Inadequate Hot water to fill Spa Tub

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PlumbNuts

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Is no one going to challenge the notion of “a 50 gallon water heater is the biggest one allowed in Kentucky”. This sounds like a lie. What if you have 6 bathrooms? Six bathtubs? I’ve never heard of such a thing. I looked through several Kentucky state regulations regarding water heaters and I found nothing limiting the size. The only regulations I found, which is common language in most Plumbing codes, state that “the water heater must be large enough to handle the demand of the home” or something similar. It seems clear that yours is not.
Was this new installation permitted and inspected by your local water department? It depends on where you live but they are often required. One reason it to insure that the installer knew what they were doing and another reason is to make sure that the plumber is doing work that is ethical and in your best interest as a consumer, which I suspect they are not. If you or anyone here can quote me the Kentucky law that limits the heater to 50 gallons, I’d like to see it.
Here is my guess. Your plumber had a 50 gallon heater the wanted to sell to you, or they didn’t do the proper calculations before they bought the appliance, and told you that line about the state law to cover their mistake. I don’t live in Kentucky so I can’t be sure, but I think it’s worth doing some due diligence here. Your local government agency that governs plumbing should be able to give you a straight answer without having a financial interest in the outcome.
I will also agree with the proposed fix. Add a thermostatic mixing valve on top of your existing heater, then crank the heat up to 160’. This will extend the first hour limit of the tank and make a 50 gallon heater behave like an 80 gallon heater. You must add the secondary mixing device to prevent scalding hot water from leaving the tank.
Also how big is this tub? You can do some rough math calculations to see how much water will fit in it. Can you ID the make and model? Look up the manufacture data and it will tell you. You could also use watch to time how long it takes to fill the tub. Then drain it and time how long it takes to fill up a standard 5 gallon hardware store bucket. From this you can calculate the gallons needed to fill your tub. Your hwh tank ‘first hour rating’ should exceed this. You said you turned up your heater already? Most heaters have multiple thermostats. Did they all get turned up?
It doesn’t matter how far away the tub is from the water heater. That doesn’t really affect the first hour rating, you just end up wasting more cool water at the start before the hot water completes its journey from the tank. A more efficient system would be insulated and have a constantly moving ‘Ferris wheel’ of hot water circulating around your home, but that is a matter of efficiency and convenience. That doesn’t really affect how much hot water is sitting in the tank.
To sum up: Challenge the 50 gallon assumption. If I’m right and your plumber tried to cheat you, insist they make it right.

I agree with your point (even it if it almost sounds like you are calling the OP a liar), I did ask that question and I also would like to know what "ordinance" is being cited.
I know that individual municipalities have the right to adopt codes that are more stringent than those adopted by the state and this may be one of those situations but that does seem unrealistic.
 

Reach4

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Reach4

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How does that apply to the OP? Did you post the wrong link?
I posted the link that I intended. It says that the federal law has prevented manufacture of home resistance electric WHs bigger than 50 gallons. That would not be a KY-specific thing. That article also discusses various workarounds.

I did fail to post as much as I planned, Here is more of what I intended to quote:
the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 2015. Water heaters manufactured after April 16, 2015, must meet the new energy requirements. This law applies to electric and gas hot water heaters. The gas hot water heaters are still available because the makers could make changes to the tanks that brought them into compliance.​
 

Paulypfunk

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It was not my intent to call the OP a liar. I was implying that their CONTRACTOR might be lying or ignorant of some of the other choices they have.
As for the article just posted, it refers to Palm Beach Florida and not Tennessee. Still waiting to see a Tennessee specific prohibition on large tanks. The article refers to NAECA OF 2015 which does raise the efficiency standards and standby loss rating of all water heaters. If you look up that actual law it does not prohibit large tanks, it just says they have to have more insulation. For instance, an 80 gallon electric water heater has to have an efficiency rating of 1.97 vs 0.86 for an old tank. Hell, I even called a plumbing wholesaler in Tennessee and asked him this question and he just laughed. They sell 80 gallon electric tanks all the time. Yes, you might need to go to a hybrid, an heat pump style, a light commercial or a ‘heavy duty’ tank.
I’ve run into this in the field a number of times when swapping out an old electric tank. The new tank of similar gallon capacity won’t fit because the OD of the tank is larger because they have thicker insulation under the metal jacket. I got into a pickle doing lowboy heaters in an old apartment building because they were under the 34” kitchen countertops. The new tanks wouldn’t fit. I think this is why you see more tall can hwhs these days because you can keep the diameter the same if you make it taller.
To reiterate my point...some bro be lyin’, or they are basing their professional opinion on bad information.
 
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PlumbNuts

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Thank you. Yes, apparently there is a regulation in Kentucky which allows for a maximum of a 50 gallon water heater in residential properties. We used to have an 80 gallon tank but when it failed, we were told we could only replace it with a 50 gallon tank. I don’t know of any regulations that do not allow for two water heaters.

If I were you I would call a different, licensed plumber to come out and assess your home.
I am beginning to believe that you may have been misled by someone, but a good, reputable, licensed plumbing contractor should be able to provide accurate information.
Go ahead and contact 2 or 3 for estimates, you will need one anyway to get the new unit installed regardless of how you decide.
 

PlumbNuts

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The article that comes up when I click on it is from a company called Water Heater Experts; I have read the article and nowhere in it does it say:
It says that the federal law has prevented manufacture of home resistance electric WHs bigger than 50 gallons.
It says: "you will find that finding a replacement 80 gallon water heater is almost impossible."
"Almost impossible" and "against the law" are two different things. Furthermore that article was written in 2017 when that statement may have been more accurate but all I have to do now is log onto my suppliers website and I have multiple "code compliant" 80 gallon electric water heaters to choose from.
 

Reach4

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but all I have to do now is log onto my suppliers website and I have multiple "code compliant" 80 gallon electric water heaters to choose from.
  • Residential?
  • Not hybrid?
  • In stock?
 

Paulypfunk

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I know of no prohibition in putting a ‘heavy duty’ or ‘light commercial’ water heater into a large house, provided the wiring is adequate. This debate is getting somewhat academic. The main point is that the client was not well served by the original solution. The plumber should have found a different way.
 
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