Traditional tank vs tankless water heaters
August 7, 2012

Do you have to wait longer than 30 seconds for your water to heat up? Have you ever had to take a cold shower because you were the last one up? Is your hot water pressure less than ideal? Find out the causes and solutions to each of these problems, below.

Why Does My Water Take So Long to Heat Up?
Have you ever had to wait for the hot water to come out of your faucet, bath or shower? The most common reason for this familiar hot water problem is a long run of plumbing between your water heater and the faucet or showerhead.

Cause: The reason is simple. Before you turn on the hot water, there is cold water between your water heater and the faucet, bathtub or shower. Before the hot water can reach you, all the existing cold water must be flushed out of the pipes.

Solution: A simple way to avoid wasting water while waiting for your shower to heat up is to brush your teeth with hot water before you take a shower. This will help remove much of the existing cold water from the pipes.

Another option may be to install a small point-of-use tankless water heater. By installing one in your bathroom, you will greatly reduce the time you have to wait for hot water because the amount of plumbing between the water heater and showerhead is very minimal.

Why Do I Get Cold Showers When I am The Last One?
This is a common hot water problem for many Lawton area homeowners. Usually, you will run into this problem in households with many people or in circumstances when you have guests staying over.

Cause: You have a traditional (tank) water heater. Once all the water in the tank is used, your water heater must re-heat the entire tank, which takes time.

Solution: This hot water problem also has several possible solutions. One is to schedule showers so there is enough time for your water heater to recover before the next shower. Alternately, you may want to consider upgrading to a larger tank water heater (which will store more hot water.) However, this will also increase your energy bills.

A more efficient solution may be to install a tankless water heater, which will provide a virtually limitless supply of hot water. Because tankless water heaters heat the water on demand, you will never run out of hot water.

What Is My Hot Water Pressure Low?
This hot water problem is not as common as the others, however it is also not extremely rare. Both hot and cold water contain dissolved minerals, but the minerals are more likely to form deposits or scale buildup when heated, so hot water pipes . This can happen inside of your water heater’s tank as well in your hot water pipes.

Cause: A buildup of minerals in your hot water tank (decreasing the amount of hot water it can store) and/or scale in your hot water pipes (restricting the flow of hot water to its destination.)

Solution: First, you should have your water heater flushed and/or your pipes cleared. Then, to prevent this problem from appearing again in the future, consider installing a water softener and having your water heater flushed annually.

Have another hot water problem you just cannot seem to solve? Ask one of our experts or schedule a plumbing service.