Gone are the days of having to use a fire to heat water. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mechanic, beauty therapist, farmer or doctor. Let’s face it, hot water is an essential part of life in the 21st century. And nothing can make a Monday morning harder than it already is than stepping into a shower that doesn’t warm up.
It’s possible you may have to deal with a Monday without a hot shower, but don’t panic yet. There are a few things you can check to ensure that Tuesday morning starts on a better note.
Determine if you’ve run out of hot water
This first step seems simple, but it is important and can save you a call out fee. If you’re the last in the shower in a household of 5, then there’s a good chance that you’ve just run out of hot water. If everyone else has had a nice steamy scrub, don’t be too concerned. Chances are you’ve emptied your hot water tank.
Solution 1: Wait for your hot water system to heat up more water.
Solution 2: Consider upgrading to a larger hot water system that has adequate capacity for all household members.
However, If you’re certain its more than a matter of an empty hot water tank, here’s what else could be up.
For gas hot water systems:
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Do you have gas?
Again, another simple step. If you have a gas hot water system, it should go without saying that you require gas to produce the hot water.
Solution 1: Check another appliance that uses gas i.e. gas cooktop. If you don’t have any gas, you might want to contact your gas provider.
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Do you have enough gas?
If your cooktop or gas heater is working, take a walk around near your hot water service. If you can smell gas, there’s a chance you may have a gas leak. This would interrupt your hot water system for sure.
Solution 1: Call your gas provider ASAP to shut off the gas. Gas leaks can be dangerous.
Solution 2: Call your plumber to fix the leak.
For electric hot water systems:
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Have you tripped a circuit breaker?
It’s not all doom and gloom when your hot water system fails to put out hot water. It’s quite possible that something has tripped the breaker.
Solution: Check your fuse box which is usually located on the side of the house or garage. A tripped circuit breaker will be in the ‘OFF’ position. Flick it back to ‘ON’ to reset the breaker. If the breaker keeps tripping it could be time for an electrician and not a plumber.
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Has your heating element died?
If you don’t have any issues with the circuit breaker, you could be dealing with a heating element problem. Inside all hot water services, there are heating elements. These are the components responsible for warming up your water. Unfortunately, like most things, they only have a certain lifespan.
Solution: Call a plumber to confirm the problem is, in fact, a heating element. Depending on the age of the unit, they may replace the elements or have to replace the whole unit.
If you don’t feel like Sherlock Holmes-ing your hot water issues, call the professionals at Limcora on 1300 006 606. Unfortunately, plumbing problems can be tricky to diagnose, that’s why calling your trusted local plumber might be the best point of contact and save you heaps in the long run.
