I have a gas hot water tank (apx. 40 gallons). The tank works great, though I'm perplexed with one behavior. No hot water early in the mornings.

If the hot water was not used recently (say a day or two) it takes only a short few moments for the water to reach any of the taps - works so well it is hardly noticeable. This behavior, however, only happens during the day.

In the mornings, around 6am, it takes FOREVER for hot water to reach any of the taps, even if the tank was used the night prior.

I am only seeing this behavior early in the mornings and no other time.

(To reiterate, hot water will hit the taps quickly during the day (9:30am ish on) even if the tank wasn't used for DAYS. In the mornings, not so much.)

Any ideas?

Do you know if you have a hot water circulating system, with or without a pump on it. If you do have and it is a pump system it could be that the pump is on a timer and you are not getting hot water circulating during the night. So if there is a pump and a timer look for the setting and make adjustments.

If you have a system and it does not have a pump it could be a check valve problem or the fact that durning the night when no hot water is being used the water heater does not burn therefore not making any hot water to continue the gravity circulating system.

Otherwise I am not sure what it could be.