Hot Water Too Hot

[gregt]

Is it possable to regulate the temperature of an electric hot water storage tank. The water is unbearably hot.
Regards.

[bricks]

yes

1. locate square ish panel on front of heater usually toward the bottom of the tank.
2. undo screws -normally too and slide either up or down depending on model
3. visually locate -normally white - dial on thermostat controller.
4. if you turn this to the right - clockwise- you will make it hotter, left is cooler.
5. most have temperature settings on them, in any case you need to keep the water at 50 degrees or above to prevent un-wanted prodution of bacteria. Some heaters also have a winter and summer setting,
6. You may find that your power bill goes up or down depending on the tempertature you set it at. Not by much though.

Obviously DO NOT touch any of the metal parts inside the cove as they can be live.

Cheers.

[wonderplumb]

most have temperature settings on them, in any case you need to keep the water at 50 degrees or above to prevent un-wanted prodution of bacteria. Some heaters also have a winter and summer setting,

60 degrees bloke, to prevent legionella forming.

[bricks]

whoops sorry,

50 degrees is for the tempering valve maximum at the tap,
thanks for the correction wonderplumb.

60 degrees is the minimum for your tank cycle.

[Smurf]

Be aware that reducting the temperature means less energy is stored in the tank. You'll use more hot and less cold in the shower etc which may cause the tank to run out of hot water. Ensuring enough hot water is available is the main reason they're set to temperatures above 60 in the first place.

Don't go below 60 as others have said - bacteria risk.

And I would very strongly recommend that you switch the power off to the unit before opening the cover and don't turn it back on until you've finished the job. There should be a switch or circuit breaker marked "hot water" or "off peak hot water" somewhere on your switchboard. If you don't know where it is then you should find out because you'll need to know in a hurry if the heater boils etc due to a malfunction.

And finally, if you're tinkering with the hot water then I always recommend checking the anode. Not replacing these leads to corrosion and a flood. And at only $45 or so for a new one it's a lot cheaper than having to replace the tank because you didn't maintain it.