 | | | New water heater, hot water in shower only lasts 3 minutes
Asked Feb 28, 2007, 08:43 AM
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40 Answers I have been in this apartment 6 months and have never been able to have a warm shower longer than 3 minutes. I told my landlord and he replaced the water heater. But that didn't solve the problem. So he had a plumber come over and the plumber said maybe the water heater was defective. But then he said he was able to fill the bathtub before the hot water ran out so there is no problem with the water heater. What else could it be? My landlord doesn't respond to my emails, calls, or letters about this now. I'm assuming he is not going to fix the problem so I thought maybe I could do it myself or hire my own plumber to do it. I would give anything for a 5 minute shower!
Thread Summary |
40 Answers
 | Home Repair & Remodeling Expert | |
Feb 28, 2007, 09:42 AM
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Do not replace the heater on your own. Can you raise the heater temperature? Under a plate screwed to the side of the tank you should find an adjustable thermostat, sometimes there isn't even a plate. Set the temp to the hotter side of hot. Be careful the first time your use the shower after this change. You would be safer to let the water run without getting into the shower. | | |  | New Member | |
Feb 28, 2007, 09:51 AM
| | | The water heater was already replaced and I still do not get more than 3 minutes of hot water in the shower. I did try turning the temperature up on it but that didn't help either.
The shower has 3 different knobs- I don't know if that helps..... | | | | Home Repair & Remodeling Expert | |
Feb 28, 2007, 11:13 AM
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I meant you should not replace or reair yourself as a response to your "...I'm assuming he is not going to fix the problem so I thought maybe I could do it myself or hire my own plumber to do it. I would give anything for a 5 minute shower!" raising the temp should have made some difference? Three knobs; hot, cold and what? | | | | Über Member | |
Feb 28, 2007, 11:43 AM
| | | We are talking a standard 30 gallon or larger tank? It is set for at least 120 degrees? Run the water until it gets cold. Go to the heater and drain some water out the drain in the bottom. If it is hot, some dip messed up the dip tube. There are ways of doing that. Hot water heaters have a plastic tube in the inlet that runs the incoming cold water to the bottom pushing the hot water on top out the outlet. Without it, the incoming cold water goes across the top and right out to your shower.
It should be an easy fix, remove the cold water line and insert a new tube. Being a rental, perhaps post to the forum on rentals before doing it yourself.
Was the plumber a real plumber? | | | | New Member | |
Feb 28, 2007, 12:25 PM
| | | It is a 40 gallon water heater. Yes, the plumber was a real plumber.  He was the one who replaced the water heater after my first complaint of not enough hot water in the shower. Then I told him that I still wasn't getting more than 3 min hot water in the shower. He said it might be the dip tube but then he was able to fill the bathtub up before the water ran cool so he said the problem has nothing to do with the water heater. The 3 knobs are hot, cold, and the middle knob turns the showerhead on. I can only turn the cold side on just a little bit (if at all) or the water will only run cold even if I have the hot side turn on all the way. I have tried turning the temp on the water heater up nearly as high as it could go and that didn't make my hot water last any longer. It did make the water hotter at first, but as always the shower ran only ice cold water after 3 minutes. | | | | Home Repair & Remodeling Expert | |
Feb 28, 2007, 12:31 PM
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There should not be any problem with a dip tube on a new heater unless he screwed it up. All though you say he was a plumber, it doesn't sound like he knows what is going on. The odd thing here is that you say he filled the tub with hot water without a problem. You should be able to get the same volume of water through the shower head. Someone else out there might see something we are all missing. | | | | Ultra Member | |
Feb 28, 2007, 06:45 PM
| | | Sounds like a loose washer problem. As the plumber was filling the tub he had the hot side full open. As you are taking a shower you may have the hot partially open. As heat passes over that washer some washers expand. Try turning the hot on a bit more when it turns cold during the shower. If this works, have the landlord see what is happening so he can have the tub valve repaired. | | | | Ultra Member | |
Feb 28, 2007, 08:43 PM
| | | Turn on the hot water tap only, turn the middle handle to make the water go to the shower head, oh just to be sure do not do this with someone in the shower. Use a timer and time how long it takes for the water to get cool. Most shower heads are 3 gallons a minute heads therefore you should get around twelve minutes of extremely hot water before it get cool. Just a thought and a place to start. | | | | New Member | |
Mar 1, 2007, 07:59 AM
| | | I will try these suggestions when I get home.....the water from the shower head does flow really fast. Could a 40 gallon water heater empty in 3 minutes with a high flow shower head? | | |
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