This is a personal problem.
My daughter just bought a house. Water heater is 2010 and 40 gals. The heater does not appear to be able to provide enough hot water to the bathroom for enough time to even shave her legs (if you have girls, you understand).
I have turned up the heater to “very hot”, get 120 degrees, when it comes out. Have flushed the unit. Have changed the valve stem for the mixing valve. Have checked pressure. What am I missing? There should be enough hot water to have a shower, wash her hair and shave her legs. But it runs out in 7 minutes.
I know I missed something, but with it being personal, I know I missed an obvious problem. What is it.
thanks for your help.
Check the bottom element.
Busted dip tube, if the thermostats and elements check out (is this an electric tank?)
Dom.
Nope, gas. I would have changed the elements if it was electric.+
It could have a faulty thermostat. Even with a broken dip tube, running the water heater would heat the entire tank before shower time. It would take longer than 7 minutes to run out on a full tank.
Check to see if the same thing happens with sink water. If you get more than 10 mins of hot water you can rule out the water heater as the culprit and focus on the shower fixture.
Could be high volume fixtures?
Could the inlet and outlet connections be reversed on water heater?
Water heater still in warranty?
My son had a similar complaint on the home he just bought. There just never seemed to be hot enough water and not enough of it. I checked the shut off valve on the cold water inlet. It was open maybe a quarter turn at most. Opened it fully and the issue went away. It’s always the stupidest things.
Good possibility. The cold water is cooling the whole tank and the hot water is leaving the tank from the bottom of the dip tube after being cooled.
My son had a similar complaint on the home he just bought. There just never seemed to be hot enough water and not enough of it. I checked the shut off valve on the cold water inlet. It was open maybe a quarter turn at most. Opened it fully and the issue went away. It’s always the stupidest things.
It could have a temperature limiter on the valve stem that restricts the hot from opening fully. If it does they’re easily removed…
had a tank almost full of sand once…
Put a flow restrict or in the shower head.
Also, is she the first to use the hot water in the day? Or, has someone else been using hot water, prior to her shower and it is trying to recover? Sometimes if you have a lot of people in the house using the hot water, a 40 gallon could be inadequate for more than about two people.
Has anyone here ever heard of a woman showering, washing her hair and shaving in seven minutes? You may want to check the timing.
Yowsers! Was that home on a private Well? Worn or damaged screen?
What Charles said.
I have a daughter who can empty a 60 gal… next time I’m going to install a 40 gal…
Nope, the cold water entering the tank shoots over and out the hot water exit pipe right beside it unless the dip tube directs it to the bottom of the tank. What is described by OP is exactly what happened to my water heater when the dip tube went, replaced with a new dip tube and the tank was like new again.
I didn’t say she could do all her ablutions in 7 minutes, I meant she only gets 7 minutes of hot before she has to hurry. And she lives alone, so there is nobody to use the water.
I already replaced the gate valve on the inlet with a new ball valve in case that was the problem. and I know the hot/cold pipes are on the right connections.
Thanks guys. I may try to check the valve stem in the shower and also the dip tube. Those make the most sense.
Please inform us of when you find the answer…
no it was city water…apparently the sand came from multiple water main breaks and repairs in the area…toilet tanks had sand in them also…
And I’m sure the municipality is exempt from any responsibility. That sux.