Some Like it Hot

By bill Aldridge

In my previous blog, “The Gargoyle in the Garage,” I wrote about the utility guzzling monster called a water heater that can devour up to twenty five percent of your home’s energy.  Other than replacing an old water heater with a newer more energy efficient model, there is one other way to put this beast on a leash: Reduce the water temperature.

The first thing you will want to do is determine to what temperature your water heater is already set.  To do this you will need to use a little kitchen tech.  Go ask your wife if you can borrow a candy thermometer.  Don’t worry macho man, she will know what it is you are seeking.  Once you fetch it, go to the faucet that’s closest to the water heater and run the water for about a minute.  This will allow the cooler water standing in the pipes to exit so that you can more accurately judge the temperature setting.  Hold the thermometer under the flow for thirty seconds or so until the mercury in the thermometer stops rising.  Then read the temp.  If the temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit, then this is the setting that nearly every manufacturer recommends.  If the temperature is higher than 120, then either you have an older dishwasher without a preheater in your home, or the thermostat on your water heater is set way too high.  (It’s probably cheaper in the long run to invest in a more energy-efficient dishwasher if the former is the case.) 

If you do need to reset the thermostat and you have a gas water heater, the process is simplicity itself.  Look for the dial located on the front of the gas control. (It us usually either red or black) To adjust your water heater simply rotate the dial to a slightly cooler setting and then come back in about six hours to perform the cookie thermometer test once again.  Repeat as needed until the temperature is registering anywhere from 115 to 120 degrees.

If you have an electric water heater, the procedure is a bit more complicated. First of all you will need to go to the breaker box and throw the switch labeled “Water Heater” in order to kill the juice to the unit.  Next you will have to remove an access panel or two (if you happen to have a dual element heater) and pull the insulation to one side so you can see the thermostat.  (It should have temperature readings clearly visible.)  It may also have a plastic cover that you will need to remove.  The thermostat adjusting screw should be located just above the element.  You will need a small standard screwdriver to adjust the temp. Make sure you replace the cover and redistribute the insulation to as close to the way you found it as possible. Then reinstall the access panel(s) and switch back on the power.  Wait at least six hours before retesting the water temp.

When it comes to water temperature, having the temp set too high not only wastes money, it can also be dangerous, particularly if you have small children at home.  Any setting at or above 130 can produce second degree burns even on adults.   Many people find that a setting of 110-155 degrees is not only sufficient for washing and bathing, but it saves them money month in and month out.  In fact the only time that you ever want to set a water heater to 140 degrees is if and only if the water emanating out of it has a distinctly unpleasant aroma.  This could be caused by bacteria, which can be eliminated by turning the temperature up to 140.  Just remember to turn the temp back down before anyone uses the hot water in any sink or shower.  An hour or so at 140 should prove sufficient to eradicate any bacteria.  The hot water you get into by forgetting to turn the temp back to 110-120 could haunt you for the rest of your life.

Another money saving tip is to insulate the pipes that emanate from the top of the water heater.  The handy video below demonstrates how to perform this task.

Bill Aldridge is the Doctor of Plumbology at Aldridge & Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  For more helpful plumbing hints and how-to videos, visit http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com

The Gargoyle in the Garage

Want to see something really scary?  With Halloween waiting in the wings I thought you might like to hear a true story of things that go bump in the night.  Because lurking in the depths of your home, hidden either in your garage or buried in a closet is a gargoyle that is scaly, it’s ugly, it breathes fire and it’s hungry.  In fact it can devour as much as a quarter of the energy it takes to run your home month in and month out.  Before you start searching for the number of the Ghost Busters allow me to clarify the situation by pointing out that I am talking about your home’s water heater.

I realize that most people do not live in fear of their water heater.  But maybe they should.  If left to its own devices any traditional water heater that is at least ten years old can eat you out of house and home, since hard water deposits called scale makes these units progressively less energy efficient as time goes on. 

