end of line water
by
Bryan D
+3
I have a electric water heater that was installed in 2007. My house is a ranch house and in the master bedroom is a bathroom with a stand up shower. And it is at the end of the line with a kitchen, washer, another bathroom, and a sink in bedroom bath. house is built on a slab. My question is: The water to that back shower is not as hot or takes a while to get hot. What can i do to make that shower warmer? Would a new hot water heater take care of that problem or a "booster" work? Thanks for any information.
6 answers
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Is it possible to get to the pipes and insulate them? Foam pipe jackets are inexpensive and effective.
3po3
on Mar 08, 2012
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Electric hot water heaters almost always have two heating elements.. The lower element will almost always go our first . This will greatly reduce the tanks ability to maintain hot water. The longer the run to the shower the more cold water that is diluting the hot water in your tank. If you have a bad heating element your tank will not have fast recovery. The good news is that the heating element is easily replaced.
Tri-Lite Builders ~ Homework Remodels
on Mar 08, 2012
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You have two issues fighting against you...the long run...+ Electric. By comparison a gas or propane water heater typically can out perform an electric hands down. One issue with long runs is they typically scale down as you get near the end...what may start as 3/4" pipe may step down to 1/2" for the last bit. This reduces the flow and increases the heat losses per surface area. Unfortunately it sounds like access to "insulate" your plumbing lines may be limited.
KMS Woodworks
on Mar 09, 2012
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How long is the run? You may want to consider switching to gas...it's typically more expensive but recovers faster. You can also look at installing an inline heater just for back bathroom.
HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC
on Mar 09, 2012
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The less expensive option is an "on demand" heating device for just the back bathroom. For a tip on good ones check out your nearest state park usually they have in line on demand heating elements attached to their shower & faucets in state parks in Florida . Hopefully, you will have a closet or not so obvious wall to gain access to plumbing. Always leave an access door either hinged & painted to match the wall, framed out so that you can periodically check to make sure nothing is leaking or to do maint repairs. You will need an electrician to put in a plug for the on-demand heater
Jhunt10
on May 16, 2015
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thank you that is a good idea
Bryan D
on May 16, 2015
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