Adjust non adjustable hot water heater?

[Jefster]

Does anyone know of a mod or workaround to adjust the hot water heater temp? My old trailer had an adjustment, but this new one doesn't seem to have one. I keep the water heater at home turned down because I have a lot of young kids, but the camper is way too hot.

[JRTJH]

Older "gas only" Suburban water heaters had adjustable thermostats. The newer, DSI/electric models have a non-adjustable thermostat. It typically is a 130F thermostat with a 180F high temp limit switch. Your specific water heater may have a malfunctioning or higher temperature thermostat installed. There are some 140F thermostats available, CW has one on sale now for around $10.

If you are experiencing "overly hot water" on both gas and electric operation, chances are slim that both thermostats have failed and you may be expecting something your water heater can't provide (cooler hot water).

One "may not work workaround" that you might try is to slightly open the 1/4 turn winterizing valve on the water heater cold water input. That may (I've never tried it) blend water going into the water heater with cold water as it bypasses the water heater. That "blended water" would be similar to adjusting the water temperature at the faucet with the cold/hot taps. While it may effectively lower the water temperature from the hot water tap, you may experience widely varying temperature swings when showering and using the "pause" control. So, be forewarned that "blending water using the winterize valve" may not be a suitable solution, then again, it may help somewhat.

[bobbecky]

When we've had our grandkids over, we go through a training period with them so they understand which way to move the lever faucet to get cold water. We occasionally hear a squeal from the bathroom, so that reinforces what we told them. The concept with these RV's is a small hot water tank needs to be hotter than a large residential tank because you are going to blend the hot and cold. Otherwise, you will never have enough hot water from the small tank. You might investigate one of the endless hot water heaters to see what temp they work at, as that may be your answer for cooler water.

[Jefster]

Well, I just tried the bypass valve. First I tested the water coming from the kitchen faucet, it was 145°. By messing with the valve a bit I was able to get it down to 110°. We'll try that out and see if it stays at all steady the rest of today and tomorrow before we leave, or if it causes any problems.