doesn't seem to be able to heat very much water at a time. Any ideas as to what is wrong and what I can do about it?
Water Heaters - Reliance - RELIANCE ELECTRIC WATER HEATER
Answers & Comments
How big is your bathtub? Is your water heater set on the hottest setting? What is the temperature of the hot water at the tap?
Keep in mind that hot water can cause severe burns. Children and those with diminished mental capacity can be seriously harmed by hot water.
The "40 Gallon" rating on the water heater is usually the amount of hot water the unit can produce in one hour. So the tank, and the amount of immediately available hot water, might be smaller than 40 gallons.
My bathtub is 2 feet wide by 1 foot deep and 4 feet long. This is 8 cubic feet or almost 60 gallons. So a 40 gallons of water at 120 degrees, mixed with 20 gallons of cold water (60 degrees), fills the tub with 100 degree water. My January cold water is 42 degrees, so it will take 40 gallons at 129 degrees to fill the tub. If the tub is cold to start it will take even hotter water.
So the water heater might be just fine.
Possible solutions:
1. turn the temperature up on your water heater- or the temperature control could be malfunctioning and not getting the water hot enough.
2. insulate your hot water pipes so that the water loses less heat on the way to the tub.
3. bigger water heater.
4. smaller bathtub, or less full bathtub.