Facing the No Hot Water Problem Too Often? It’s Time to Call a Plumber

How many times do you get up in the morning to take a nice, hot shower and find you’re out of water?

Do you ever run home from the gym, expecting to quickly clean up before you have to go out again, only to discover there’s no hot water left?

Serious problems call for serious investigative skills. At best, whatever’s causing the problem is a relatively simple fix. At worst, you’re facing a water heater upgrade, the most costly option.

Investigation 101

Problem 1: Determine if you and your family are putting too much stress on your hot water heater. A 40-gallon hot water tank should be sufficient for a family of four. But if your household is in the habit of running the clothes washer, running the dishwasher, and taking four showers in the morning, you’re bound to run out of hot water. It takes a while for the tank to refill with hot water. In this case, simply moving household tasks to the evening will leave you with enough hot water for morning showers.

Problem 2: If you run out of hot water and it doesn’t come back, your water heater may be malfunctioning. Some components such as the sacrificial anode rod, can be fixed. Significant dirt buildup inside the tank, which can affect heat transfer, can be cleaned. You’ll need to hire an expert plumber to assess the heater and make a diagnosis. Talk about the cost-effectiveness of the proposed fix if it involves one or two parts, and consider factors including the age of the heater and its performance. If you’re ready to invest the money in a new system, upgrading an old water heater that needs to be fixed may be the better option.

Problem 3: Sometimes, the cause of having no hot water is due to a complete system failure. If your water heater has seen better days, and you suddenly run out of hot water, it’s probably time to put the system to rest. If your plumber diagnoses the heater’s death, you’ll need to replace the unit. Take into consideration how much hot water your family needs, whether you need a larger tank, and if alternative systems such as a heat-pump water heater or tankless water heater will better suit your household’s needs.

Don’t sacrifice hygiene to an ill-suited, malfunctioning, or failing water heater. Investigate the cause of no hot water, and get on the horn to a plumber who can solve the problem.

For answers to your questions, contact Daniels Plumbing today.