Shower water HOT

[ddurrett896]

My shower water has recently gotten hotter with no change to the water heater thermostat.

I normally have to turn my shower handle 75% for a comfortable shower - now, it’s gotta be around 35%. Anything more is now too hot. Any ideas?

 

[Richard Cranium]

one of two things
the heating elements are about to burn out
or the thermostat is sticking.

 

[p_mori7]

Get your tank checked ASAP.

And open the breaker for tonight. Turn it back on 30 minutes before showers tomorrow. Then open it again before leaving the house. Repeat until tank is fixed.

 

[zoepop]

We had this issue when our well pump was dying. Couldn't keep up so the shower was mostly water from the hot water tank

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Is the faucet water that hot as well? Does the shower has a single anti scald valve or does it have separate hot and cold valves?

 

[ddurrett896]

We had this issue when our well pump was dying. Couldn't keep up so the shower was mostly water from the hot water tank

City water

 

[ddurrett896]

Is the faucet water that hot as well? Does the shower has a single anti scald valve or does it have separate hot and cold valves?

Not 100%. It’s more noticeable in the shower because I set at same spot every night. The shower has 2 identical shower heads/valves and both started doing same thing so assuming it’s not that.

 

[The Cobbler]

only 2 things I can think of, water temp in heater is hotter or less volume on the cold supply

 

[MattT]

This time of year it might be your cold water is hotter. Yeah I know it's theoretically supposed to be a constant temperature year round but ours changes.

 

[SALIV8]

Turn on shower all way to hot and collect the hot water in a pot and stick in a thermometer. Then clmpare that to your water heaters setting and then go from there based on results.

 

[66cj225]

What are you using to make the hot water? A variation in input temp, appliance use, utility energy supply- could be anything, in any state, unless you are trying to restrict responses to the shower valve.

 

[CoogarXR]

Run the cold by itself, do you have good flow? I just wonder, if you have crappy city water like I do, your cold valve could be corroding shut and limiting flow. My hot line stays cleaner since all the **** collects in the bottom of the water heater.

I decided next time I have to replace the water heater, I'm going to put in some kind of filter system.

Another thought- is it just at the shower? How about the rest of the house? Are the hot-sides hotter everywhere?

 

[HoosierBuddy]

This time of year it might be your cold water is hotter. Yeah I know it's theoretically supposed to be a constant temperature year round but ours changes.

Absolutely this^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I live fairly close to a water tower and my incoming water can vary from mid-30's in the winter to close to 80 in the summer. It makes a drastic difference in my comfortable set point in my shower. In fact, I turn back the thermostat on my gas water heater in the summer to run it cooler to save a couple of bucks and get me back to a more middle of the road setting on my shower controls.

Phil

 

[ddurrett896]

Absolutely this^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I live fairly close to a water tower and my incoming water can vary from mid-30's in the winter to close to 80 in the summer. It makes a drastic difference in my comfortable set point in my shower. In fact, I turn back the thermostat on my gas water heater in the summer to run it cooler to save a couple of bucks and get me back to a more middle of the road setting on my shower controls.

Phil

Thanks! Might be this, however the temp now is the same as it was a month or two ago and it didn't happen then.

Just in case, it's a $36 kits to replace both thermostats and the elements. Going to do it just in case.

 

[nh_yota]

This time of year it might be your cold water is hotter. Yeah I know it's theoretically supposed to be a constant temperature year round but ours changes.

I have city water and this happens to me every summer. During the winter my single-handle shower valve sits at 3 o'clock and during the summer it sits at 5 o'clock.

Even though the lines are buried 4' below the street, the soil temp fluctuates based on the season. The cold water this time of year is almost room temperature.

 

[larry_g]

Thanks! Might be this, however the temp now is the same as it was a month or two ago and it didn't happen then.

Just in case, it's a $36 kits to replace both thermostats and the elements. Going to do it just in case.

Unless you have measured the temperature coming out of the spigots then your guessing. Measure the temp of the HOT water coming out of various spigots and compare it to the setting. If it is at the set point then replacing all that equipment isn't going to change anything. Trouble shoot and KNOW what your problem is before re-plumbing the whole house.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[larry4406]

Any chance you have a mixing valve somewhere that is bleeding thru?

I used to have a house where the hose bib was controlled by a shower diverter inside the garage (hot/cold outside water). If the diverter was somewhere in a mixed mode while the hose bib outside was off, I would get hot water bleeding thru the cold side of the diverter and the nearby shower and lavy had nothing but warm and scalding until they were run for a period of time (3-5 minutes).

 

[TractorJeff]

Or it is sun burn skin that is more sensitive to water temperature?

 

[ddurrett896]

It seemed to self correct - I’m guessing it was the ground being hotter. It’s weird because this last week has been more mild than the past few months.

 

[LXCam]

I take it this is a two valve set up? We had the same problem and it turned out to be a piece of debris in the cold water side right at the mixing part. If you turned on the cold there didn't seem to be any reduction in flow. But if you turned the hot on first then the cold, the initial pressure partially closed off the cold side and just the most minor change to the hot side made for a huge swing in temp. If you turned on the cold first it would adjust normally. It was the craziest thing.

After rebuilding the valves a couple times and being baffled I finally started poking and prodding with a piece of bailing wire and dug out a busted teflon washer that had wedged in there. If you find the other suggestions don't get you anywhere you might want to check.

 

[ez-duzit]

I have installed one of the Grohe automatic shower mixing valves. Can't imagine how I ever lived without one.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Get your tank checked ASAP.

And open the breaker for tonight. Turn it back on 30 minutes before showers tomorrow. Then open it again before leaving the house. Repeat until tank is fixed.

What if it is a natural gas water heater?

 

[p_mori7]

What if it is a natural gas water heater?

Then the suggestion does not apply.