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Author:
pearl555 (DC)
We recently moved into a 100 year old home - the bathroom was renovated about five years ago. As soon as we moved in, we realized that the hot water in the shower was: 1) only very warm (not hot) on the hottest faucet setting, and 2) we kept having to turn up the faucet to keep it at the same very warm temperature. We have since had three plumbers come in who have replaced the hot water heater, the diverter, and the cartridge.
The cartridge was replaced two weeks ago. When the plumber left the house in the morning, the lowest setting on the faucet was luke warm and the highest setting was hot. Yet that evening, the lowest faucet setting became hot, which was still comfortable for a shower. However, I still had to turn up the faucet temp every few minutes to keep the water at the same temperature.
For reference, my shower is only 10 minutes long, so I do not think it is an issue of running out of hot water.
This morning, the lowest setting was hot as usual and I kept having to turn up the faucet to keep it at the same temp. However, I decided to see how hot it got at the hottest faucet setting. And since I turned the faucet all the way up, we now only have luke warm water at the lowest faucet setting, and very warm water at the hottest faucet setting.
My plumber is perplexed and I am at my wits end. As a FYI, the shower faucet is a single handle (not a double). The sink next to the shower doesn't get HOT, but the sinks/showers elsewhere in the house get hot. I appreciate any and all thoughts.
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Author:
Wheelchair (IL)
Just the Facts please....
What brand and model of water heater?
What Brand of Shower Valve?
Is your hot water on a loop system?
Best Wishes
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Author:
pearl555 (DC)
The hot water heater is state select gas water heater, 50 gallon.
The actual temp controller - it is not labeled with a brand. The shower head is hansgrohe, but I contacted hansgrohe and they do not believe the controller is their item.
I am not sure if it is on a water loop system.
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
It sounds like it is on a loop with a bad check valve to me. Other faucets may not show symptoms because they aren't on long enough
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Author:
Paul48 (CT)
Check any single handle faucet you are not having problems with, for a cross-connection.
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Author:
pearl555 (DC)
Hey Paul-
Can you clarify what you mean by checking other faucets for a cross connection?
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
Any place that the hot water piping is connected with the cold water piping and there be a chance that the two could cross over. Generally you see this in commercial kitchens especially, and sometimes when single handle faucets have a failure inside them. The tendency is for all the water to go lukewarm in the affected area. If you have stops on all your sinks you can shut them off, shut off the water to the laundry, and try showering again. To see if you have a hot water recirculation system, check to see if you have a pump attached to the hot water heater (usually within a few feet, not attached per se) or a pump hooked up under a sink in an area some distance away from the water heater and let us know.
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Author:
Paul48 (CT)
Some shower valves, have what are called integral stops. You would have to remove the escucheon to see if there's a screw driver slot on either side of the valve. If you can shut the valve off, you can eliminate it as a possible cross-connection. If there's no integral stops, run hot only through the valve in question. Get the hot side of the valve body hot and it should stay hot for a while. Then go to the shower you'e having a problem with and run hot only in it. If the hot side of the valve body cools quickly, it's passing cold to hot and its cartridge is no good. Make sense? A cheap IR thermometer is useful for this, but not a necessity.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
quote; We have since had three plumbers come in who have replaced the hot water heater, the diverter, and the cartridge.
The first thing you have to do is find a good plumber who knows how to diagnose the problem instead of "guessing". If some one is going to start changing parts to "see if this works" they should also give you a guarantee that if it doesn't you don't have to pay for it. Would you pay an auto mechanic if your car didn't start and he began by changing the battery, the ignition system, and starter, but it still didn't work? There are a multitude of possibilities, but NONE of them should affect the lowest cold water temperature. IF that temperature is changing, then you have a problem that cannot be solved by us over the Internet.
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