ruelens Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 I recently made a simple and inexpensive change that I am pleased with. My hot water has always been extremely hot, approx. 145 degrees. For 28 bucks I purchased an Atwood 93105 Adjustable Thermostat from Amazon Prime. It allows for adjustable hot water temperatures approx. 110-150 F with 5 degree increments. I currently have my thermostat 1 click lower than the midpoint, and am getting approx. 122 degree water. It was a simple install from the outside door of my water heating unit. This inexpensive device now gives me hot water at a safe temperature and should save money in electricity/propane storing hot water at a cooler temperature. Note: I called Atwood to confirm my model 10 gallon heater would be controlled both on propane and electricity with this 93105 part number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budeneighe Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Good find. In RVs, 120 is about the right outflow temp for both safety and longevity of components though powdered detergents usually suggest 140 degrees to fully dissolve and activate them. In the Evergreen SKP COHO, there are signs all over to not use powdered detergents. I have been suspecting it is because of this and the undissolved remnants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Doesn't this reduce the effective capacity of the heater? I thought they ran a higher temp, in conjunction with a mixing valve to supply water at an acceptable temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Perhaps this is a subject that should be mentioned on the forums more frequently as while it isn't standard in any RV water heater that I am familiar with, both Suburban and Atwood make adjustable thermostats that can be added to a water heater. They are available from Amazon and most better RV supply parts houses either have them or can order them for you. There is a reason that RV water heaters tend to operate at such high temperatures. The standard 6 gallon water heater is intended to supply water that is hot enough that you will use it in small amounts mixed with the larger supply of cold water. By doing this your 6 gallon water heater can supply enough to have a decent shower. It seems to me that adjustable thermostats have become more available as the larger sized water heaters have become more common and available. Atwood now makes a mixing valve that can be mounted behind the water heater to mix the hotter water from the tank with cold water from the system to supply water at a more acceptable temperature for the owner, without lowering the set point of the water heater. I'm not sure if Suburban has done this yet, but if not I'm sure that they soon will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirakawa Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Kirk, the link you supplied for the Suburban is a fixed temperature. I couldn't find an adjustable thermostat for Suburban. Do you have a link for one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 Kirk, the link you supplied for the Suburban is a fixed temperature. I couldn't find an adjustable thermostat for Suburban. Do you have a link for one? You are right! I should have read the specs more carefully. I found that in a search for one, but........... I wonder if one for an Atwood could possibly be used? I've not tried that as my water heaters of late have all been Atwood. I'll do some more digging to see what I can find and post it here if I find something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarvan Posted August 19, 2015 Report Share Posted August 19, 2015 Yes, the scalding hot is nasty..... Then again, you need as much and as hot a water as you can get for shower endurance. I've been somewhat unhappy with my kitchen faucet for a while, will research a way to get thermostat controlled water in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted August 19, 2015 Report Share Posted August 19, 2015 There are many tempering/mixing valves available, just about any of which can be used in an RV water system. The only advantage I can see to the Atwood valve is that it says it comes with a winterizing bypass kit. Another way to solve the problem at the sink and vanity is to install single lever faucets so that once the temperature is set, the water can be turned on and off without having to readjust the mix of hot and cold each time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweety bird Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I recently made a simple and inexpensive change that I am pleased with. My hot water has always been extremely hot, approx. 145 degrees. For 28 bucks I purchased an Atwood 93105 Adjustable Thermostat from Amazon Prime. It allows for adjustable hot water temperatures approx. 110-150 F with 5 degree increments. I currently have my thermostat 1 click lower than the midpoint, and am getting approx. 122 degree water. It was a simple install from the outside door of my water heating unit. This inexpensive device now gives me hot water at a safe temperature and should save money in electricity/propane storing hot water at a cooler temperature. Note: I called Atwood to confirm my model 10 gallon heater would be controlled both on propane and electricity with this 93105 part number. Atwood Thermostat.jpg I recently made a simple and inexpensive change that I am pleased with. My hot water has always been extremely hot, approx. 145 degrees. For 28 bucks I purchased an Atwood 93105 Adjustable Thermostat from Amazon Prime. It allows for adjustable hot water temperatures approx. 110-150 F with 5 degree increments. I currently have my thermostat 1 click lower than the midpoint, and am getting approx. 122 degree water. It was a simple install from the outside door of my water heating unit. This inexpensive device now gives me hot water at a safe temperature and should save money in electricity/propane storing hot water at a cooler temperature. Note: I called Atwood to confirm my model 10 gallon heater would be controlled both on propane and electricity with this 93105 part number. Atwood Thermostat.jpg Does yours work on electrics, as well as, gas? Thanks. Doesn't matter what letter u put mine on, it doesn't change the temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruelens Posted October 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Does yours work on electrics, as well as, gas? Thanks. Doesn't matter what letter u put mine on, it doesn't change the temp. yes mine works on both electric and gas. I called Atwood to confirm that before I ordered the part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest THE TRAILERKING Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 One thing to keep in mind... Lower Temperatures Allow Bacteria GrowthIt seems as though the solution to help prevent accidental scalding would be to turn down the temperature at the water heater to say, 115 degrees, but lower temperatures actually create other problems. At temperatures below 135 to 140, Legionellae bacteria, which is responsible for Legionnaires’ Disease, can survive and even multiply in the water heater tank. Estimates by LegionellaPrevention.org say that up to 600,000 cases of Legionnaires’ Disease are misdiagnosed as pnemonia each year, because this is something that isn’t tested for in hospitals. The diagram below shows the time it takes to kill Legionellae Bacteria at different temperatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV fan Posted October 22, 2015 Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 The Atwood mixing valve has a poppet that allows cold water to be mixed with the hot. The poppet can get clogged up due to obstructions such as a calcium build-up. Once this happens you will get scalding hot water from the hot faucets and hot water out of the cold faucets, You will have to remove the water heater to get at the mixing valve and clean out the obstructions. After a couple of episodes of this I removed the mixing valve and added the adj thermostat. I also regularly clean out my hot water tank to avoid crud in the tank and lines. Since I put in the adj thermostat I have had no more issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave O Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 Hi All One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the hotter water is what is specified/needed for a dishwasher. Dave O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFDR3116 Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 I'll stick with the hotter water so that I can take long showers without running out. I always figured that was the reason for the higher temps. We have a single handle faucet in the kitchen and I can adjust the temp of the water with the faucet handle. I think it would be better to change the faucet to correct the problem at the kitchen sink while still having enough hot from the water heater for a good hot shower that lasts for more than a minute or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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