1.      The average water heater consumes up to 25% of the power that the typical homeowner pays for month in and month out.

2.      Since this contraption is literally out of sight and out of mind, it isn’t unusual for most people to ignore the thing until they wake up to find an inch or so of water on the floor due to the fact that their heater gave up the ghost.

3.      The average life of a water heater is thirteen years.  After that, contaminants in the water tend to collect around the heating element, making the heater even less energy efficient. 

4.      Speaking of energy efficiency, today there are a number of alternatives to the traditional water heater.  These alternatives take up less space and/or use up far less energy.  (More on that later.)

If you want your water heater to last longer and work more efficiently I highly recommend that you flush the system once per year.  To accomplish this you will need to first turn off the power to the heater by flipping off the circuit breaker.  If your heater is gas fired, turn the thermostat to the “pilot” setting. Then turn off the water coming into the unit and connect a hose to the drain located toward the bottom of the unit.  Do NOT open the valve yet.  If you do you run the risk of creating a vacuum in the system. 

To prevent that from happening you need to turn on one of the hot water faucets on a nearby sink or tub.  Now you can open the tap on the water heater to drain the hot water from the system.  Just be sure that your kids or pets do not get too close to the far end of the hose, since the water that will come streaming out if it will be piping hot.  Your plants will also not appreciate a hot shower either, so my advice is to lead the hose down the driveway to the curb.

Once the heater empties you want to leave the drain open while turning the supply line back on.  This will help clear some of the crud that has built up on the bottom of the tank over the years.  Once the water runs clear from the hose only then should you close the drain.  (Also, don’t forget to turn off the hot water running in the kitchen sink.)  Give the tank a few minutes to fill before turning back on the electricity or the gas.  It’s possible to do damage to the heater if you turn on the power with the tank empty.

Last but not least, once the water heater has had a chance to heat the water in the tank you need to test the pressure relief valve.  This is the safety device located at the top of the tank that is designed to prevent the pressure inside the tank from building to dangerous levels.  If this device proves faulty you will want to have it replaced by a plumber.

While flushing the heater is one way to keep this beast at bay, it is not the only way to save money when it comes to energy efficiency.  When it comes time to replace your existing water heater you might want to consider either a tankless or a hybrid system.  These units not only more energy efficient but they can save space as well.

Tankless systems are the ultimate in power efficiency since they make hot water on demand…as much as you want.  Unlike traditional water heaters that expend the majority of their power consumption on maintaining the temperature of water stored inside the tank, tankless heaters only operate when you turn on the tap.  Another couple of advantages of a tankless system are that you never run out of hot water.  This is especially useful if you have a large family or when the overnight guests come for a visit.  They also take up less than a third of the space of a traditional water heater.  Some can even be installed outside, which is the ultimate space saver.  The downside is that tankless heaters tend to be a bit pricier than traditional units.  If you take the long term approach and factor in the energy saved, these systems will ultimately pay for themselves.  However, tankless isn’t the only way to go.

Hybrid heaters are available that straddle the fence between traditional and tankless heaters.  Like tankless systems, hybrids are a bit pricier than traditional water heaters.  These units won’t save space, bring a bit taller than traditional units they replace, since the heat pump is mounted on top. However, they are much more efficient since they contain a heat pump that draws in heat from the air to help heat the water. When Consumer Reports tested hybrid heaters they determined that the average family would save around $320 per year.  This is a plus, since hybrid water heaters cost about $1000 more than traditional units.

Whether you decide to opt for a more energy efficient unit than the one currently in your home or you decide to bite the bullet by doing flushing your system for another year or so, the bottom line is that with a little foresight you never need be menaced by the Gargoyle in the Garage ever again.

Bill Aldridge is one of the Doctor’s or Plumbology at Aldridge & Sons Plumbing.  For more helpful plumbing hints and step-by-step videos, visit http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com and http://waterheatersjacksonvillefl.com/