5 Reasons Why Your Hot Water May Not Be Working
Hot water is important any time of year, but you’re especially likely to notice your hot water not working if something goes wrong in the winter. Here are some likely reasons the water gets no more than lukewarm, no matter how long you wait for it to heat up.
5 Reasons Why Your Hot Water May Not Be Working
1. The water heater is getting old: Most water heaters last over a decade. If yours was installed over 10 years ago, age might be the reason for your hot water not working. Depending on the malfunction, fixing your water heater might be easy. However, more complex problems may not be worth the investment to fix. Your money could be better spent on a new water heater.
2. The thermostat setting is wrong: It sounds obvious, but before you panic about the cost of repairing your water heater, check the thermostat setting. Set it at the highest temperature, and wait an hour to see if the water gets hot. The thermostat shouldn’t spin around easily; it should take some effort to twist. Replace the thermostat if it’s loose to see if that fixes the temperature problem.
3. There isn’t enough water: Most water heaters have a reset button. Find it and press it to reset the high-temperature cutoff. Give the water heater an hour to heat up, and hopefully hot water will start coming from the tap.
4. The tank is dirty: There’s an easy fix for this one. Simply flush the tank to remove sediment buildup and help improve heat transfer efficiency for hotter water at the tap. Repeat this maintenance step every six months to help slow sediment buildup and prolong the life of your tank.
5. There’s a leak: If this is your problem, it’s most likely located in the pressure relief valve near the bottom of the tank. Check the valve and tighten it if it’s leaking. If tightening it doesn’t do the trick, have the valve replaced.
If your water heater passes all these tests and still has a problem producing hot water, it could be rusty, cracked, or have a mechanical issue.
Schedule a visit from Arctic Air Conditioning to have the problem diagnosed and repaired.
We proudly serve Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer, and Ocean counties. Our experienced Monroe area plumbers serving Central New Jersey provide water heater repair and much more.
