No More Hot Water?
We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of your much needed glorious hot shower after a long and tiring day and suddenly, as if out of nowhere a flood of piercingly cold water comes rushing through the shower head! “AHH” you scream as you try to maneuver your way out of the danger zone! You wait it out for a few seconds…..sometimes longer before it passes and you can get back to your lather and rinse. At this point you’re probably thinking one of three things (or maybe even a combination of these):
- WOW, that was seriously cold!
- That’s the second time that’s happened this week!
- Why the heck does this keep happening?
Rest assured, we get it, we’ve been there and we can help! There are a few main reasons why this is happening and we can provide some helpful tips to avoid any screaming cold showers in the future!
Excessive Hot Water Use
The first and most sometimes most common culprit resulting in lack of hot water is water usage. Particularly hot water over usage. Having your long hot shower right after you’ve cleaned up the kitchen from dinner and started the dishwasher may not be the best idea. Similarly, tossing those dirty gym clothes into the laundry machine right before your post-workout shower also won’t bode well in your favour. Being cognizant of when you’re using significant amounts of hot water and staggering those times so that your water heater has the appropriate amount of time needed to filter in new water and heat it will be pivotal in avoiding another cold shower blunder!
There are also a couple of other helpful tips that we can provide to ensure that you’re making the absolute most out of your hot water!
- Shorter Showers: Take shorter showers. The average shower usually lasts about 8.2 minutes, using 17.2 gallons of water. We know it’s easy to lose track of time singing along to your favourite playlist in the shower, but cutting that number down by 1-3 minutes can significantly reduce your hot water usage, energy consumption and your overall monthly water bill.
- Load it up: Instead of tossing in a quick small load of laundry or popping in the 10 odd dirty dishes and cutlery, wait until you have full loads to run the dishwasher and the laundry machine. By doing so, you’re saving large amounts of hot water in the long run.
Tank Size
Your water heater tank size could be another glaring indication of why your hot water keeps running out. As a general rule of thumb:
Small Tank: A 50-60 gallon tank is sufficient for one to three people.
Medium Tank: An 80 gallon tank is great for three to four people.
Large Tank: An 80+ gallon tank is best suited for four to six people.
If the size of your water tank doesn’t properly align with the amount of people in your household it could be the answer as to why you keep running out of hot water! It may be time for a water heater upgrade!
Inefficient Elements
Have an electric heater and you’re continuously running out of hot water although you monitor and manage your usage? This may be an indication that a heating element in your water heater isn’t functioning properly. Electric water heaters typically have two heating elements. If one is burnt out, it significantly reduces the functionality and overall amount of hot water in your tank. Elements can stop working for various reasons: they may be burnt out or mineralization and build of could have occurred. We won’t be able to determine the problem until we come out and assess your water heater.
Reliance to the Rescue
We’re here to get to the bottom of why you keep running out of hot water! At Reliance Heath, ensuring that you and your family are well equipped with all the hot water that you need, 365 days of the year is our top priority. Our team of trusted experts is just one phone call away! We’ll be out to assess your water heater and provide a recommended course of action! Say goodbye to cold water!