We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
get burned by it if I wanted to.  We haven't been using any hot water
while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
the tank.  Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
if I put it all the way to hot.  I don't believe it's the plumbing in
the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.

Jeffy3 wrote the following:
> We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
> one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
> it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
> get burned by it if I wanted to.  We haven't been using any hot water
> while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
> the tank.  Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
> if I put it all the way to hot.  I don't believe it's the plumbing in
> the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
> Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.
>   

Be the first one to take a shower before the rest of the household takes 
theirs, or before any other hot water appliances are used..

-- 

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Nov 9, 9:17=A0am, Jeffy3  wrote:
> We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
> one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
> it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
> get burned by it if I wanted to. =A0We haven't been using any hot water
> while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
> the tank. =A0Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
> if I put it all the way to hot. =A0I don't believe it's the plumbing in
> the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
> Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.

Maybe the thermostat is going bad, turning the heat down on occasion.
Or the ignition device that turns the gas on to heat it when it cools
down.

>
> Be the first one to take a shower before the rest of the household takes
> theirs, or before any other hot water appliances are used..
>
> --
>


I am the first one in in the morning. That's the point. And no other
appliances are being used.

Hot water heater?

Why would you want to heat HOT water?



SORRY --- couldn't resist :P

On Nov 9, 9:17=A0am, Jeffy3  wrote:
> We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
> one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
> it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
> get burned by it if I wanted to. =A0We haven't been using any hot water
> while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
> the tank. =A0Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
> if I put it all the way to hot. =A0I don't believe it's the plumbing in
> the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
> Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.

You need to check the temp coming out of the hot water tank.  Try a
faucet close to the tank first thing in the morning.  If the water is
not hot enough and it is turned up all the way then you have a gas
control valve problem in the tank.  They are non-repairable.  You can
buy a new control valve but if you are not familiar with gas you might
want to have it done by a professional.  If you have to used a
professional then you also want to consider the age of the watre
heater and compare fixing it to the cost of replacing.  The valves are
usually between 50 and 100 but the service costs might not be all that
much different form replacing the whole thing.  The normal life
expectancy is between 10 and 15 years.

If the problem really is that you run out of hot water too soon , it
starts out really hot but cools down quickly, that is usually the
inlet tube inside the water heater.  They are plastic and sometimes
detriorate.  It's any easy replacement if you have enough head room
over the tank to geta new one in.

In article 
<b...@s11g2000prs.googlegroups.com>,
 Jeffy3 <j...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
> one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
> it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
> get burned by it if I wanted to.  We haven't been using any hot water
> while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
> the tank.  Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
> if I put it all the way to hot.  I don't believe it's the plumbing in
> the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
> Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.

 Our gas h2o heater is 40 gal and provides plenty hot water.  How old is 
your heater ? Turning the dial is a good clue.  Do you drain your heater 
once in awhile ?  
 We had a 56 gal electric which did not do what the 40 gal gas does.  
I've gone thru I guess 5 or 6  heaters in 40 years this with Hard heavy 
Iron with not filters till 2 years ago.  Ours just ran till they leaked.
 Aside I just stored the old ones in the basement as they were heavy. 
Township would not take them away till I got green stickers for them EG 
inspected.  I was good to go except new plastic pipe no longer copper 
required a lower relief valve.

-- 
Bill  S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/

Jeffy3 wrote:
> We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
> one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
> it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
> get burned by it if I wanted to.  We haven't been using any hot water
> while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
> the tank.  Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
> if I put it all the way to hot.  I don't believe it's the plumbing in
> the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
> Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.

  What you might try is getting the control from an old tank from a bone 
pile of them somewhere and change it out.  I won't waste money on a new 
one unless the tank is like new.   Unhook the gas lines, get a big ass 
pipe wrench and if you can get the old one out without tearing up the 
tank, put the new old one in hook up the gas and give it a try.
  Here ya go,  a good video of what to do, if you want to, be ready to 
buy a new tank......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLJtNhglYLk

On Nov 9, 8:17=A0am, Jeffy3  wrote:
> We have a gas water heater, the tank kind, and for some reason maybe
> one day a week for my morning shower I have to turn the dial as far as
> it goes to the hot side just to get a decent hot shower. I couldn't
> get burned by it if I wanted to. =A0We haven't been using any hot water
> while we sleep so it can't be that there is not enough hot water in
> the tank. =A0Then most other days it works fine and I could be scalded
> if I put it all the way to hot. =A0I don't believe it's the plumbing in
> the shower I use because it can sometimes happen in our other shower.
> Any thoughts? It's a tank water heater and we live in a single house.

Time for a new thermostat/control vlave as others have called it.  If
you can find a used one, use it at your own peril as it may be
discarded with the same problem that you are having.

On Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:24:14 -0600, leonard hofstadter wrote:

> Hot water heater?
> 
> Why would you want to heat HOT water?
> 
> 
> 
> SORRY --- couldn't resist :P

You still get hot water, and much less expensively than heating cold 
water.