Dry air is a common problem in cold weather and in warm climates. An ultrasonic humidifier can help solve the problems caused by dry air. These can be used in just about every room in your house, including the kitchen and bedroom. They shouldnt be used in a bathroom, as the humidity level is generally higher in bathrooms. You can find these humidifiers in home improvement stores or on the internet.Human beings are most comfortable when the humidity in the air is between 30 and 50%. When the air is drier, you may notice symptoms such as a stuffy nose, sore throat, dry skin, dry hair, a dry cough, itchy eyes or nose bleeds. Low humidity causes problems in your home as well. Over time, dry air causes the wood in your hard wood floors and home furnishings to dry out. In extreme cases, it can become brittle and crack. Static electricity is another common problem with dry air. Benefits of an Ultrasonic HumidifierThe water in these humidifiers isnt heated. This is a good feature if the machine will be used in a childs room. There is no danger of burns because there is no hot water. These humidifiers are very quiet when running, so your childs sleep wont be disrupted.Ultrasonics dont create the white dust that is common with warm mist humidifiers. This dust is the result of minerals in the water being released into the air. This dust settles on the furniture. Ultrasonic machines have a metal platform inside that catches this dust and keeps it from being released into the air. How an Ultrasonic Humidifier WorksUltrasonic humidifiers add moisture to the air using high frequency sound vibrations. These vibrations create an ultra fine mist in the air. A metal diaphragm inside the machine vibrates at a high frequency. This creates the mist. The size of this appliance is smaller and more compact than other humidifiers. This allows it to fit easily on any furniture.Some helpful features on these machines include an adjustable setting for mist control. You can adjust these machines for more or less moisture in the air. Many have a built in humidistat to measure the level of moisture in the air. This helps you keep the humidity in the desirable level. If the level climbs too high, you can turn the mist down or off. You can purchase these separately, if your humidifier doesnt come with one. Using an Ultrasonic Humidifier SafelyThe biggest concern with these humidifiers is the water is not heated. This poses a danger of microorganisms being released into the air. The presence of mold spores and bacteria in the air aggravates allergies or asthma and can cause illness. Fortunately there are some things you can do to help lessen this risk.o Change the water in the humidifier after every use. Empty the container and rinse with fresh water. Use a towel to dry it out completely.o Fill with fresh water just before every use. This prevents mold spores from growing in the standing water. o Impurities in your tap water can find their way into the air, causing irritation. Both minerals and additives used to clean the public water supply, such as chlorine can cause irritation. The best way to avoid this is to use distilled or bottled water, or consider having a water purifier installed to clean all your water. o Clean and disinfect the water chamber regularly. You will find instructions for this in your owners manual. Use a disinfectant to kill any microorganisms that may remain. Commercial humidifier cleaning products are sold in stores and on the internet for this purpose. o High levels of humidity in the air lead to the growth of mold spores. Keep the level in the 30-50% range. A humidistat will help you monitor this. If your machine doesnt have one, buy a separate one to be safe. o A separate air filter, such as a hepa, can help remove any mold spores or contaminants from the air.
About the Author:
Peter Wilson writes many news to http://www.humidifier-tips.com an online guide. The writer is publishing on issues like ultrasonic humidifier .
Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/How-An-Ultrasonic-Humidifier-Works/12777
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
what cold be wrong if a conventional gas heating system is working, but no hot water and the cylinder is cold.?
Boiler 8yrs old, working perfectly well until now, regularly serviced. Ignition light on, radiator working okay as is hot, but no hot water from the taps and the hot water storage, the cylinder is also cold from outside.-
ANSWER:
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QUESTION:
Circuit breaker at halfway position no hot water but?
Now it seems ok. It means it tripped right? Also it will trip again wont it?-
ANSWER:
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QUESTION:
The hot water no longer gets hot on my water cooler, even it is not warm?
The hot water is not hot when I press the hot button. I can get cold water when I press the hot button. There is a small storage under the water cooler so I do want to fix it. I'd like to try to fix it by myself. We use the hot water a lot more than the cold water. so I do need this function work properly. Please tell me how to fix it or what parts do I need to buy and try. Thanks.-
ANSWER:
Connie, we had this same problem with our dispenser. Most likely, you'll have to order a part. There should be a contact number on the manual, or on the dispenser itself. If you don't have the manual, then look on the back of the machine, or under it. Somewhere on the machine there should be an information tag with the company name, model number, and maybe a phone number. If there is no phone number, then find the name of the company, and the model number exactly as you see it, and go online to find the company's website. From there, you should be able to contact them.If you talk to them on the phone, have them repeat the model number back to you because if they have the wrong number they'll send you the wrong part, and that'll cause a lot of lost time, money, frustration, etc.
