You’re standing in the shower, ready to wash away that icky feeling from the day. But after a few minutes, you realize something—the water isn’t hot anymore! You can still feel heat coming out of your shower head, but it isn’t nearly as much as before. What is going on?
As busy homeowners, we want a quick and easy fix. In some cases, this is possible, but delegating work to a plumber werribee expert may be the best option. In this post, we’ll go over some of the most common issues with hot water in the home and some potential solutions.
SEDIMENT BUILD-UP
Problem:
If you’re noticing a decrease in the amount of hot water you have access to, there’s a good chance sediment buildup is to blame.
Sediment can accumulate in your heater and cause a variety of problems:
Block flue: The flue is an opening that vents smoke, fumes and gases out of your water heater. Water heaters use combustion to heat up their contents, but they need an exhaust system so they don’t explode. If the flue gets blocked (due to sediment buildup), it could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or even an explosion!
Failure: Sediment build-up can also cause your water heater’s firebox—the place where it heats up water—to fail because there isn’t enough oxygen getting through it anymore. This causes leaks and fires!
Solution: Examine it. It should be cleaned.
Obtain an inspection and ensure that your hot water heater has been flushed and cleaned. If this is your problem, you will likely have more problems soon. Consult with your plumber werribee about the costs of repairs versus purchasing a new hot water system. You may discover that there is a more savvy approach to getting repair after repair.
BAD LOWER HEATING ELEMENT
Problem:
The heating element is the part of your water heater that heats the water. A dip tube delivers hot water from the bottom of the tank to your faucet or showerhead. The dip tube may become clogged with sediment over time, which can reduce your effective heating capacity and result in shorter showers or bath times.
A bad heating element will be easy for you to spot once you know what it looks like: it’s a long piece of metal inside your tank, usually wrapped with insulation and typically located near where your water comes out of the faucet or showerhead.
If you have an electric tank (which most homes do), this element is encased in plastic; if it’s gas-powered, there won’t be any surrounding material covering up what’s inside your storage unit.
Solution: Suspect the fault.
If your heater has become clogged with sediment, you can try cleaning it out yourself. This is a job for adults only since it involves getting into the tank and working on live electrical components. If you’re not sure whether or not this is something you want to attempt, call in a professional instead.
A BROKEN DIP TUBE
Problem:
If your dip tube is broken, the water won’t be able to flow into the tank. The result of a broken dip tube can be frustrating: no hot water.
This can happen at any time, particularly if your hot water heater is getting old. Heating elements or pilot lights can be easily replaced for a fraction of the full replacement cost.
Solution: Call Pros – Inspect, Replace Or Repair It.
Send an experienced team out to inspect your heater and give it new life. These issues are usually minor and will not take long to resolve.
YOUR UNIT IS OVER A DECADE OLD
Problem:
If your hot water heater is over a decade old, it’s time to replace it. Everything has a finite lifespan. Even your once-dependable hot water system. Unfortunately, we are frequently not warned when hot water systems will suddenly fail. Any dependable hot water system should last at the very least ten years.
Solution: Purchase a snazzy new hot water system.
If you have been experiencing hot water system problems, it’s time to call a professional. A licensed plumber werribee can come out and perform a full inspection of your unit so that you know exactly what needs to be done. You should also consider having them replace the old system with a new one!
Conclusion
I hope we’ve answered your questions, and if anything is unclear please let us know in the comments section below.
