Methods and systems for operating a
water heater to limit the effects of stacking in a
water heater tank are disclosed. In some cases, the
water heater controller may determine a rate of change of the
water temperature in the water heater tank. If the rate of change exceeds a threshold value, the controller may adjust the water heater temperature
set point downward to help reduce stacking in the water heater. In some cases, the water heater temperature
set point may be returned to the original water heater temperature
set point when stacking is no longer likely to be of a concern. In one illustrative embodiment, the controller may track the time that the heater of the water heater is in the “on” state, or the time that the heater is in the “off” state, during subsequent heating cycles. The controller may then compare the “on” time or the “off” time to respective
recovery threshold times. If the “on” time or the “off” time exceeds its respective
recovery threshold time, then the controller may adjust the set point toward the original water heater temperature set point, sometimes in an incremental manner.