Hot Water Problems? Here’s How to Fix Them

Hot Water Problems? Here’s How to Fix Them

The following contribution is from another author.

Hot water is necessary to maintain comfortable living standards. You need it to wash with, and you might also use it to heat your home. If you don’t seem to be getting any hot water in your home, or perhaps the water isn’t hot enough, you need to get the problem fixed as soon as possible. You don’t want to be left taking cold showers for days or even weeks. When a problem arises, there are several things that you can do to check if everything is working properly and get it all running as it should be. Use these steps to discover and correct the issue.

Check Your Water Heater

When you’re having hot water problems, checking your water heater is the first step. Some water heater issues are easy to fix yourself, so there might be no need to call a professional for repairs. However, sometimes you might only be able to diagnose the problem before calling someone in to fix it. If you have an electric water heater, a faulty thermostat or a broken heating element could be causing the problem. If you have a gas water heater, check that the pilot light hasn’t gone out. If it has, it could be caused by a range of problems.

You might also want to consider a solution involving a Tyent water system.

Ensure You Have Power/Fuel

Even if your water heater is intact, you won’t be getting any hot water if it doesn’t get any power. When you have an electric water heater, you could find that a tripped circuit breaker is to blame. This is easy to fix by finding the circuit breaker box and flipping the switch back to its “on” position. If you have a gas water heater, first check to see if the gas supply hasn’t accidentally been switched off. Check that the gas valve is not in the closed position, and open it up if it is.

Check Thermostat Settings

Sometimes the problem can be something as small and as obvious as not having your thermostat set correctly. This can lead to your hot water not being hot enough or you could find you only sometimes have hot water. Check your thermostat to ensure the settings are how you want them, and they haven’t changed for any reason. Some thermostats need to be replaced if you want to have hot water whenever you need it. A broken thermostat is one of the most common causes of a lack of hot water.

Flush The Heater Annually

Aside from hydrogen and oxygen, water consists of minerals, such as calcium, sodium, bicarbonate, potassium, and other trace elements. Deposit minerals can cause the clogging of hot water pipes. One way to prevent this plumbing problem is to flush your heater at least once a year.

Flushing water pipes at home involves removing and cleaning the faucet aerators. Use pliers to loosen and unscrew the faucet spout’s end. If you want to reuse the aerators, disassemble and clean the parts using an old toothbrush. Set aside the faucet aerator and flush hot water pipes.

Turn on all hot water taps and let the water flow for about 15 minutes. This step helps clear the hot water from the tank water heater. Moreover, it supplies fresh water to the tank.

After flushing the hot water lines, you can flush the cold water lines and appliances to complete the job. However, homeowners with clogged hot water pipes need to call a licensed plumber to clear them and perform water heater maintenance.

Call a Plumber

While you can fix some small problems yourself, you often need the help of a plumber when you have hot water problems. They can replace, repair and clean any components of your hot water system. If you choose the right plumbing service, you can ensure that someone will come out when you need them. A plumber can also replace your water heater if necessary so that you won’t have to be without hot water for long.

Contacting a trusted local plumber with a good track record is advisable. You can get referrals from your relatives and friends. Furthermore, choose one that can provide emergency plumbing services, such as fixing clogged drains, broken pipes, slab leaks, and damaged sewer lines. For comprehensive plumbing services, visit https://www.mrrooter.com/fort-worth/.

There’s no need to put up with hot water problems. You can deal with them quickly and get your hot water back as soon as possible.

Author

Eric is the creator of At Home in the Future and has been a passionate fan of the future since he was seven. He's a web developer by trade, and serves as the Director of Communication and Technology for a large church in Nashville, TN (where he and his family are building a high tech home in the woods).