When you need hot water in your home, you don’t want to wait. If your shower takes too long to warm up or you’re dealing with slow hot water throughout your home, there are some things you can do to fix your hot water woes!

5 REASONS YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR HOT WATER

1. Distance: The farther away your hot water heater is from the faucet or shower where you want hot water to flow, the longer it will take to get there.
2. A low volume restrictor: You may have a low volume restrictor installed on fixtures, like your shower, which can delay the delivery of water.
3. A failing water heater: Water heaters that are about 10 years old are at or approaching the end of their service life. That can mean they fail suddenly, or they’re simply less effective at heating water. An expert plumber from Len The Plumber can check out and repair your water heater and determine if now’s the right time for water heater replacement.
4. Sediment buildup: Sediment accumulates in your water heater when dissolved minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, settle on the bottom of the tank — precisely where the electric heating element or gas burner is located. With a crusty layer of sediment blocking heat transfer, the tank can’t produce hot water as quickly as it used to. A water heater professional from Len The Plumber can flush your water heater and clean out the sediment to help improve efficiency and performance.
5. An undersized water heater: Perhaps you installed a water heater several years ago when only two people lived in your home. If your family has grown since then, you could be demanding more from your water heater than it’s designed to handle. Upgrading to a larger unit could be the solution to your problem.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET HOT WATER BACK?

All storage water heaters have a particular recovery time. This is the amount of time it takes the tank to deliver hot water again after it has been depleted. The recovery time can vary widely depending on these factors:

• Tank size: Larger tanks take longer to recover.
• First hour rating: The higher the FHR, the less time it takes for the water heater to recover.
• Fuel type: Electric water heaters take about twice as long to reheat as gas models.
• Temperature rise: Cold incoming water takes longer to reheat than warm water.

All in all, it takes an average 80-gallon gas water heater about an hour to recover. The factors outlined here determine whether your water heater’s recovery time is longer or shorter than this.