What is happening when your water heater runs out of hot water quickly? For some, taking a single hot shower uses up all of the hot water in the house. There are a few problems that might cause your water heater to produce only a small amount of warm water. Here are the potential problems and what you can do if your hot water runs out after one shower.
Broken Heating Element
Your water heater has two heating elements. When both are broken, you will get no hot water from the tank. But when only one is broken, you’ll start off with hot water and then it will quickly lose temperature. The heating element at the bottom of the tank is meant to generate most of the hot water. Another element at the top keeps the water at the top of the tank a bit warm, so the water is consistent. If the bottom element is broken, then only the water near the top of the heater will be warm. You’ll get that water first but then get cold water soon after.
Your HVAC professional can find out if your heating elements are broken and replace them.
Dip Tube Problems
The dip tube is the part of the water heater that brings cold water to the bottom of the tank and the main heating element. Otherwise, the cold water would just pour into the top of the tank and not get down into the heater to get warmed up. When the dip tube is broken, the cold water it adds to the tank mixes with the much warmer water below it. You then will only get moderately warm water, no matter how much you run the tap.
Your HVAC professional can fix or replace a broken dip tube.
Experiencing cold showers lately? Every home needs hot water in their home. Give our team at Woodbridge GTA ClimateCare a call today to learn more.
Sediment Build-Up
Sediment build-up is the result of hard water. The minerals in hard water collect on everything that it touches, including the water heater. This build-up can get so bad that there is significantly less water in the tank than when it was first installed, so you run out of hot water quickly.
Minor sediment problems can be fixed by HVAC professionals. However, serious build-up may have ruined the tank. In that case, you’ll need a new water heater.
New Water Heaters
If there is no hot water in your shower, and your HVAC technician can’t find anything wrong with your water heater, then you likely have a unit that is too small for you. You can get a larger hot water heater to supply you with more water. Or, you can get a tankless water heater that can supply your entire home with hot water for as long as you want.
Are you experiencing colder showers lately? It may be your water heater. To learn more about water heaters and to ensure you have sufficient hot water, contact our experts at Woodbridge GTA ClimateCare today.
