water not warm enough

[sueum97]

Hi all-

Am new to this forum - Have a question. I have a shower/tub combo in an old 1920s house. I believe the tub is a steel tub and the glazing is coming off - that's a whole other issue. Question is - we have a new hot water heater and there's just the 2 of us. If one of us takes a shower the water is not hot for long (i took a shower this morning and i had to turn the hot all the way up and leave the cold off and it was just warm enough to take a shower - not hot even - and we have a low flow water shower head too). Also - I don't take baths because by the time the water fills up - the water has cooled signigicantly. Now the heat in the tub could be due to the steel right? But what about the shower - is this a leak on our water heater, old plumbing, our faucet fixtures, etc. Please help! I don't even know where to begin. We installed a low flow shower head and hot water tank recently hoping to help the situation. Has a bit but not a whole lot.

Thanks!

[jadnashua]

Where is the thermostat set on the water heater? It could be set way down - if so, try turning it up some. Are any of the pipes exposed? Can you put some insulation around any of them? A really long run can allow the water to cool off some, especially if they run through unheated areas (not too much of a problem this time of the year most places, though). If the old house has a bunch of air leaks and they go over the pipes, this can make it much worse and can lead to frozen pipes in the winter. What kind of a valve do you have in the tub? Some single handle valves have a stop to prevent it from turning too far and if not set right can keep it from getting as hot as you want. This might be able to be fixed with no money at all.

[bmense]

You could also have a broken off dip tube in the water heater. when they break off the incoming cold water mixes with the hot water in the water heater and the outgoing water is warm then turns to cold. If this is the case, you have two options; 1. replace the dip tube 2. replace the water heater.

Brian