water colder and longer cold in the morning (or first use)


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Old 12-02-18, 11:03 AM
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water colder and longer cold in the morning (or first use)

I started noticing that the water from gas water heater remains colder for longer in the morning. The water heater is about 19 years old. I tried to maintain it by flushing it every so often.
I imagine I could mask the problem somewhat by increasing the temp setting. Just wondering if there is a common issue that can be repaired or if I need to start to look for a new one.
 
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Old 12-02-18, 02:08 PM
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It's probably just the colder temperatures outside. When it's colder outside the water sitting in the pipes gets colder than in summer... So, it takes longer for the hot water (which is always the same temperature from your heater) to flush the cold water out of the system and get the pipes warmed up.
 
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Old 12-02-18, 02:12 PM
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Wow....19 year old water heater. That's a pretty good life. Keep an eye on that bad boy.
 
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Old 12-02-18, 02:59 PM
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The problem started already this summer. Yes, it takes every year a while to get used to to the fact that it takes a while to get hot. But takes longer this year as compared to other years.

It is a Bradford White Hydrojet 50 gal.
 
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Old 12-02-18, 03:15 PM
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+1 Pilot Dane. It takes time for hot water from the tank to travel through pipes and reach any fixture in the house. If the water is hot enough once it gets there, the time it takes (getting longer) is all in your head.
 
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Old 01-30-19, 06:20 AM
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Does the water eventually get up to the full hot temperature you were used to?

Before using the hot water, go down to the heater and slowly turn the termperature dial up a few notches and then slowly turn it back down to where it was. If on several occasions the heater kicks on and keeps going for 10 minutes or more then you may have a sluggish thermostat (aquastat) inside the heater.

It is possible although not guaranteed that if you, on two different days, turn the dial slowly to maximum, then slowly to minimum (vacation) and then slowly back to where it was, you might improve the thermostat performance.
 
 

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