Hot Water Not Hot Enough in CalgaryIn summer, if the h2o heater is not heating water efficiently, there is non enough hot water, or the water you get is not hot enough, you might be tempted to only struggle through.

Shorter showers and lukewarm face washes are non too serious when the weather condition's okay outside.

Come wintertime, whatsoever problems with your hot water supply are magnified. Nobody wants to face those dark, cold wintertime mornings without a squeamish long hot shower first.

Don't worry – water not beingness quite as hot as it used to be and having to plow the dial a piddling higher is quite a common problem in Calgary homes.

You lot can perform some general troubleshooting to ready many issues. Just what problems should you be looking for with your hot water setup and how do you go about fixing them?

Where do you start when your water is not hot enough?

Whether yous take an electric, gas or tankless water heater, problems can occur over time with h2o non getting hot enough.

Information technology may sound overly simple but sometimes information technology can be as straightforward as heading to your water tank and adjusting the thermostat. They sometimes get bumped by accident and cause the temperature to alter.

Some people also forget that the thermostat was turned downwardly in summer to conserve free energy.

So, merely increasing the temperature on the thermostat is a quick and easy fix in this example.

Be sure not to set the temperature any higher than 120ºF (or 49ºC), as this can consequence in scalding and serious burns when you use the water.

If y'all turn up the thermostat and there is no corresponding increase in water temperature, the thermostat may be faulty, in which example yous will need to call a professional in to supersede it.

Other common bug with lukewarm water

If troubleshooting the near obvious and simplest-to-set up problem doesn't piece of work, you'll need to dig a footling deeper.

Here are some other common problems to look for if you're getting lukewarm water. They may not all utilize to your system.

If you have a tankless water heater, for example, you can obviously skip the sections on tank problems!

A broken dip tube

Hot water not hot enough in showerThe part of the dip tube in your water heater is to push cold water to the lesser of the tank, where information technology'south heated.

The water for faucets and appliances comes from the hot layer on top (that'southward where the outlet is) so if the water is not sufficiently circulated, it may come through warm or even cold.

The dip tube needs to exist in good working order to produce sufficiently heated h2o just sometimes they suffer cracks.

Lukewarm water may so enter the pipe system and not be hot enough when it comes out of the faucet or shower.

Generally, this trouble is only nowadays in older water heaters (20 years or more).

A broken gas valve

Once your water heater'due south life goes beyond 10 years, its gas valve becomes increasingly susceptible to harm, especially if the device has not been well maintained over the years.

If you lot tin aroma rotten eggs or garbage, it's probable the smell of gas due to a broken gas valve or a leak in your gas line. The gas is therefore not heating the water properly.

This is a dangerous problem that needs urgent attention. Parts may demand to be replaced. Switch the gas off and call your gas company or plumber. Do not attempt DIY.

A broken internal heating element

Electric water heater not hot enoughElectric h2o heaters generally have two heating elements. If one of them breaks, the other will have to work twice as hard and this makes it less efficient at heating the water.

If the water is constantly lukewarm, it usually indicates a problem with the upper heating element. A brusk-lived supply of fully hot h2o points to a problem with the lower heating element.

Regular checking and maintenance volition prevent impairment but if the problem has already surfaced, call in a professional person to test and supervene upon the faulty element.

Sediment build up in the tank

H2o that enters your water heater tank is rarely 100 percent pure.

Calgary h2o is classified as hard and then it carries plenty of dissolved minerals, also every bit possible sand particles and other debris. This all falls to the lesser of the tank when the h2o sits and is heated.

Over time, sediment can build upwards in the bottom of the tank, where the burner usually is. This can lead to slower heating or poor efficiency in your water heater, meaning lukewarm water rather than hot water.

The solution for this is to drain the tank and to use a h2o softener.

A leaking h2o tank

If you discover that your water tank has a leak, practice not endeavor to repair it or it could lead to dangerous situations and/or farther impairment to your domicile.

Call in a professional to replace the unit.

When might you demand to supercede your water heater?

Pete's professional advice on replacing your water heater is as follows:

"If you are only getting 5-7 minutes of hot water for showers, and yous can't fill the tub up with hot water, and then information technology's likely the dip tube in your hot water tank that needs replacement. We can change that relatively easily and cost-finer for you.

All the same, if your tank is over 8 years of historic period, information technology's probably just getting sometime and tired. Information technology's best to modify it and be proactive rather than waiting for a problem. You can call us further for pricing on that."

Without regular maintenance, such as annual flushing, your water heater'southward organisation is probable to endure from damaged parts at some point, nearly commonly the thermal switch, thermostat or heating element.

Unremarkably, a licensed plumber is required to diagnose and either replace the parts or replace your water heater.

Hot water not hot enough in the shower?

If yous are getting some hot water in the shower only not enough, it may hateful that you lot demand to upgrade the size of your heater – or change to a tankless water heater.

If someone showers before you or uses another hot h2o appliance and the hot h2o runs out before you complete your shower, it'southward a sure sign that the water heater is not sufficient for the household. Demand outstrips supply.

In this case, talk to your plumber nigh upgrading your model.

Water-heating technology moves on apace, and then you may exist able to install a more efficient model, such every bit a new tankless h2o heater that heats water as required rather than storing information technology in a tank.

Need some hot h2o help?

While not-hot-enough h2o is not quite as bad every bit no hot h2o at all, it'southward a problem you certainly don't need.

About people don't know where to start with troubleshooting a faulty water heater. Follow the troubleshooting steps higher up and nourish to hot water problems now rather than in the depths of winter.

If you'd like united states to accept a look at your hot water arrangement, contact Pete the Plumber at (403) 257-1766 or head online to request an date.