We have 2 bathrooms in our house and everytime there is two people showering at the same time or if you use it right after someone, hot water only comes on for like 10 mins. Is there switch I can crank up or something? I should mention that, other wise the water temp is fine and lasts a lot longer.
2006-12-14 15:46:08 · 12 answers · asked by jjj 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
How big is your water heater? a 40 gallon water heater will only last for about 15 to 20 minutes (with one shower running) before it's "out" of hot water. with two running you can cut that in half. i think you need a bigger water heater or you need to scrub a little faster. lol
Gas heaters recover faster then electric heaters. You can turn up the temp. dial but if you do you risk having thermal expansion blow out the tp valve or the side of your heater. your best bet is to live with it, or get a bigger heater.
dave
journeyman plumber
2006-12-14 15:55:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a much bigger water heater OR get one of those small point of use water heaters that doesn't have a tank at all they just heat the water as you use it.
The most efficient ones, according to what I've read are the ones that run on Gas. You can get them big enough for your whole house or small enough to just heat the water for one of your showers ( or get two small ones, one for each shower).
The problem is they are kind of expensive... even the less efficient electric ones. Also the temp of the water going into them can affect how hot they can get the water. Now if you had near freezing water going in you'd only get warm water out even at the highest setting. So keeping your tank water heater to at least get the water warm before it hits the point of use heaters.
Now the good thing about these water heaters is that they help the environment. They do that by not wasting a lot of energy keeping a tank of water hot when no ones there to use it.
2006-12-14 16:04:48 · answer #2 · answered by Sulkahlee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your hot water heater is getting older the bottom of the tank may have a lot of mineral deposits in it and if it does that will rob you of capacity and heat both. While it may seem to be OK when there is only one shower on it may only be giving you 50% capacity. There are three adults that live in my house (2 girls) so I have a 50 gallon heater otherwise figure 15 gallons of hot water each per shower. They aren't that expensive and they last for about 15-20 years depending on the quality of the water in your area. Hope this helps you. Also someone else mentioned if your heater is electric and one of the heater elements is burned out it will act the same way.
2006-12-14 15:58:19 · answer #3 · answered by tpbthigb 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first thing you need to do is shut down your water heater. If it is electric, turn of the breaker, if it is gas, turn the knob on the top of the control valve to pilot.
Then below the control valve is a drain valve. It looks like a hose bib on the outside of your house or it is a white knob about 2" in diameter. Connect a garden hose to this. Place a bucket under the connection and then run the hose some place to drain the water. Open up the valve and check the water coming out. It may be full of sediment. If it is, let the water run until it is clear.
If you have an electric water heater, you may want to see if you have dual heating elements. One may be burnt out.
There is a control knob on the front of your water heater, check to see what the setting is. The more you turn it clockwise, the warmer the water will be.
Good Luck.
2006-12-14 16:20:08 · answer #4 · answered by Casey L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your water heater has alot of sedement in th bottom, or the water heater is just too small. Either way,you should get a larger capacity water heater. Keep in mind that the important thing when shopping for a water heater is its recovery rate. In other words how much hot water is recovered per hour per its capacity. And that is determined by its BTU per hour. All this information is listed on the front label.
2006-12-15 01:29:19 · answer #5 · answered by dewhatulike 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's possible that your water heater has one element burned out. There is one upper and one lower element, and when one goes, the top of the water heater is hot but the bottom is cold, reducing the capacity. You might check it, it's not hard to replace yourself.
Here's a how-to:
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/qa/qawaterheater.shtm
Also, you could bump up the temperature a bit, there are thermostats behind those covers. 5-10 degrees warmer will make the water hotter, so you use less of it per shower.
But I'm thinking you need a new element.
2006-12-14 15:57:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An average hot water heater should keep up, no trouble. My guess is you have an electric heater and the top element is burned out.
2006-12-14 15:57:56 · answer #7 · answered by bob j 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
until you get a larger hot water heater you need to make it a point to only take one shower at a time. your showers last more tha n 10 minutes?
GOD BLESS
2006-12-14 15:51:01 · answer #8 · answered by thewindowman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need a larger hot water heater. One that holds more capacity.
2006-12-14 15:49:11 · answer #9 · answered by Albert H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The water heater is too small or too old but most likely it is old and not functioning properly
2006-12-14 15:55:18 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