There are all kinds of reasons why your water heater isn’t producing enough hot water. It could be too small, the settings may be wrong or there could be a more serious problem. Leaks, sediment buildup or broken dip tubes/heating elements can all steal your hot water away. Some examples of hot water issues include:
Your water comes out in spurts of hot and cold
If your hot water seems to run hot and cold randomly, then there may be sediment build-up in your water heater’s tank. Sediment builds up faster when you have hard water, when your pipes are old or if your anode rod is worn out. Sediment build-up leaves less space for hot water in the tank.
First, try flushing and draining the tank. We recommend either doing it yourself or having a professional perform a full drain and flush once per year. If you keep running out of hot water even after a flush, it’s possible that too much sediment has built up. In this case, you may have to replace your tank.
You keep running out of hot water after a very short period of time
Most water heaters have two heating elements: One at the top, and one at the bottom. The top heating element repeatedly re-heats the water near the top of the tank. The bottom heating element heats all the water added to the tank to store it at a constant hot temperature.
If your bottom heating element stops working, then it isn’t heating most of the water in your tank properly. To fix this problem, you will need a professional to replace your tank’s bottom water heater element.
Your water never gets above a lukewarm temperature
The water heater’s dip tube pushes the cold water to the bottom of the tank. There, the lower element heats it before you use it. If your water heater’s dip tube breaks, then all the replacement cold water added to the tank mixes with the hot water already inside. As a result, you get a lukewarm mixture of hot and cold water.
If your dip tube is broken, you may discover small chunks of plastic in your showerhead or sink strainers. Take off your showerhead and look for debris. If you find any, then you could try to test and replace your dip tube yourself. Replacing a dip tube is relatively cheap, quick and easy.
You run out of hot water before everyone is finished using it
In this case, your water heater is probably too small. Conventional water heaters can supply an amount of water equal to the size of their storage tank. If you use more water than the tank can provide, then your heater spends 20 to 30 minutes reheating new water. If your water heater is too small for your needs, you’ll have to replace it with a bigger one.
You’re not getting any hot water at all
Did you know that your water heater has a thermostat that dictates how hot your water gets? It works just like any other thermostat: you tell it how hot you want your water, and your elements heat to that temperature. If you’re not getting any hot water at all, then your thermostat may be malfunctioning, or even set improperly.
Most water heaters have a reset button. Troubleshooting your thermostat is as easy as clicking that button. In case that doesn’t work, locate the thermostat itself and make sure it’s set correctly. If you still have the owner’s manual, the manufacturer should have included the settings inside, or you can find it online. Reset to the heat you want, then try resetting again. If that still doesn’t do the trick, give us a call.
If you have any questions about your water heater, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299! We are here 24/7 for all of your plumbing and HVAC needs.
March 8, 2021