when i turn my shower on i get hot water for 2 min.then it goes to cold the bathroom sink and the kitchen sink stay hot all the time

what type water heater do you have?

30 gallon electric

Are the sinks 'hot" when the shower is cold, because a 30 gallon electric water heater is pathetic?

"pathetic" ??? hj, we are talking about the water heater not the red sox.
anyway, if there is hot water at the sinks while the shower is running cold, the problem is probably with the mixing valve.

the shower is not single handle

It sounds like you have an eroded dip tube, or the lower element isn't operating. Testing the electrical is the fastest way to see where the problem is. Set the thermostats on the tank to a middle of the road temperature before testing so that you can rotate the temperature above and below the temperature of the water in the tank to make sure the thermostats click on, and to make sure that power is sending from the upper to the lower thermostat. I have had more problems in the last 4 years with upper thermostats not operating properly than any other reason.

This has an excellent troubleshooting guide that you can follow if you like. [www.statewaterheaters.com]

but he said he has hot water at the sinks ???

Lower volume demand at the sinks. I suspect a lower element out, tank half full of sediment. Upper element is trying to work as on demand with a small amount of hot water that builds up when it can have a chance to recover.

You could count the number of upper thermostats I have had to replace on your fingers, and that has been over a 60+ year period, and almost NO "broken dip tubes" since the 50's.

But he did not specifically say they were hot AFTER the shower went cold. A recirculation line could cause the problem, but 30 gallon heaters seldom have one.

once again trouble with the intent of the question.


"bathroom sink and the kitchen sink stay hot all the time"

i took that to mean ALL the time.
before, during and after shower use...
apparantly 'ALL' has a different meaning to some people.
EG.. ALL people in new england are red sox fans.

"All the time", could mean when they are being used, but not necessarily RIGHT AFTER using the shower. Language can be vague and subject to interpretation, which is why WE have to be at a site to do OUR OWN testing.

Even though it is a two handle valve there could still be a separate balancing spool. It's one of those situations that you need to be there to troubleshoot.
When the shower is running does the hot water outlet pipe get cold at the water heater?

i do not no it is at my motherinlaws i will check and let u no the heater is less then 3 years old

There is a better chance that the Easter Bunny is using all the water than there is that there is remote pressure balancer.

I have only had problems on upper thermostats on newer heaters, less than 3-4 years old. One of my upper thermostats in my own house went out in 3 months on a brand new tank. I am tempted to find some old junk tanks to rob some spares from, they seem to be better quality in years past.

We are required to use balancing spools if someone has a non pressure balanced valve. I'm surprised it's not code in your locale. It just installs on the shower supply piping.



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