Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 107 posts · 43 votes
Need a new water heater and a 50 gallon is the biggest that will fit in my rental. Can't install a tankless due to weather and elevation (according to mechanic). He recommends installing a three way mixing valve and cranking the temp up to 150 to extend amount of hot water available. Anyone done this before?
Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 570 posts · 521 votes
10y
I think he means a thermostatic mixing valve. The plan would be to install it so you can mix cold water into the hot water line coming out of the hot water heater to reduce the temperature of the water going to your fixtures in the house from the 150 degrees coming out of the hot water heater.
With the changes to hot water heaters due to the recent EPA regulations problems with fitting the newer larger hot water heaters into old spaces is creating a need for more creative solutions.
If you can't do anything else then this is a solution that will work, the bad thing is the hot water heater will not last as long as it would at that temperature.
If you haven't already I would look into a fast recovery hot water heater, more expensive but makes hot water faster than a typical one.
The thing that makes me wonder though is how a 50 gallon water heater set at normal temperature isn't big enough for a rental?
Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 570 posts · 521 votes
10y
I think he means a thermostatic mixing valve. The plan would be to install it so you can mix cold water into the hot water line coming out of the hot water heater to reduce the temperature of the water going to your fixtures in the house from the 150 degrees coming out of the hot water heater.
With the changes to hot water heaters due to the recent EPA regulations problems with fitting the newer larger hot water heaters into old spaces is creating a need for more creative solutions.
If you can't do anything else then this is a solution that will work, the bad thing is the hot water heater will not last as long as it would at that temperature.
If you haven't already I would look into a fast recovery hot water heater, more expensive but makes hot water faster than a typical one.
The thing that makes me wonder though is how a 50 gallon water heater set at normal temperature isn't big enough for a rental?
Rental Property Investor · Yardley, PA · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 561 votes
10y
What about installing 2 smaller tanks in series? I was looking into doing this in our house, as we take LONG showers. Series seemed to be better than parallel from my reading.
Rockford, IL · Member since 2015 · 343 posts · 95 votes
10y
I would do parallel verses series. With parallel you get better consistence and equally use of heaters. Series one will be working harder then the other. plus why would you want to push hot water through another hot water heater. Google parallel water heaters and see diagrams. tried upload pic but will not take.
I would do parallel verses series. With parallel you get better consistence and equally use of heaters. Series one will be working harder then the other. plus why would you want to push hot water through another hot water heater. Google parallel water heaters and see diagrams. tried upload pic but will not take.
In series has a few advantages over parallel. When you install a 2nd hot water heater you typically keep using the original. You can extend the life of the original almost infinitely if you hook in series with the original feeding the new tank. The original can have it's temperature turned way down and act as a pre-heater to the new tank. Just rising cold ground water to 70-80 degrees before it enters the 2nd heater can make a tremendous difference. In parallel you're using two tanks both heating the water to final temperature using more energy and wearing out faster. My advice is to make the new tank a fast recovery system.
In series with the old feeding a new fast recovery tank, with the old set low, this is a endless supply of hot water, you can't run it out of hot water. In series also eliminates any issues of balancing the outputs from the tanks as required by code.
Good advice is when adding a 2nd heater no matter how you do it, to have it plumbed with a by-pass, so that if one heater dies you by-pass it and can replace it at your leisure.