STR complaint water is not hot enough

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STR complaint water is not hot enough

John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes

My water heater has been on 110F for many years with no complaints.

Mabe there is some heat loss due to the cold?

I am an hour away from this house.

I haven't even had my coffee yet this morning.

Luckily I have a Rheem wifi water heater and I just raised the temp using my phone and now I will go back to my coffee!

P.S. There is no such thing as a hot water heater. They do not heat hot water, they heat cold water to make hot water. They are water heaters. 

A contractor corrected me one time. I still catch myself saying it wrong occasionally and now I notice when people say it wrong.

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Scott Mac
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
3y

Hi John,

120 degrees Fahrenheit is the safety recommendation against scalding, but 140° is the common default setting. 

Most experts agree that anything below 120 degrees creates a risk for bacteria to develop inside your water heater from stagnant water, such as legionella that causes Legionnaire’s disease.

How to choose a temperature:  https://www.gopreferred.com/blog/what-temperature-should-my-water-heater-be-set-to/

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  • Tyler WenzelPro Member
    Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2022 · 9 posts · 3 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Zach Kidd:

    @Theresa Harris yeah, I would think 120 is too cold. When I bought my personal house, I put it up to 160.

    My inspector warned that the cold side of the faucets could fail, so wouldn't 160 be a risk?

    I said, "Don't threaten me with a good time!"

    And yes, I routinely turn the cold water off while showering. It's what I like, and am used to.

    To each there own, but 130-140 seems reasonable for most people.

    Zach,

    In my experience, residential water heaters only go up to 140 degrees.  And for good reason! Check out this link: 

    Burn Exposure Chart (antiscald.com)

    As you can see, having skin under 140 degree water can (and will) cause 3rd degree burns in around 5 seconds.  That is why the state of the State of Wisconsin only allows for a maximum of 125 degrees. I assure you, accidents happen and plumbing fixtures do fail so we're all much better off following good, logical codes. They're their for a reason.
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