Turning down the hot water tank...

[Eli's_mommy]

Did this do much for your PUD bill? Do you have a rough estimate of how much it dropped? I'm trying to cut back where I can because I refuse to freeze my off during the winter with no heat. I am always cold!

Thanks!

[Sharlla]

I don't know how much I am saving but I turn mine down and turn up as needed. (like a little bit before a shower)

[oneKnight]

My dad installed an electric timer to turn it off overnight. I asked them how much it helped and they said they didn't know

[cornflake girl]

I turn ours up in the winter and down in the summer and it probably saves about $5 -$6 per month. But I don't have too far to turn it down because I don't keep it up that high to begin with. My parents have theirs turned up almost as hot as it goes, so if you're like them you'd probably save a ton by turning it down. I only keep it hot enough so that I can take one shower at my preferred temp. I don't like to be cold, either. Why don't you just turn it down a little at a time until you find your warmth threshold?

[Blue Dragonfly]

I just bought an insulation sleeve for my HW tank. The guy at the store said it should save between 9-17% on my gas bill for heating the hot water. The insulator was $35 CAN.

[blueridgewoman]

Turning it down can cause the bacteria which causes Legionairre's disease to proliferate in your tank. Apparently, you should have it at 130 or above to kill the bacteria and then buy a limiter valve to reduce the temp once it leaves the tank.

[Eli's_mommy]

Originally Posted by blueridgewoman

Turning it down can cause the bacteria which causes Legionairre's disease to proliferate in your tank. Apparently, you should have it at 130 or above to kill the bacteria and then buy a limiter valve to reduce the temp once it leaves the tank.

Scary! That's good to know!!! I wonder what mine's even at. I haven't even looked at it yet. Maybe if it's above 130, I'll just turn it down to 132 or something

[oneKnight]

Originally Posted by blueridgewoman

Turning it down can cause the bacteria which causes Legionairre's disease to proliferate in your tank. Apparently, you should have it at 130 or above to kill the bacteria and then buy a limiter valve to reduce the temp once it leaves the tank.

Originally Posted by answers.com

Legionnaires' disease is the more severe form of the infection, which may involve pneumonia. The onset of this form of the disease is two to 10 days after infection. Legionnaires' disease acquired its name in 1976 after an outbreak of pneumonia occurred among persons attending a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia. Later, the bacterium causing the illness was named Legionella.
Pontiac fever is a milder illness that develops from hours to two days after initial infection and resolves spontaneously.
...
An estimated 8,000 to 18,000 people get Legionnaires’ disease in the United States each year.[2] Some people can be infected with the Legionella bacterium and have mild symptoms or no illness at all.
...
At 131 °F (55 °C): Legionellae die within 5 to 6 hours
Above 122 °F (50 °C): They can survive but do not multiply
95 to 115 °F (35 to 46°C): Ideal growth range

I immagine that most people have been exposed to it, got over it (just thought it was the cold or flu) and are relatively immune.
My parents kept theirs at 115º and our family isn't not dying of pneumonia or pontiac feaver.
It's not something I chose to worry about.

[panamama]

mine has a "summer setting" and a "winter setting" that i never noticed until something went wrong last summer and a handyman friend came to look at/fix it for me. the little lever had a pretty thick layer of dust on it and he said to me, "do you ever change this?" i had to admit that i'd never seen it before (in my defense, it's not all the visible unless you are really looking for it). anyway, i switched it back to winter a couple of weeks ago and have noticed a significant difference in how hot the water gets. i'll check my december bill and see how significant that difference it when it comes too.

[Eli's_mommy]

Originally Posted by panamama

mine has a "summer setting" and a "winter setting" that i never noticed until something went wrong last summer and a handyman friend came to look at/fix it for me. the little lever had a pretty thick layer of dust on it and he said to me, "do you ever change this?" i had to admit that i'd never seen it before (in my defense, it's not all the visible unless you are really looking for it). anyway, i switched it back to winter a couple of weeks ago and have noticed a significant difference in how hot the water gets. i'll check my december bill and see how significant that difference it when it comes too.

