Is my hot water heater on the fritz?

Can you give a quick description of your HW system? - you haven't given us much to go on.

I'm about as technically uninclined as you can get.....:-)

What types of things do you need to know?

Do you have any kind of hot water tank, or is it just cold mains water going through a heater to the shower?

What type of heater is it (gas/electric etc.)?

Is the heater dedicated to the shower?

With in the last two weeks daylight savings time has been in effect. Are you sure some one has not got the hint and leaving you no hot water. Just a thought before we accuse the hot water heater of not doing it's job.

We don't know where Galina is from - in the UK, we don't go from GMT to BST (british summer time) 'til 30th March.

Hi Galina

Do you have a teenager(s) or a visitor? (Mother in law)

Some systems may have a pressure problem, If someone is running a bath the hot water will rather go to the lower outlet instead of fighting the higher pressure cold water supply.

The washers on the control valve may need replacing.

The pressure release valve may need replacement.

If you are from SA, load shedding may be the cause.

If it has a tank it could also be that for some reason the cold water pressure is higher than normal and back feeding the hot tank which would make it cold , or feel cold, really fast.

If it is a tank and you have to manually mix the hot and the cold, try to minimise the cold and fully open the hot first. Wait for it to go really hot and now gradually feed cold until you have the right temp. It sounds as if I am pedantic and tell you how to suck an egg but if you do it the other way around it can be you are pumping cold water straight in the hot tank via the hot water outlet connection, which is called back feeding.

If you don't have a tank than forget the whole idea, your problem must be different.

I have had a similar problem in the past with my 40 gallon HW heater (Nat. gas). My problem is solved if I shut off the water (and heat) to the tank, totally drain it and then refill it.

If you have an electric hot water heater, and it is a type that has 2 heating elements, it could be that 1 of them has burned out. That would fit with the heater still working, but a sudden loss of capacity.

The elements can be replaced, but if you are "technically uninclined", I would suggest getting a plumber.

I agree as well I have seen this problem numerous times myself.

I had my heater replaced over the weekend, and yes indeed, one of the heating coils had burned out.

This tank lasted 18 years, so I guess I can't complain! LOL

I thank everyone for their helpful comments!

If you have a hot water tank, then it is most likely the dip tube. That's the plastic tube that carries cold water to the bottom of the tank, to keep it from mixing with the hot, which rises. I had the same problem with my shower not long ago. Since the cold water is entering the tank at a higher level, you effectively have a 'smaller' tank, and run out of hot water quicker. Apparently it's a fairly common thing for the tubes to break off or disintegrate.

I'm with KilowattO on this one. If it is an electric water heater (hot water heater is an oxymoron), then most likely the lower element is burned out. The way these work is the upper element comes on first to heat water quickly in the top of the tank, then the control switches the power to the lower element to heat the rest of the water.

The lower element most likely is choked with mineral deposits and could not stay water cooled so it burned out. Shut off the water and elect supply to the unit, drain the tank completely with a garden hose (open a HW valve to allow air in the tank), remove the two wires from the lower element, unscrew or unbolt the element and replace in reverse order. It may also be smart to flush out the tank, but don't ask me how 'cause I'm no plumber. A new 240volt 4500watt element should cost between $8 and $20 depending on quality.

If your hot water tank is quite old and your water is hard, you may be getting a buildup of calcium inside the tank which reduces the volume of water it can hold. This is a fairly common problem in my area. Hot water tanks have to be replaced every twenty to thirty years in this location.

Install a water softener in your home.

This will not only resolve hard water issues, that is also responsible for wearing out your clothes faster, wearing out your other appliances faster and causing you to use more sugar or other flavorings in your drinks, to using more toothpaste and soap, but it will also clean out your existing water heater and extend its life.

The most likely problem for the OP is that the hot water heater has a lot of hard water build up inside.

To find out if hard water is the problem just have a water softener salesperson come run a precipitate test on your water, it only takes a few seconds and you'll see the results right then. If your water is already soft then you won't see anything take place in the water sample.

Especially if you are running off a well.

Take shorter showers!

Check out the mixer valve it injects cold water to regulate hot water maximum temperature .

In my area we have hard water that clogs all devices I have had to replace all components backflow preventer and filling valve ,and mixer it's simple to figure out by tracing supply and following flow . Most devises are bolted on and available at home depot.

Otherwise the previous posters have given good tips on electric heaters good luck

I am attracted to the idea of one heating element burning out on an electric water heater.

On the subject of water heaters I want to pass on here some of my experience, which is if your water heater is old, and in the wrong location, when it goes, it can cause great damage to your house. Even if it doesn't rust out and overrun the pan many water heaters have a valve that will simply function, or malfunction and dump all of the water heaters water on the floor or into the foundation crawlspace. I think that valve is intended to prevent an explosion from overheating, but sometimes it appears as something insuring work for plumbers carpenters and cleaning crews.

My brother has his water heater outside of the house proper specifically due to the dangers inherent to common water heater failures. Your water heater may well be warning you of more serious disasters to come.

Forgive me for being slightly off topic, but on the subject of water heaters in general I hope all will accept that I am simply warning of damage dangers to the house from water heater faults. Love