Having access to a steady supply of hot water in your home isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity not only for your comfort but for your health as well. Problems with your hot water supply can manifest in different ways. You may have no hot water in the shower but the sinks are fine. Your hot water might last for the first half of a shower then turn ice cold. Or perhaps the water never really gets hot and is constantly lukewarm.
It’s incredibly frustrating when the hot water keeps disappearing on you. To get to the bottom of these issues, you’ll need to call a professional plumbing technician to investigate. Let’s go over some of these strange cases of missing hot water so you’ll have an idea of what the problem could be.
No Hot Water in the Shower
If your home’s supply of hot water is fine everywhere except for the showers, it could be an issue with the mixing valve. This crucial component is a control valve that balances the flow of water from the hot and cold water lines. It mixes the two together to provide the desired water temperature.
Like all plumbing components, it’s subject to wear and tear. Over time, the valve will wear down, especially if your home has hard water. A professional plumbing technician should be able to replace it.
Another possible culprit is the anti-scald device. This aptly named device prevents scalding hot water from coming out of your showerheads. If it’s set too high or breaks, it may prevent any hot water from flowing through the showerhead. A technician should be able to fix it or reset it. We don’t recommend that you try to DIY this repair. A mistake could result in a scalding hazard.
Hot Shower That Turns Ice Cold
There’s nothing worse than a luxuriously hot shower that suddenly and unexpectedly turns bitterly cold. When this happens and there aren’t any other demands being made on your hot water supply, there could be a few causes behind it.
In cases like this, the usual suspect is the water heater. Not being able to supply enough hot water is one of the most common indicators that a water heater is declining. If your water heater is at the end of its lifespan of 8–12 years, it’s possibly time to consider getting a new water heater.
Another possible culprit is a buildup of sediment in the water heater. This is common with the hard water we have in southern California. The minerals found in hard water such as calcium and magnesium settle at the bottom of the water heater and act as insulation over the lower heating element. This prevents the water heater from properly heating the water needed for a hot shower. Scheduling a water heater flush should take care of the problem.
If the hot water has been disappearing from your home, you can rely on us to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Call Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air for Fast and Professional water plumbing repairs and service. We have served Orange County since 1981.