WATER HEATER or defective MIXER in the FAUCET

[import2nr]

so my hot water is running out fairly quickly latley and some people have told me to check my mixers for the faucet in the tub
im no plumber and i really have no clue as to what im looking for
but i would rather replace a mixer than a water heater if thats the case
Does anyone know how to get to the mixer and or now a HOW TO/ DIY site i can get INSTRUCTIONS from
I have oone of those SINGLE KNOBS type of faucet ...

if anyone can help .. i would apreciate

thanks

[helomech]

Don't know anything about the mixer, but my hot water heater went out last night. Just got the new one put in. The gut at lowes said a bunch of water heaters went out yesterday, he never sold that many before.

[import2nr]

hmmmmm.. interesting
yeah i think its the water heater but its only a year old

[pop]

If you are getting cold water at EVERY faucet fairly quickly I would think it might be the water heater. Sometimes the element can go bad.

[Blackbeauty]

Originally Posted by helomech

Don't know anything about the mixer, but my hot water heater went out last night. Just got the new one put in. The gut at lowes said a bunch of water heaters went out yesterday, he never sold that many before.

Hmmmm.. sounds like a plumbing conspiracy....

If you have hot water and then lose it quickly, it's most likely your water heater. If you just have some control problems at the shower faucet, but your other faucets in the house are working properly, chances are it's the mixing valve in the faucet. From what I've seen after installing two of the "No-scald" shower nozzles, the mixer is internal and you'll most likely need to replace it. Additionally, the ones I installed had a little tab that you set and fastened in position inside the handle. That set the highest temperature that the faucet would allow after the water is mixed with cold.

Take the cover off the handle and you should see the blue/red slide adjuster. On mine it was fastened with a single screw, but depending on the age of the unit, yours may be different. If adjusting that doesn't help, you may need to replace it.

[Dorsey]

You did not indicate if you have a gas or electric water heater but I suspect it is electric. Most have two elements and one of yours may be bad. That is why you are getting hot water that runs out too quickly. Elements are cheap (~$30) and easy to replace, just be sure and turn the electricity off at the breaker. Another possibility is that your hot water heater (gas or electric) was undersized (you say it is only a year old) and that cold weather is now making that apparent. In other words, in the process of going through the house plumbing to the shower, you are using much of the hot water in the tank and the new water flowing into the tank to replace it is much colder than normal. That makes the water in the tank lukewarm and you run out of hot water. If your tank is 30 gallons or less and you live in a cold climate, I would suspect the tank is undersized. You may get some relief by turning the temerature on the tank higher, just be careful if you have small kids. If your faucets are newer and the mixers are set correctly, you shouldn't notice the difference at the faucet but the hot water will last longer. Remember to turn it back down in the warmer months to save energy.

[import2nr]

thanks for all the advice guys.. in case anyone cares ill post an update and or what the fix/problem was