Few people enjoy waking up to a cold shower. However, diagnosing and fixing hot water plumbing problems can take half the day! To speed up the process, troubleshoot your hot water issues with the following steps:

1. Check the power supply. Make sure there is power going to the boiler. The panel light should be on and the pressure gauge should be showing around one bar.

2. Make sure your pump is working by feeling the side of the pump for motion. If it doesn’t seem to be working, you may need to call a professional to investigate.

3. Check to see that your thermostat is on and not too low. Check that the power switch is turned to on and that the thermostat controlling the water temperature is set high enough.

4. Make sure the pilot light goes on when needed. If not, relight it by following the steps in your water heater instructions.

When you are in the shower and the water temperature suddenly changes, it is a result of a water pressure change from water being used elsewhere in the house. To fix this unpleasant surprise, install a pressure balance device. This device works to balance changes in water temperature before water is able to scald or freeze you.

If you are tired of waiting a long time for the water to turn hot before showering or brushing your teeth, then you should install a hot water recirculation system. The system uses a small pump to speed up how quickly hot water reaches the faucet. Though convenient, this system can cause a spike in your water bill so look for an energy efficient pump that only circulates hot water when needed.

If you continue to have hot water problems after these tips, use TalkLocal to find a reliable plumbing professional in minutes!

This entry was originally posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2012 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Plumbers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.