I recently puirchased my home and I have a furnace that was converted from coal to oil on 85. Our hot water is scalding out of the kitchen sink, but the bathroom on the second floor doesn't seem to get as hot. Now that the colder temps are here, we have been using the heat, and when that furnace warms the radiators, the shower has pretty much nothing hot, and it barely gets warm.

I know it takes a lot away from the taps when the furnace heats the house. But I am still curious as to why the water in the kitchen will scald you and why the shower never gets as hot as I like. I thought that there may be one of those Moen anti-scald things, but when I checked at Home Depot to find the same, the closest thing I could find from Moen to what I have wasn't anti-scald.

So I have two basic concerns... is there anyway I can adjust the water to get hotter or check to see if it is anti-scald, or if the shower head might be?

And two... besides a hot water heater, is there any other alternative for hot water when the furnace kicks in? I live in PA so that furnace is going to be on over the winter and losing hot water while your are trying to take a shower will stink.

Thanks
Cylinderhead

I think when you originally posted your question, Tom and I were both struggling with the revised site. Tom figured it out sooner and just today responded to my request for help. OK, your question. If you still need help, you may have to give us some more information. Is your hot water heater separate from the furnace that provides hot water to the radiators? Sometimes the furnace is set up with a coil that heats hot water for the water supply. Is the water the same temperature whether the furnace is on or off? It could be as simple as a long, poorly insulated hot water run to the bathroom. A shorter, better insulated run to the kitchen may still be providing nice hot water despite colder weather outside. If so, insulate it somehow, quick. If it is that badly exposed to outside air, it will be freezing up. I sometimes hear stories that make me wonder how the former owners lived with the problem.

Despite Tom's and my troubles with this site, it looks like they have retained the features that allow getting back and forth and anybody that can help jumping in.

The furnace does indeed fire up the water for both the heat and the hot water. The HOt water pipes are pretty well insulated all around.

I did notice that when the water is not as hot, is when the furnace has not fired up in a while and the temp on the furnace is down. Once that furnace gets it's temp up the water is fantastic. Maybe there is a way I can raise the temp on the furnace so it doesn't drop as low. I am having a professional HVAC place look at it this week and hopefully they can shed some light on it as well. Thanks

It could be the thermostat for the water temperature, not the house may not be set right or not working. Frankly I wonder about the efficiency of keeping the furnace on all summer to provide hot water. Costs of fuels and equipment are very different now than when the furnace was installed. Natural gas may now be available in your neighborhood. A new, separate hot water heater might be enough cheaper to operate to pay for the purchase and installation before long. A new furnace might have a short pay back too.

At least over the winter, the furnace shouldn't go as long between heat cycles.

Well my neighborhood doesn't have a "gas line" and gas isn't that much different then oil in price to convert either... at least IMO. The other option is to get a hot water heater and then turn the furnace off for the summer. But I have heard that the cost of electricity to heat that isn't that much different then the furnace if not more with the cost of electricity going up... I don't know personally, I've never really researched it.

A little info on my furnace... it was converted to oil from coal in 85... and that is pretty much all I know. I had a friend look at it and they said it must have been serviced because it looks clean. It is however now 20 years old and it may be time for a newer more efficient one.

Like I said before, I am going to ask a hunderd and one things when the HVAC people check it out this week. Maybe I will have more thoughts on the furnace, it's efficiency, and what options I could have that would best suit my needs.