When we turn on the cold taps in kitchen or 3 bathrooms (sink and bathtub/shower), very hot water comes out for about 2 minutes until it cools down enough to wash hands, get a glass of water, etc. We have also had to replace the kitchen faucet due to it dripping and leaking around the bonnet. Two of the bathroom sink faucets have water leaking around the base of the cold water tap when the water is turned on. I have replaced two aerators that broke as well. I have a used washing machine that replaced my former one that had problems with the transmission and other issues that made it cheaper to replace with a used model. I am not sure when the problem started with the hot water, but it has been going on for some time. Also, we used to run out of hot water really quickly, so my husband's friend who is an electrician adjusted the temperature setting on the water heater to make the temperature hotter. It seems like the problems started after that, but not immediately after the temperature was reset. We also have a commode that was leaking and have had to shut off the water supply to it until we can replace the wax ring. I am wondering if our problem could be the pressure regulator. One shower had to be shut off as well due to a broken pipe. That same shower had a diverter valve issue for a few months which caused the shower to not have as much pressure and a small stream of water to flow through spout even with diverter set to turn on shower. We also hear a sound like the toilet is refilling at various times of the day and night even when no one has used the toilets for some time. I know this is a lot of detail, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to include all of this information.

You need a good plumber real bad don't you.

A couple of questions before I start guessing.

Feel the cold water input pipe to the water heater. Is it hot after no water has been used for a while.

Open a hot water valve and let it run for a couple minutes. Then open a cold water faucet. Do you get hot or warm water out the cold water faucet then? Is the cold water input to water hot or cold.

Any other plumbing work been done? Not talking about faucet repairs.

How old is water heater?

Geez, you need a plumber!

Do you have one of those hot water recirculating things installed with your water heater? Sometimes, if hot/cold pipes are run close together with one of those systems, it can cause the cold water to become warmer.
Just an idea.

I don't think we have the hot water recirculating things installed with our water heater. I am really thinking it is a crossover problem maybe with the washer. I had to rethink which faucets run hot when cold tap is turned on, and I checked the one in the master bath, and it does not run hot when cold is turned on. That faucet is closer to the water heater and the supply that enters the house. The washing machine and the other faucets are all farther down the line than the master bathroom. How can I check to see if the washing machine is responsible for this problem? Also, my hubby tries to fix things himself when I can get him motivated, and he rarely gets anyone to come do anything -- probably a pride issue. This is why I have not called a plumber yet as well as the fact that it will most likely cost an arm and a leg to get the repairs done. Thanks for any guidance you might offer.

To eliminate the washer as the problem, shut the washer supply valves off for a day and see if the problem still occurs. Also, any single handle fuacet may cause this issue if the cartridge is malfunctioning. Shut off stops under sinks one at a time to see if it solves problem. Once you find the culprit, you will need to replace the cartridge in that fuacet.

I'm not a plumber so I really don't know. Someone else might though