Running out of hot water too quickly

[jhqpzjg]

Hey Folks,

I seem to be running out of hot water too quickly, which is particularly evident in the shower. I have a Rheem mod# 21V40-7, 40 gallon. I think the manufacture date is 1996, but the home was built in 99. I find myself adjusting the water temp more toward hot while in the shower to keep it from going luke warm. I noticed this problem myself, and then got the same complaint from tenants who now live there, without prompting them.

I first checked for anti-scald devices in the shower valves, which I removed for trouble shooting. This didn't seem to help significantly. I then checked the temperature setting on the water heater, which I moved to just below the max temp, which also didn't help significantly.

Any thoughts on cause or further troubleshooting?

Thanks,

Jason

 

[johnjh2o]

Check the other fixtures after running out of hot water in the shower. If you have hot water at other fixtures then you need to replace the cartridge in the shower valve.

John

 

[LiQuId]

often times this problem occurs in multiple dwellings in a building the culprit is mineral rich water that scales the inside of the tank causing poor heat tranferance through the bottom of the tank and slow heating response.

remedy is usually a new tank.

possiblle solutions and problems

- dip tube is broken... replace the dip tube.

- scale on either the tank or the sensing element on the rod and tube... replace thermal well in tank or whole tank

note that HWT's are generally a toss away after 10 years, though they do last longer on occasion

 

[jhqpzjg]

Thanks all for your suggestions. Based on the age of the water heater, I decided to replace it. What I discovered during the replacement and which explained the poor performance was that it had been plumbed BACKWARDS! Cold to hot, hot to cold. What's amazing to me is that I and all previous residents of the house, built in 99, tolerated it, as I'm pretty sure this water heater was the original installation. It also makes me wonder how often this sort of thing happens in original installations...thanks again for your help.

Jason

 

[LiQuId]

looooool, well that would definately cause some issues.. glad you got it resolved and thanks for following up