>brand new< Bradford White gas water heater [mod: RG1PV50S6N] - not providing enough hot water. Why?

[Jadnashua]

One of the hassles you'll have living in Toronto is that the wintertime incoming cold water temperatures can be quite chilly...potentially approaching freezing. That cools off the tank faster, and would make the needed temperature rise on an electric assist more problematic.

A gallon of water is a bit over 8# (sorry, not metric!). Many of the heating devices are rated in BTUs. One BTU will raise one pound of water one degree F. Should you want to do this in watts, one BTU/hour=0.293W. Problem comes when you want hundreds of pounds of water hot in a short time. Got a car wash shower, and it could easily get into the tons of water if you lounge in there for a bit.

Now, converting everything into units more useful over time involved can get tricky, but can bring some enlightenment.

 

[Johnny-Canuck]

What I liked about the CHRONOMITE brand is the size and they had nice charts on water temp rise vs per gallon flow rate for each model per voltage and wattage sizing. Also it is microprocessor controlled to keep the output temp steady, from 105-120 degrees based on the setting. I saw one unit in a public bathroom so the model I picked fits under the cabinet with no problems. They do have larger units for shower and bathtub fills.

Yes. I agree. After I looked at the STIEBEL : Eltron product line, I went to look at the CHRONOMITE products and see they have really good documentation ... and I now have a better understanding of how to interpret it. But, because I'm pretty sure I would need a larger size (more complicated + costly in terms of providing wiring) I think I'm going to opt to simply put a "water tempering" device on our tank and cranking the thermostat to a hot enough temp to hopefully solve our Walk-In tub requirement.

Have you installed the CHRONOMITE unit you bought yet? When you do, I'd be interested in hearing how it worked for your requirement.