No hot water from the shower? Can’t take a cold shower? Read on!
Did you get yourself all set and ready for a nice shower at home? May it be hot or cold, only to realize that your preferred temperature isn’t coming out of your pipes? It could be because of issues to do with your piping system or showerhead. Let’s take a closer look.
Cold water problems
Yes, we all certainly do worship hot water. Having no hot water in the shower is a menace for sure. Cold water, however, has several benefits such as encouraging better blood flow and helping you energize. In case there’s no cold water in your shower, one of the reasons could be because of a faulty pressure-balancing valve in a cartridge. However, a couple of quick repairs done by professionals could fix this issue for you.
Start troubleshooting
Troubleshooting includes checking the faucets inside and around your place. In case none of them have cold water, it would be easier for your professional or yourself to see where the problem starts. Try to look for the location which includes your shutoff valve or where your main sewer line starts. Maybe a valve is shut, leading to an excessive flow of hot water. In some cases, simply shutting off the valve is enough to solve the problem. However, if this doesn’t work and you don’t have the right equipment to take up this project, then it’s better to call a professional.
Issues with the pressure-balancing valve
The pressure balancing valve is what ensures proper balance between hot and cold water from your showerhead. Due to the corrosion and debris buildup, your cartridge can get completely spoiled. This is especially the case if the faucet isn’t used as often as it should be.
Replacing a faucet valve isn’t too challenging, but it could be a cumbersome task to get the previous cartridge out. It would be better for you to call a professional in this case to do a cleaner job.
If you’re feeling confident and in a mood for DIY, then you need to follow a certain set of steps to do this. However, we still suggest letting your professional do it so that you don’t damage any surrounding pipes.
Buy a new cartridge at the hardware store. To ensure that you bring the right one home, take out the older one and take it to the store and ask the salesman for the right model. To remove a cartridge, you’d also need the assistance of a cartridge puller.
Some other tools you’ll need are a flat head, screwdriver, wrenches, needle-nose pliers, locking pliers, and plumber’s grease. Do beware before you embark on this project on your own.
Hot water problems
Having no hot water from the shower is the stuff nightmares are made of. Imagine getting back home after a long day of work and craving for a hot shower, only to get icy cold water instead. A true terror!
Hot water not coming from your faucets could be because of your water tank, where the main supplies of hot water are kept. These heaters might be in your bathroom, or in less conspicuous places such as the rooftop or garage. Also, where your tank is placed makes a difference on how fast the water gets hot.
It is the primary reason for issues in water heating but there are others too. So if the tank itself doesn’t solve the problem, then you need to go ahead and look for other reasons why the water isn’t heating up.
Here are a few handy tips.
Checking your water’s temperature is super important because it could help you find out the reason behind no hot water in the shower.
For example, in certain situations, people use an electric water heater, and parts of the heater could have burned out completely and won’t heat your water up. Moreover, a model which is older could have a damaged dip tube, and this leads to colder water than you would have expected.
Get your water tank inspected by a professional
While you might think it’s easy to inspect your water tank on your own, in fact, it’s important to get it checked by a professional. Sometimes, the tank is located in areas that aren’t easily accessible and requires safety equipment. Water tanks tend to undergo wear, tear, and corrosion, not only depleting the quality of water, but also causing leaks. The connection between your water tank and heater might also be at fault and you’ll need to get these repaired or replaced fully. There is an element known as the anode rod that ensures tanks don’t rust, and you need to make sure this is functioning properly.
Don’t let there be unnecessary sediment and debris accumulation and get your water. If there are too many issues such as these, it could lead to no hot water from the shower.
Check your faucets
It’s important to make a note of how the faucets in your house are functioning. In case everything’s good with your tank, then the real culprit might be your plumbing system as a whole. For example, if hot water isn’t coming out of your tank, it could be because of a burner or dip tube issue. However, if the other faucets are having perfectly hot water, the real issue might lie in your tank or showerhead.
Shower valve
One of the main reasons for no hot water from the shower is an issue in the shower valve. You need to check this thoroughly in case only your shower doesn’t get hot water and the rest of your faucets are fine. As mentioned above, this valve is responsible for mixing temperatures and ensuring that hot and cold water come out of your shower in equal amounts.
Another problem is worn-out O-rings. Damaged O-rings are also another reason for valves to go out of service and make cold water come through. Get a professional to check this and then replace any parts that are required.
No hot water coming out from your shower? No problem!
With this expert guide by Octopus, ensure that you’re always aware of plumbing problems around your house. Enjoy the benefits of both a cold and hot shower by checking on your tank and valves, while getting a professional in to do a proper repair job. Octopus also includes plumbing as a part of our annual maintenance contracts. In case you require more information, please call our toll-free number 800 3993.
