No one likes being in the middle of a shower when suddenly, your soothing hot water turns ice cold. Worse yet if you have a head full of shampoo that you still have to rinse off! If this hasn’t happened to you yet consider yourself very lucky – because this is a very common problem.

So, what’s causing this to happen and how can you prevent it?

The Problem Is Your Water Heater

Your hot water heater is the culprit here – but what is causing it to malfunction? Well, there are 4 possible reasons that it’s not able to supply you with hot water as it used to.

  1. The water heater unit is too small to accomodate the amount of hot water being requested in the household.
  2. There’s too much sediment buildup in the unit.
  3. The thermostat on the unit has stopped working or is faulty.
  4. Your unit has reached it’s maximum life capacity.

What Can Be Done About These Problems?

Is your hot water heater too small? – The easiest way to determine what size water heater you need is by the number of people living in the household.

  • 1 – 2 people means you need a 30 gallon water heater
  • 2 – 3 people means you need a 40 gallon water heater
  • 3 – 4 people means you need a 40 – 50 gallon water heater
  • 5 or more people means you need a 50 – 80 gallon water heater

How Do You Know What Size Water Heater You Have?

Somewhere on the side of your unit you should have a sticker. It should have a serial number, a manufacturing date and some other information. You’ll see something that reads “Cap. U.S. Gals. 40” – this would be for a 40 gallon water heater. If you don’t see a sticker – call in a plumber to help you determine your unit’s capacity.

Too much sediment buildup in the unit – Although the Atlanta, Ga. area is not impacted by very hard water – it doesn’t mean we are completely free from the sediment buildup that occurs in hot water heaters. Fortunately, the solution is fairly easy. The water heater needs to be drained / flushed. That means emptying the tank and cleaning it out with fresh water. If you are a handyman of sorts you can do it yourself – otherwise we recommend you call in a plumber.

Faulty thermostat – Your water heater has a thermostat – and like most mechanical components they can break down. The easiest thing to do is to try resetting it. If you don’t have any success from that then you can try raising the temperature. If neither of these work then it’s time to call in a plumber to get the thermostat fixed or replaced.

Your water heater is just too old – The average lifespan of a water heater is about 8 – 12 years. If you know that yours has reached these numbers then it may just be time to replace it. On average (according to Homewyse.com) the average cost to replace a hot water heater is about $600.00 to $800.00.

If you have any questions about your hot water issues, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.