Did you take a cold shower this morning but not by choice? Hot water heaters can have multiple things go wrong with them leading to low supply or no supply of hot water. Here are some of the possible reasons for no hot water and what you should do about them.
Hot Water Tank is Empty
The hot water tank takes a while to not only fill-up but also heat the water within. If you’re running multiple appliances requiring hot water at once, it will quickly deplete your hot water supply. So, before calling in a local plumber to assess the situation, give your tank a few minutes to re-fill the hot water.
Small Hot Water Tank
If you’re the first person in the shower every morning and the hot water seems to be running out by the end of your shower, you may have a small hot water tank. One fix to your situation will be to have your hot water tank replaced with a larger and more efficient version. Another fix would be to take shorter showers at a lower temperature.
Pilot Light not Working
If you have a gas water heater, one possibility for why you’re not getting hot water is that the pilot light on your water heater itself is either out or not working. If your pilot light is out, here is a simple guide on how to re-light a water heater pilot light. Sometimes it may not just be that the pilot light has gone out, but the pilot light or another component is broken and needs to be replaced.
Breaker Tripped
If you own an electric hot water heater, one reason you’re not getting any hot water is the hot water heater is off. This could be due to a variety of reasons, but before calling in a professional, go ahead and check that the breaker which goes to your hot water heater is on. Breakers can trip for a variety of reasons, but sometimes those reasons can be serious, so if you do flip the breaker back on and it trips again, call in a professional water heater repair service.
Water Not Hot Enough
If you’re noticing your water is warm, but just not hot enough, then you may need to turn up the temperature. We’ve seen it happen where one spouse will turn down the temperature on the hot water tank to save money on energy bills and not tell the other. Then, the other spouse calls us complaining that their water won’t get hot enough. Before calling us, check that the temperature on your hot water heater is set high enough.
Broken Hot Water Heater
A final and more serious culprit for no hot water is that the hot water heater or tank could be broken or leaking. If none of the previous issues fixed the issue, then there is probably something wrong with the hot water heater itself. If this is something you’re not comfortable with repairing yourself, give your local Eldersburg plumber a call today and have them pay you a visit.
For help with diagnosing or repairing your hot water heater or hot water tank, give your local Maryland water heating service a call today. Michael Runk plumbing and heating is an Eldersburg plumber who has provided over 20 years of plumbing, water, and water heating services to the area. Give Michael Runk a call today at 410-781-6791 or schedule an appointment on our website!