Water Heater Insufficient

[lemmon]

I have a 5 yo Kenmore water heater hydrosense 50 gal 153334530
It was fine at first now it seems I get a shower and half out of it and it runs out of hot......it seems I have 25 gal water heater.
I am considering replacing with a 75 gal
I have 2 kids and my wife and they all like 20-30 minute showers
in the am when everyone is getting ready for the day the 3rd person in gets a COLD shower
I've been told it sounds like a dip tube issue but since I hard piped it I am thinking if I pull it out it would make more sense just to replace it
Opinions, Insights ............ any help
I talked to Kenmore about 12 year warranty and they say leaks are covered. parts only for 3 years
thanks for any help
lemmon

 

[johnjh2o]

You can try turning the temperature up a little, that may help. But two 30 min showers back to back is asking a lot for a heater to keep up with.

John

 

[havasu]

I would try a simpler approach. Drain your tank and remove any sediment from the tank then replace your shower heads with ultra low flow heads.

 

[TerisRiel]

Even simpler approach: Tell your family not to take long showers -- when the hot water is gone, it's gone.

Low flow shower heads will help, but cannot compensate for irresponsible user behavior.

 

[Caduceus]

Advice is free, so heck...I'll chime in.
It does sound like a dip tube issue. Draining your tank to remove sediment is a great maintenance habit. I do it and all kinds of stuff comes out when I do. This way the heat transfers to the water faster without the barrier of sediment to heat up first. It would save you energy and recover hot water faster.
If you want a new tank, then by all means get one. A fresh warranty is great, but another dip tube issue in 5 years is probably not covered. The effort to install a new tank is probably more than a dip tube replacement and the cost difference is obvious. A longer warranty is usually associated with having more anodes or a larger, better quality anode to protect the tank as well as a glass lining. These features do not protect the plastic dip tube from break down.
Additionally, my field and personal experience tells me that what is perceived as a 20-30 minute shower is actually more like 10-15 minutes of water use time and any additional time is drying off, brushing hair, etc. My 40 gallon tank does just fine with my family of four so if you want a larger tank than 50 gallons you may be heating more water than you actually need.
Hope this info helps you to make a decision on your next move.

 

[lemmon]

Thanks for all the advice. I decided to install a new tank. I went with a 75 gal Bradford White...my decision was based on a few different things. So far results are positive. The dip tube on the old tank was in fine condition. May have been another issue...I dont know.
I do have a new question related to the flue pipe. Had to change from 3" to 4" and now I am getting what I refer to a combustion smell although it may be from the tape I used to seal the joints on the flue pipe see pics....thanks again

 

[johnjh2o]

What is that other flue pipe going into the chimney? Hopefully is from another gas appliance.

John

 

[lemmon]

John
Yes the other flue is from my boiler

 

[havasu]

I have never used that tape for this purpose. The sticky gum on the one side is not designed for such high heat IIRC.

 

[stevemachine]

Is that tape you used rated for flue gases? I know I've seen some people use that tape and it was rated for duct work (140 F) and it'll leak like crazy. I'm not sure if they make stuff rated for flue gases but just something to be aware of.

 

[johnjh2o]

Didn't know you had a boiler. If I did I would have advised you to look into a indirect water heater. It is by far the best way to make hot water and for the cheapest cost.
http://www.amtrol.com/boilermate.htm
John

 

[lemmon]

and I did use screws on the flue pipe just added the tape as extra seal

 

[stevemachine]

And also not sure about your jurisdiction but in mine you aren't allowed to put a 90 right off the draft hood, should go up about a ft first. But that may depend on area

 

[stevemachine]

Ah ok fair enough. That's good then

 

[lemmon]

steve
temp rated to 325 F
It doesnt say flue pipe....im thinking I need to replace the tape with a tape rated for flue pipes

 

[lemmon]

I dont think I have clearance to go up another foot but when I remove the tape I'll see what I can do
best part.....my wife took an shower this am and complained about not enough hot water????

 

[lemmon]

I looked into indirect water heaters but I dont think I had enough room for set up

 

[IFIXH20]

Lemmon , turn temp up on water heater to get the burners to turn on . Light a piece of paper on fire then blow it out placing smoking paper on top of water heater by flue draft hood to see if smoke draws into flue. Some new water heater has some sort of coating on the burners which could also give a smokey burnt smell when they first fire up.

 

[IFIXH20]

The tape doesn't pose any problems ,the adhesive will dry up and the tape will come loose. Screws only will be fine.

 

[lemmon]

Are you sure about the tape...
anyway I did the burnt paper smoke and smoke draws right into the flue from at 2 inches away