We’re new owners of a 50’s ranch style house. In one of the two bathrooms, we run out of hot water during a normal shower. No such problem in the other bath. Can mixing valves (they appear to be original) go bad?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Construct the intersecting gable on the main roof for a faster, easier-to-build assembly.
Featured Video
SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than BeforeHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Hmmm. What about at the sink? When you run out of HW at the shower, can you still get it at the sink? Can you still get it in the other bath? If so, I'd look at repairing/replacing the control. Your anti-scald device (pressure or temp, depending on the valve) may be acting up. If the HW disappears at the sink and in the other bath as well, you may just be using it all up. Your other shower may have a flow restrictor that allows for longer hot showers since less water is used and the shower in question may not, causing you to run out of HW faster in that shower. (I also assume you have only 1 HW tank.)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Some places do have more than one HW tank. What kind of HW is it? Gas, Electric, Hydronic off boiler.....???
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Sounds like what Piffin said, two sources of HW.
http://grungefm.com or
http://www.wolfmother.com
It builds character!
Valves can go bad, you could have two water heaters, or one shower may have a low flow head (and hence conserves hot water) while the other doesn't (and hence uses the hot water up rapidly).
Another odd possibility is that the "good" shower has a defective valve, or there's another defective single-handle valve somewhere (eg, the bathroom or kitchen sink). Sometimes a single-handle valve goes bad in such a way that it lets water flow from hot to cold or vice-versa, even when off. This can cause the hot water line to be back-fed with cold water.
To eliminate this odd possibility, turn off one of the shutoff valves for every other single-handle valve in the house, and see if the problem is "fixed". If so, open them one at a time to find the culprit.
Or just get a membership in the Polar Bear Club.
Thanks Guys, for your input. I think the issue here is most likely my wife's inclination to longer, hotter showers in 'her' bath, where the hot water runs out, so she says. I shower in that bath with no problem. She showers in 'my' bath with no problem. Sooo... not having heard a complaint for several days, I think the problem is 'fixed'.
On to the next challenge. Over the mantle in the LR is a plate glass mirror, approx 43" x 80", glued to the wall. No mouldings, trim, hangers, buttons, etc. How do I get this thing loose and off the wall??
Sometimes it works to take a piece of wire (picture hanger wire is a good choice, and some use stout twine) and run it behind the mirror, "sawing" back and forth with the wire. (With a large mirror this will take two people.) If the mirror is hung with adhesive foam tape then you can saw through it with relative ease. If hung with something like construction adhesive it won't be as easy.If all else fails, use a bigger hammer.
People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck