Atwood hot water heater -- Too darn hot

MDKMDK wrote:

way2roll wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Adjust temperature of water by turning down hot and turning cold on. Hot water will last longer.

Bingo. Best answer.

Good answer to a point. In a former MH despite adjusting the temperature, when taking a Navy shower and turning the handle off to conserve water, when turning it back on, for a few seconds it was all hot. Now this was probably a cheap mixing valve, but that's not the point. If you didn't remember each time you turned it off to direct the water away from you, you got blasted with water that had to be well beyond 120. I forgot once and ended up with burns on my chest and blisters. A WH that only heats to the legal 120 would have prevented that. Why aren't RV water heaters confined to the same specs? So while correct water mixture is a reactive way to prevent scalding, it's not preventative.

Yup. There's no such thing as an idiot proof water heater. In that case, a shower head with an on/off "navy shower" button is recommended, so you don't have to adjust the mix at the taps/valves. (sorry, not implying anything, just using colorful relevant phraseology :B)

Maybe you mis-read my post. What you describe is exactly what I had - a shower head with an on/off button. Despite this, when turned back on it was all hot for a few seconds. So it wasn't that I had to readjust the valves - they were already adjusted. I am just thankful it wasn't my son that got burned.

way2roll wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Adjust temperature of water by turning down hot and turning cold on. Hot water will last longer.

Bingo. Best answer.

Good answer to a point. In a former MH despite adjusting the temperature, when taking a Navy shower and turning the handle off to conserve water, when turning it back on, for a few seconds it was all hot. Now this was probably a cheap mixing valve, but that's not the point. If you didn't remember each time you turned it off to direct the water away from you, you got blasted with water that had to be well beyond 120. I forgot once and ended up with burns on my chest and blisters. A WH that only heats to the legal 120 would have prevented that. Why aren't RV water heaters confined to the same specs? So while correct water mixture is a reactive way to prevent scalding, it's not preventative.

Yup. There's no such thing as an idiot proof water heater. In that case, a shower head with an on/off "navy shower" button is recommended, so you don't have to adjust the mix at the taps/valves. (sorry, not implying anything, just using colorful relevant phraseology :B)

MDKMDK wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Adjust temperature of water by turning down hot and turning cold on. Hot water will last longer.

Bingo. Best answer.

Good answer to a point. In a former MH despite adjusting the temperature, when taking a Navy shower and turning the handle off to conserve water, when turning it back on, for a few seconds it was all hot. Now this was probably a cheap mixing valve, but that's not the point. If you didn't remember each time you turned it off to direct the water away from you, you got blasted with water that had to be well beyond 120. I forgot once and ended up with burns on my chest and blisters. A WH that only heats to the legal 120 would have prevented that. Why aren't RV water heaters confined to the same specs? So while correct water mixture is a reactive way to prevent scalding, it's not preventative.

enblethen wrote:
Adjust temperature of water by turning down hot and turning cold on. Hot water will last longer.

Bingo. Best answer.

How hot is too hot? Unless you're flashing off to steam when you open the hot water valve or you're using excessive amounts of propane, I'd be tempted to look at installing a mixing valve on the output of the water heater to mix cold with the hot enough to reduce to desired temperature at the faucets. That would give you more capacity while still addressing safety and comfort issues.

Something along the lines of this.

There are cheaper and more expensive ones and probably more appropriate connection types to fit plumbing, but just look for one that is designed for anti-scald and adjustable temperature.

Your profile lists a 2003 Winnie.
Therefpre you have the last separate version (if it is a combo electric & gas model)
Separate in that electric has it's own set of 120VAC t-stats (located on backside of water heater tank with the element) and propane has separate set of 12VDC t-stats (located in outside compartment)

You can swap the 12VDC Fixed temp t-stat for the gas with an adjustable version but the electric will remain fixed temp due to it being a 120VAC t-stat

Fixed t-stats be they 120VAC or 12VDC for Atwood Open at 140*F ---end user is to mix cold water at faucet. Higher tank temp allows for longer period of hot water usage AND is hot enough to stop bacterial growth

Adjustable version uses a flimsy bracket that goes into the t-stat opening and then adjustable t-stat is secured against tank wall with a spring.
Temp adjustment is from 110*F to 150*F which in short time due to exposure to elements will corrode and become difficult to move plus the flimsy bracket will get tweeked/bent. IMHO cheap 'replacement' that is not worth the time/effort.

Adjust temperature of water by turning down hot and turning cold on. Hot water will last longer.

Previously swapped out our original thermostat with an adjustable thermostat and was not very happy with the results. Our solution was to turn the unit on and off as needed.

On one of our past water heaters, I also thought the water was too hot, so I changed it to an after market adjustable one. It did not last very long. I had never had an original one go bad. So I put the original one back in.

If you change yours and it goes bad, let us know, and how long it lasted.

Dusty