Limited hot water capacity


  #1  
Old 02-15-01, 08:07 AM
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Have a 13 year old, 50 gallon gas water heater that seems to produce much less hot water than it should. While taking a shower, we must fairly quickly begin reducing the cold water flow to maintain the desired temperature. And, there is in total only enough hot water for about a shower and a half.

I am told that the problem could be that under normal operation, water intake is directed to the bottom of the unit so as not to "cool" the already hot water at the top, and that if a particular part is broken, the incoming cool water could be mixing directly with the hot water. Given what we're experiencing, this seems to make sense. If this is the diagnosis, is the answer to repair it or to buy a new unit?

Thanks.

 
  #2  
Old 02-15-01, 09:48 AM
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What you are describing is commonly called the dip tube, and they are replaceable. In the diagram below, it is the cold water tube:



However, there are other things to check, like draining the sediment from the bottom of the tank, and cleaning the burner.
 
 

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