You were not even half done with the shower, and there you are, hot water ends. This is not only frustrating but also leaves you with no other choice but to finish the bath with cold water. You start wondering why does my hot water runs out so fast while it doesn’t happen at your friend’s place.
Pretty sure you have been in the situation before, and if you are worried about this, it’s important to analyze why it happens because we need warm water regularly for a number of household tasks.
We often blame the water heater for this, and without finding out the root cause, we end up replacing the unit, which costs a lot. At times, we call in the plumbers to check out the plumbing system, and that too doesn’t help in the long run.
So, what actually is the reason behind it? Why does hot water run out quickly? Well, there are a few possibilities, and you might be able to detect them yourself only if you know about them. Without wasting a minute more, let’s get into this and solve this enigma once and for all.
What causes my hot water to run out so fast?
The first thing is not to worry about this situation, as it is completely normal and can be sorted out easily. The only thing that matters is to detect the reason behind hot water running out fast.
Most of the time, you will be able to solve the problem yourself. In rare cases, you will need a professional’s help.
As mentioned earlier, there can be several possibilities for this. The most common ones are as discussed below.
Small heater tank
Sounds obvious, right. You installed the water heater when there were two members of the family, but now you have guests, and five to six people are using the hot water. Definitely, you will need a larger tank to meet the requirement. But, if you have the same heater tank in place, the hot water will run out fast.
The increase in demand due to any reason will lead to this problem.
When buying a water heater, it is an important factor to consider the water usage and then select the tank size accordingly.
Simultaneous use
A house contains hot water taps at various places. At times, more than one tap is being used at the same time. While you are taking a shower, there might be someone using the kitchen sink; the simultaneous use of hot water will also result in the same problem, i.e., the hot water runs out so fast.
Broken dip tube
A dip tube is responsible for carrying out the cold water to the bottom of the heater so that it heats up. If the tube gets damaged or broken, the cold water will not heat up properly, and as a result, you won’t be getting as much hot water as before.
You will get to know about the broken dip tube if you see small plastic particles in the showerhead or on the filter screen. Replace the tube, and it will fix the problem.
Temperature setting
It might not always be right, or you have mistakenly set the wrong setting. Preferably, the temperature should be set in between 120 to 135 degrees. Do check it out, and if it’s less than 120, the wrong temperature setting might be the reason.
Old water heater
How many years have passed since you replaced the water heater? No matter how good the quality is, every water heater has a certain shelf life. If it is more than eight to ten years old, you may need to replace the unit.
Sediment build-up
You might not be aware of this, but sediment does build up in the water heater’s tank. It is one of the prominent reasons the hot water runs out so fast. Sediment comes from the water supply, and it starts setting up at the bottom of the tank.
If the heater tank is not cleaned periodically, the sediment will take up much space, resulting in a reduction of hot water. Thus, cleaning the heater’s tank is necessary to prevent sediment from taking up much of the space.
There will be signs that depict the presence of sediments in the tank. That includes cloudy water, small particles in water, or when there are strange noises coming from the tank.
All of these issues can be avoided if you take good care of water heater maintenance and keep an eye on its overall condition. Go for repair or replacement whenever necessary, and it will keep the water heater running efficiently. A water heater that works well is a guarantee that you will have plenty of hot water available for use.
Conclusion
Hot water is essential for a variety of tasks, and it is of more importance during the colder months. If it starts running out quickly, you don’t need to overstress but to inspect the water heater and look for the cause. It might be happening due to sediment accumulation, or you might have set the wrong temperature setting.
As discussed above, there are various possibilities, but the point to note here is that all this can be avoided if you take good care of a water heater and keep it maintained. Anyways, once you know the problem, fixing it will be easy and won’t take much time.