TIL I was setting my water heater wrong for years

I always kept my water heater at 140 degrees thinking it was better. My gas bill was high and my pipes were getting noisy. A plumber from Rio Rancho came out for a different fix and asked why it was set so hot. He told me 120 degrees is plenty and safer, especially with kids. He said at 140, I was wasting about $60 a year just on standby heat loss. I turned it down last week and the hot water is still fine. What's the right temp you all use to save money but still get a good shower?

2 comments

2 Comments

troysanchez19h ago

Actually, 140 is needed for some dishwashers without a booster heater.

gibson.seth10h ago

Absolutely right, we had that exact problem in our old place. The dishwasher just wouldn't get things truly clean and left a weird film. A plumber finally asked about our water heater temp and that was the whole fix. Cranking it up made a huge difference. It's one of those things you don't know until you run into it.