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free=good
02-16-2009, 11:38 AM
I apologize in advance for the long question but here goes....

My wife and I purchased a new house that was under construction when we became interested in it. One of the options for the house was a 3rd bathroom, but they told us construction was too far along to get that added (framed, wired, plumbing in). We said thanks but no thanks, we need the 3rd bath option for our kids. They came back and said, OK we can put the 3rd bath in but it will cost $X dollars to do it and we said OK. In our neighborhood the standard is for 2.5 baths or less, you get one water heater, for 3+ baths you get 2, so the additional bathroom got us the second hot water heater.

Fast forward 2 months and we're not very pleased with how quickly the hot water runs out in the master bathroom shower. We had the builder's plumbing people come out to see what the issue is and we find out the second hot water heater supplies water only to the 3rd (late install) bathroom, our sons bathroom. They also said we could turn the temp up on the hot water heater but with 2 small kids we didn't want it at the highest setting because even at a low setting the water is very very hot. In the walk-through for our new house we asked about the 2 hot water heaters (and which supplies what) and were told that typically the master bathroom gets its own heater and the rest of the house shares the other.

So we have a few questions.......Is it possible to re direct which bathroom is supplied by each heater or is it too late for that? Is it possible to "network" the 2 heaters so they both supply water to all parts of the house and effectively become an 80 gallon hot water heater? Is this sort of set-up typical and we're on the hook for any expenses to fix this, or has the builder done a lazy job and should pay for the fix(es).

Thanks!

drtyhands
02-16-2009, 11:52 AM
I won't speculate on responsibility on a heresay situation.
I would tie them together if they are at the same location with the neccessary plumbing accessible.
Pictures?

JCsPlumbing
02-16-2009, 11:56 AM
You might be responsible for any changes now as you approved them with the walkthrough and the signoffs at closing. But I'm no attorney.

Did they screw up? Don't know if anyone can say as we're not looking at it. But the plumber is not required to supply you with X amount of hot water over X timer period. Just hot water to all fixtures.

Most don't take into consideration the total hot water needs when sizing a tank for a customer. I had one GC put in a 40 gallon lowboy for a 3.5 bath 4,000 sq.ft. house and technically he hadn't done anything wrong.

You should be able to pipe the two heaters in "series", up the temperature some, install a thermostatic valve, & everybody's happy. And you will probably have to pay for it.

Good luck.

J.C.

rookie plumber
02-16-2009, 12:00 PM
Are both water heaters situated in the the same location or are they in different parts of the house.

free=good
02-16-2009, 12:05 PM
Wow, you guys don't mess around - super fast responses there!

The 2 heaters are located side by side.

Sounds like the best fix would be to tie the 2 heaters together - what would something like that cost?

Thanks again everyone...I think I just found my new favorite website for house stuff.

JCsPlumbing
02-16-2009, 12:21 PM
Noone can ever accurately tell you what something plumbingwise would cost for another area.

So many factors it's almost impossible. Have the original plumbing co. price it. Ask some friends, co-workers, neighbors etc. for a recommendation of another plumber. Have them price it also. Better than the phonebook in my opinion.

You might have to pay for estimates as some company's have justifiably started charging for estimates & possibly absorbing some of the estimate if they get the job.

I would never get anything done based on price alone though.

Good luck.

J.C.

JCsPlumbing
02-16-2009, 12:33 PM
I might be willing to help.

Got any room during SXSW? :rolleyes:

:D

J.C.

free=good
02-16-2009, 04:31 PM
Not sure about a place to stay but if you are in town for SXSW I can definitely buy you a beer. :)

EasyEman
02-16-2009, 04:48 PM
Networking water heaters? Hook em up to the wifi and let it rip.

FINER9998
02-17-2009, 07:21 PM
what brand are the HWHs? also, this may be interesting in terms of how to effectively address your current situation. if i understand your situation, it appears to be a reltively simple situation to correct.

http://dallascityhall.com/pdf/Building/ParallelSeriesPiping.pdf

it may be a little old but it will give you the general idea.