No hot water at home? There are several reasons why you might not have hot water. One reason is that your hot-water heater might be turned off, which could be the result of an accident or just forgetfulness on the part of a member of your household. Another reason is that your tankless water heater might have run out of fuel for heat–such as propane or natural gas. The following article discusses how to deal with those scenarios and also provides some other possible explanations for no hot water.
Common Hot Water Problems And Their Causes
No Hot Water
Not having hot water when taking a shower or doing the dishes is definitely inconvenient. There are many possible causes of this problem, but most can be dealt with easily and quickly. The following article will discuss some of the more common reasons for not having hot water at home and how you can fix them yourself without calling in a plumber or contractor.
Cold Water from Faucet
Another more common problem is finding cold water coming from the tap even though the hot water heater is switched on. In this case, you might have some calcium or sediment build-up at the bottom of your tank. If so, try draining your tank to get rid of the sediment and then flushing it with a hose to clean it out.
The Dirty Tank Trick If you need a little extra help cleaning out that sediment, use a trick that plumbers recommend: Turn off the power to your hot-water heater at your circuit breaker box. This will ensure that no one turns on any faucets while you are dealing with the dirty task ahead. Once everything has been turned off, open up all the hot-water faucets in your house and connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Turn on this spigot and let cold water run through your heater for a few minutes to push out any sediment inside. Check the water coming out of all of your faucets and see if they are now free of sediment as well, which would indicate that you have flushed it clean. If so, turn off that spigot and then switch back on the circuit breaker box to restore power to your hot-water heater. You can do these steps yourself or call in a plumber.
Small Leaks Can Cause Big Problems
A more serious problem with no hot water might be due to an ongoing issue involving small pinhole leaks in your tank. If you notice that no hot water is reaching your tap, this might be the problem. Over time, low flow rates caused by small cracks or breaks can cause damage to the internal components of your heater and significantly reduce its efficiency–leading to major repairs down the road.
The Solution: It’s best to call in a plumber soon for an assessment because if there are any pinhole leaks in your tank, they will need to be repaired before they get worse. You should also make sure that you do not run out of fuel like propane gas for your tankless water heater again. Keep it supplied with fuel and follow manufacturer directions on how often and how much to refill it; if you don’t, you could end up with no hot water again–and this time you might not be able to fix the problem.
Troubleshooting Tips for Various Problems within Pipes
There can be various problems that can arise due to which pipelines or faucets stop working properly. Sometimes the water seems thicker than usual or gets blocked somewhere and stops flowing. In some cases, it becomes so thin that even a light tap of a utensil on the sides of a pipeline is enough for the water to gush out. This thinning or curdling of water can be due to a variety of reasons and resolving such issues may need immediate help from plumbers. Even if you’re not having any such issue, it’s better to know about it beforehand because you don’t want any future problems to catch you off guard.
Why the Water Gets Thicker
Sometimes when there’s a sudden change in pressure, it can cause water to turn thick. If you find this happening, check if your faucets have been closed all the way. As a general rule of thumb, always open or close them slowly so they don’t get damaged. The flow of hot water might also be restricted by something stuck inside one of your pipelines; free them up if possible and see how it works out for you.
If the problem has not been resolved after freeing up any jammed pipe, try using another pipeline–if you normally take a shower using cold water but start getting thick water instead after switching over to piping hot water then chances are that this is because your cold pipeline has clogged up.
Broken Gas Control Valve
It might also be that your gas control valve has broken down; if this happens, you will no longer be able to regulate the temperature of your water. Hot water will continuously flow even though you’ve shut off the faucet. This is an expensive part to replace so call in a plumber when faced with such problems. You must avoid using this pipeline until it gets repaired because the hot water in pipelines can lead to scalding.
Do You Need Hot Water Tank Replacement? Call Our Team Today
Here at Baylor Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we take pride in providing high-quality heating and cooling services and products that help you achieve total home comfort. We also provide plumbing services to ensure that your home’s pipes and faucets are working at their best. If you’re looking for a plumber with experience, please call us today and we will be happy to send out one of our team members.
