Whether you’re starting a new day or getting ready to hit the bed after a tiring one, a warm shower is always welcome. When the shower water is right at that perfect temperature, there’s nothing like it.

Aside from being comfortable, hot showers offer other benefits too.

Healthline notes that they can be beneficial in terms of addressing some lingering respiratory issues you have, clearing out blemishes, and helping you relax in general. Plus, hot showers won’t shock your body in the morning like cold showers will, and that’s a good enough reason for many people.

All the reasons listed above explain why it’s such an unpleasant surprise when the water coming from your shower is cold instead of hot. Unfortunately, this is an issue that you may run into from time to time.

Possible Causes

The possible explanations for why your shower is not providing enough or hardly any hot water at all can be quite varied. We’ll discuss those explanations in this article and also offer some tips regarding how to address them.If your shower isn’t getting as hot as it used to, then the first place to look is the hot water heater. The hot water that comes out of your shower comes from the hot water heater tank. In order for hot water to be sent to the shower head, it has to start their first.

Although the hot water heater is the first place to look if your water isn’t getting hot, there could be other causes that are denying you a hot shower when you want it.

Troubleshooting a Cold Shower

 

Check the water heater. 

If the water in your shower isn’t getting hot, the problem could be the temperature control on the water heater. If you have an older unit, the cold water supply dip tube could have deteriorated. In that case, a worn-out dip tube could send cold water up to the hot water feed pipe, resulting in no hot water.

On the other hand, if you have an electric unit, one of the elements could have burned out making it so the water either gets hot for a short period of time or just doesn’t get hot at all.

 

shower water not hot

Is it a whole-house problem?

Is it a whole-house problem, or is it isolated to just the one shower? Turn on all of the faucets in the house and check for hot water. If the water gets hot, but then turns cold quickly, the problem could be the burner in your hot water heater.

If the water doesn’t get hot, you could have a faulty dip tube. However, if every faucet produces hot water except for the shower, then a shower component is the culprit.

Bad O-rings.

The shower valve is designed to mix the hot and cold water so you get the perfect temperature water. If the O-rings or washers are worn out, the valve won’t mix properly. If you turn the valve to “hot,” it could bring cold water.

THE ANTI-SCALD VALVE WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED

First off, the anti-scald valve could be installed incorrectly. The top and bottom segments of the anti-scald valve are not always marked clearly. Because of that, the valve may be in the wrong position

Using all of the hot water.

Consider what was happening just before you turned on the shower. If you recently ran the washing machine and used a hot cycle, or if you ran the dishwasher, or if the kids took a shower, any of these scenarios could have caused all of the hot water to get used up.

We recommend allowing 30 minutes after the last wash load or shower so the water heater can heat up the next batch of cold water.

Need Help Getting Your Shower Water Hotter?

 

When something as vital to your household as your water heater needs to be repaired or replaced, you need fast service from professional plumbers who can get the job done right.

We know that it’s very stressful when the hot water suddenly stops coming out of the shower and that’s why at Ehret we offer extremely fast solutions at a click or a call