When you take a hot shower on a chilly day, it feels fantastic. When you take the same hot shower on a sweltering summer day, it feels like hellfire. It’s not always easy to keep your water heater at an ideal temperature all year long. Depending on the time of year and how often you use your hot water, it is normal for your water heater to get too hot or too cold at different points in time. It can be frustrating when this happens, as having an overheated or underheated water heater can lead to unwanted expenses and other problems. Keep reading to learn more about why is my Hot Water Getting Too Hot. How To Handle a Boiling House
why is my hot water getting too hot?
There could be a few reasons why your hot water is getting too hot. One possibility is that there’s something blocking the flow of cold water into the tank, which is preventing the thermostat from working properly and causing the water to heat up too much. Another possibility is that there’s something wrong with the thermostat itself, or with the wiring that controls it. Finally, it’s also possible that there’s something wrong with the gas or electric heater that’s heating up the water.
What Is The Ideal Temperature For Hot Water?
Before You Turn on the Water
Before using your hot water, it’s important to ensure that the water heater is at a temperature that is optimal for your use. The ideal temperature for your water heater is between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (or 50-60 degrees Celsius). In order to do this, you can use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water before you turn on the faucet. If your water has reached this ideal temperature, you can then turn on the faucet and enjoy those refreshing hot showers. If not, it’s time to adjust something!
Adjusting Your Thermostat
If your hot water has reached a temperature that is too high or too low for your needs, you can adjust it by turning off the power to your thermostat and resetting it. This will direct all of the heat from the tank into one specific area rather than spreading it around all over. This will make sure that your hot water heater reaches the ideal temperature.
Using a Programmable Thermostat
If you have a programmable thermostat, it is possible to set the temperature of your water heater much higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (or 60 degrees Celsius). If you are comfortable with doing this, you can increase the temperature by 10 degrees and then turn on the power to your programmable thermostat to make sure that all of the heat from your tank goes into that one area. It’s best if you only do this after having checked that the water has reached an ideal temperature for your needs, but it’s certainly an option if needed.
Using a Water Heater Thermometer and a Programmer
A water heater thermometer and programmer is another great tool for adjusting your water heater temperature. This device will allow you to check the temperature of both hot and cold water in real-time as well as record temperatures for future reference the water for a few minutes in order to test it. This will ensure that your water heater is at the optimal temperature. If you want to keep your water heater at this higher temperature all year long, you can set it to turn on automatically when the weather gets warm and turn off automatically when the weather gets cold.
How To Handle An Overheated House?
Shut off the Hot Water Heater.
Turn off the hot water heater. The water will stop flowing and the temperature in the tank will drop.
Turn on the Cold Water Valve.
Turn on the cold water valve in your home’s main shutoff valve to allow cold water to flow into your house’s plumbing system. This should lower the temperature of your hot water heater and keep it from overheating. If this helps, leave it open for a few hours to allow it to do its job fully. If not, turn it back off and turn on a hot shower or bathtub faucet until you feel that you have lowered the temperature enough by turning on only one faucet at a time.
Shut Off Hot Water To Your Home’s Main Shutoff Valve (if needed).
If you have multiple shutoff valves, make sure all of them are turned off so that no hot water is being pumped into your home. Otherwise, you will have a problem. If you are not sure how to do this, call a plumber.
3 Ways To Help Your House Handle A Boiling House
Adjust the temperature
If you find your water heater is getting too hot, the first thing you should do is adjust the temperature. By doing this, you can keep your water heater at a more ideal temperature that will minimize the chances of it getting too hot or too cold. While not every water heater has an adjustable setting, some do. You’ll want to make sure that you know how to adjust your water heater’s temperature before trying to fix it yourself. If your water heater does not have an adjustable setting, you can buy a thermometer that will help you keep track of the proper temperature for your water heater.
Adjust the thermostat
If adjusting the temperature doesn’t work for you, then try adjusting your thermostat instead. The thermostat is located on the wall where your hot and cold faucets are located in most homes today. You can adjust this to bring down or raise the temperature of the water in your hot water heater. If you choose to adjust the thermostat, make sure that you do so only when it’s not in use. This will prevent the water heater from overheating or becoming too cold.
Change your filter
The filter is located on the bottom of your hot water heater, and it is what keeps the water clean and free of contaminants. If this filter is dirty, it can cause your water to be too hot or too cold at times. When this happens, you should remove the old filter and replace it with a new one. You should also check to make sure that the drain valve on your hot water heater is functioning properly by turning off the shower while letting some of the hot water drain out of your tank. Once everything looks good, turn back on your shower and let some more hot water flow into your tank before shutting it off completely again. If this doesn’t fix things for you, then you might fresh. If your filter is old and dirty, it can reduce the amount of water that gets to the hot water heater. This will cause your water heater to run hotter than necessary. You can buy a new filter and have it installed by a professional if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself.
Conclusion
Water heating is the second-largest energy expense in the home, after space heating. Every month, your water heater will use a certain amount of energy to keep the water inside of the tank at the right temperature. If your water heater is overheated, the easiest thing you can do is wait for the temperature inside the tank to drop. If you don’t want to wait for your water heater to cool down on its own, you can always turn down the temperature that the water heater uses to heat the water in the tank. If your water heater is getting too cold, but you’re still using the same amount of energy, it may just be a sign that it’s getting colder outside. There are a few things you can do to help your house handle a boiling house.
