After a long day at work, the one thing that you want most is to take a long, hot shower.
But your water heater has other plans.
Instead of showering with warm water, you end up not showering at all because it took so long to get hot water.
Factors that cause slow hot water
Before you go to Google and type slow water heater – how to fix it, there are a few things that you need to know.
There are plenty of factors that may cause your slow hot water problem.
One of the most common reasons is the distance between the pipes and the fixture. If the shortest distance between points A and B is a straight line, that is rarely the case in residential homes. In most cases, hot water from the heater needs to travel 30, 40, or sometimes, even 50 feet to get to the fixture.
The water flow rate in the pipes and fixtures can also contribute greatly to this problem. The smaller the diameter of the pipes used in your home, the slower the speed of the hot water getting to the fixture will be.
And if you are using low flow faucets and/or showers in your home, the rate by which hot water flows out will be shaved by several seconds.
Water pipes can also absorb heat from the water, thus increasing your wait time. Some types of pipe materials and the temperature of the pipes themselves can translate to heat loss, slowing the flow of hot water.
Slow hot water is also a common problem in homes that use tankless water heaters. This is because the water has to travel through the inlet and outlet of the water heater with a cold temperature.
What can you do to fix a slow water heater?
There are two approaches to solve a slow water heater problem.
First, you can shift your focus on the water pipes to prevent these from cooling the water before it reaches the faucet or shower.
This will require the use of a small pump mounted on the fixture that is farthest from the water heater. This pump is used in conjunction with the water heater in order to ensure the circulation of hot water in the pipes, and that the cold water is circulated back to the heater.
However, the water heater will need to be turned on longer than it normally would be.
Another solution you might want to try also involves the use of a small pump in the faucet or shower farthest from the water heater. The main difference between this and the aforementioned method is that the water heater is only turned on when you are planning to use hot water.
Here, the primary purpose of the pump is not to circulate hot water. Instead, the small pump is used to increase the flow rate of hot water.