How to turn the temperature up on an electric water heater?

by Water Heaters on May 27, 2010

I’m used to gas water heaters which have a big red dial on the front. Right now, the water heater heats up enough water for two showers at best. And, it takes the thing like two hours to warm back up. We are having guests soon and we need more hot water than this thing will produce.

There is no dial on the front, and we removed the front panel and there was just styrofoam behind it. What is the deal with this thing? Is there no way to turn it up? It is an A.O. Smith Water Heater, if that helps.


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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Just guessing May 27, 2010 at 9:52 am

The temperature can be adjusted by removing one of the covers to reveal a screw and a scale. Move it one notch up or down.

Echo Two May 27, 2010 at 9:52 am

It sounds like your water heater doesn’t have a controllable thermostat and if you run out of hot water more quickly than you used to, it probably means your water heater is in the process of dying. Water heaters over time develop sediment in them (think about the hard water deposits that build up in tea kettles) and it reduces their capacity as they age. So turning up the water heater, even if you could, may not solve your problem. You should replace it if you can with a gas water heater (if gas is available) as it will be cheaper to operate than an electric one.

Corky R May 27, 2010 at 9:52 am

To begin with, turning up the temp. on your water heater will not give you more hot water, it will only give you hotter water. There’s only so much capacity in any water heater. You didn’t mention how large the unit is, but I would guess it would be a 40, from your description of the volume of hot water available. Most of the new units, made within the last 10-15 years have a factory set thermostat on the top element, but have a slightly adjustable lower thermo. It should be available behind the styrofoam, with a small screwdriver. However, as I said earlier, the water will get hotter, but there won’t be more of it. Be extremely careful if you decide to try turning up the temp. of the water, 130 degree water will cause mild scalding on human skin, if exposed to the water for an extended length of time, 140 degree water will cause up to 3rd degree burns on human skin, and that doesn’t take long. You could extend the hot water by installing a water saving shower head.

gadget1961 May 27, 2010 at 9:52 am

ok , so you did not tell what size the water heater was , lets say its a 30 gal and their is an uppper and a lower element each has its own thermostate , the panel has a backing to help keep in the heat and , now that you have pulled it out the temp is easy to read , we have a 30 gal based on 2 people , and its turned to 130 degress we get 2 showers out of it as we changed out our shower heads to low flow , that means less water coming out the headsbut you conserve water as it then will get longer showers , it only takes about an hr to reheat and you can then get some more showers , good luck

bob f May 27, 2010 at 9:52 am

The t-stat is behind a panel but turning up the temp would not help you. Sounds like the unit is limed up and the only solution is to replace it.

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