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Why Don’t I Have Enough Hot Water?

Here at Anta Plumbing, we receive many calls every day, and one of the most common complaints we hear, is "Why don't I have enough hot water?". In this post, we will explain some of the common reasons for this issue and provide some helpful tips.

Not Enough Hot Water Reason #1 - Unrealistic Expectations

If you've recently moved, and noticed that the new place doesn't have enough hot water, you might consider the size of your old hot water heater tank compared to the new one. Likewise, if the old home had a gas heater, you might've become used to having hot water on-tap (no pun intended!), whereas the electric heater in the new home takes longer to heat the water.

If you have high flow shower heads, you will also note that only about two-thirds of a 40 gallon tank is always hot, so don't think you'll be able to enjoy a long, hot shower while the dishwasher or washing machine is running.

Not Enough Hot Water Reason #2 - Traveling Distance

If your hot water heater is on one side of the house and your bathroom on the other, you will find that there's a longer wait time for the shower water to turn hot. You could let the water run until it is hot, but that wastes this precious resource.

A better solution would be to install a pump- or gravity-feed recirculation system that continues to circulate the hot water inside the piping at all times. This will reduce your water use, but your standby heat loss will increase. For that reason, it is a good idea to insulate the pipes to reduce the rate at which heat is radiated away.

Alternatively, install the Metlund D'MAND pump, which activates only when you want hot water by pulling it from the hot water heater in seconds, thus saving you water and energy.

#3 - The Dip Tube

Every water heater contains a plastic tube that sits in the cold port, from where cold water is brought to the bottom of the tank for heating purposes. The dip tube also separates the hot and cold water.

Issues with the dip tube (breaks, splits, or if it falls into the tank) can result in the hot and cold water mixing, and you won't have enough hot water.

Other Not Enough Hot Water Issues

NO Hot Water: If you have no hot water at all, you may want to check the circuit breaker to see whether it has tripped. Issues with the element, thermostat or limit switch can also cause you to have no hot water.

Not Enough Hot Water: Loose wiring, issues with the thermostat or hot water elements may be an issue.

Hot Water Takes Too Long to Reheat: In most cases, adjusting the thermostat will suffice. Sediment buildup at the bottom of the tank may also be affecting the energy efficiency.

With so many potential reasons for not enough hot water, it's probably a good idea to get hold of Anta Plumbing.

What do you think?

Written by Anta

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