I'm interested to see how that turns out. Keep us posted!

[Dar]

More about Legionaire's Disease, which *is* a serious and often fatal illness. Pontiac fever is *not* Legionaire's, although it's caused by the same bacterium. And while some people may not become seriously ill, the basic symptoms are:

Initial symptoms may include loss of energy, headache, nausea, aching muscles, high fever (often exceeding 104°F), and chest pains. Later, many bodily systems as well as the mind may be affected. The disease eventually will cause death if the body’s high fever and antibodies cannot defeat it. Victims who survive may suffer permanent physical or mental impairment.

a CDC study of reported cases indicated a death rate of 40 percent for cases acquired during a hospital stay (nosocomial cases), but a death rate of 20 percent for community-acquired cases. Some outbreaks have claimed more than 50 percent.

Twenty percent is a fairly high mortality rate.
Also,

Because the symptoms of Legionnaires’ are similar to those of other types of pneumonia, undetected cases of Legionnaires’ disease end up being classified merely as pneumonia with no apparent cause. Based on CDC estimates, this means that 8 to 39 pneumonia deaths occur each week in the United States without anyone knowing that the cause was Legionella. What’s worse is that many of these deaths could be prevented because, unlike most pneumonias, the source (e.g., a hot-water system) of Legionnaires’ cases can be identified.

The (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, has estimated that the disease infects 10,000 to 15,000 persons annually in the United States, but others have estimated as many as 100,000 annual U.S. cases

Link: http://www.hcinfo.com/ldfaq.htm#Q.%2...0death%20rate?

Legionaire's is a serious and fairly common illness. Saving a few bucks is not worth the risk.

dar

[Eli's_mommy]

[oneKnight]

The (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, has estimated that the disease infects 10,000 to 15,000 persons annually in the United States, but others have estimated as many as 100,000 annual U.S. cases

So do those other 90,000-85,000 people just die off and nobody notices? Or do they recover on their own without complications?
I want to know why there aren't more people dying off, I mean nearly EVERYONE in the US has or uses a hot water heater. I surfed the CDC site searched for "Legionnaires" and it mostly brought up things about commercial buildings and complex water systems - especially hospitals, cruise ships, travelling abroad, chlorination techniques, etc. Not once did I read them suggest you turn up the temp on your personal water heater.

Numbers in the thousands really aren't that impressive if you stop to think about it. Approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV virus (CDC website) and I seriously doubt that many MDC'ers are rushing out to get the vax.

I more often than not have trouble getting water hot-enough from using all warmed water at full blast (for example at the gym or the school dorm or my apartment - places I can't control the temp) and I'd consider it plenty hot enough for a shower at about 105-110º not anywhere near 130º.

[cornflake girl]

I want to know why there aren't more people dying off, I mean nearly EVERYONE in the US has or uses a hot water heater. I surfed the CDC site searched for "Legionnaires" and it mostly brought up things about commercial buildings and complex water systems - especially hospitals, cruise ships, travelling abroad, chlorination techniques, etc. Not once did I read them suggest you turn up the temp on your personal water heater

I was thinking the same thing. In fact, I've always heard it recommended that if you have young children that you should set the water heater no higher than 120 to avoid the risk of scalding.

[Zamber]

Found this:
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_hotwatr_hhg.htm

They recommend the water to be set between 120°F and 125°F.

[blueridgewoman]

It might not be something you choose to worry about, but I generally err on the side of caution in cases like this one where a simple adjustment which carries no side effects whatsoever, save a slightly higher bill, could save my family a little pain and suffering.

Its not like a vaccination, which has side effects and is controversial. There are no side effects to simply turning up your tank and installing a limiter which, cornflakegirl, reduces the temperature BACK down to a level which would prevent scalding. I'm not really seeing where this is a controversial issue.