You'll want to compare the price of the parts (and shipping fee) with the price of a new dispenser. It might make more sense to just buy a new dispenser, especially if this one is a few years old.
Good Luck!
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QUESTION:
How do I get more hot water Pressure?
I've replaced most of my hot water piping with 3/4 inch pvc. I took the hot and cold stems of the shower and had awesome pressure. Put new stems in and got no pressure. The interesting thing is that the cold water pressure is great everywhere except the shower and the hot water pressure is non-existent everywhere. The water heater has been drained and is 2 years old. One last detail is in the shower when you put the hot and cold water on there is no difference if you just had the hot on.-
ANSWER:
Agree with previous answer.
Since you have "awesome pressure" at each stem (bypassing the mixing valve--the 3/4" pipe probably helped here) then it must be the mixing valve (where the hot and cold water meet--controlled by the knob when functioning properly).
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QUESTION:
Why is hot water coming out of my cold water line in my kitchen sink?
When I come home from work and go to refill my dog's water bowl with cold water from the kitchen sink, the water instantly comes out warm. The water then gets hotter before it gets colder. I have not timed to see how long it takes for it to actually get cold. This only happens in my kitchen faucet, no other faucet in the house does this. It has only started to happen over the past month or so. I have spepartate hot and cold shut off valves and they are not reversed under the sink. The hot water still comes out hot. What is going on?-
ANSWER:
Are the pipes to your kitchen exposed to the sun outdoors or something? Kind of like when a garden hose is left out on the lawn of your backyard with water still in it and it sits in the sun; when you go to turn it on, it comes out blaring hot? It is the summertime, you know.....
Either that or your intake valve to the hot water might not be shut all the way in the pipe (although youve turned it as far as it will go) and hot water constantly trickles in.
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QUESTION:
When I turn the hot water on it flows, trickles, and stops after 20 seconds - what to do?
When I turn the hot water on in bathroom or kitchen it starts flowing (warm) then in a few seconds it slows dows and stops altogether. I have a cold water tank in the loft, a hot water one in the bedroom, and a central heating gas boiler in the kitchen. The pipework has been recently replaced by a friend. Cold water is fine. I don't understand how the two tanks and the boiler work together? The radiators work just fine, why doesn't the hot water work? We tried airing the tank by connecting the hot and cold water pipes in the kitchen and letting the pressure from the mains push whatever bubbles there were out through the system but we still have no hot water. With an eight weeks old baby in the house this is a disaster - please, help!
I forgot to add that the pipes are copper (mostly new ones), and the taps in both kitchen and bathroom are all brand new.-
ANSWER:
My first thought would be a leak that only drips (releases pressure) when the pipes expand from the heat of the water. If you're using something other than copper, than I couldn't tell you. I would suggest calling out a plumber and making sure your friend didn't screw things up.BTW, the cold and hot lines have separate pipes, so even if the hot doesn't flow, the cold would.
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QUESTION:
We stopped getting hot water in all our showers but not our faucets? Why?
All of a sudden all of our showers stopped producing hot water. It is not ice cold, but it is also not hot either. This is happening to all our showers. But we can get plenty of hot water from our faucets. The plumber who came out wants to replace the cartridges in the showers that regulate the hot and cold - but this doesn't make sense that all of the cartridges in all of our showers would suddenly all go bad at the same time. So what else could be causing just our showers to no longer get hot water?-
ANSWER:
there two thing that i would do in your showers. 1 is pull the hand off to see if you have a justment for the hot water side some faults have them for summer and water temp. you move it in or out for hot water. then2 is the shut off valve for the hot water to see if it open or not and there nothing stoping the watergoing through it. start there and you will get it . if it was you tank you wouldn,t have hot water at the sink faucets.
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QUESTION:
What causes the hot water in my house to smell like rotten eggs?
I have a house with well water. The cold water doesnt smell at all, however when I turn the hot water on there is a rotten egg smell that is obnoxious. Ive tried water filters to no avail. Can it be eliminated ?-
ANSWER:
This has to do with many of the components that can be found in your water. Water mainly has this feature to it when working with Well water because it is not preconditioned as all municipal water is. If you have municipal water it may be because the pipes surrounding your area are most likely very old and not very clean. I had this same problem and got a wholehouse filtration system from a company called LIFETIME OF TEXAS... and by far definetly the best investment my family has ever made... NOT SALT BASED which is the best part because you dont have to keep refilling the salt every other week... I definitely recommend you check them out, and please feel free to contact me for more information about it![:)]()
I have a friend that owns a ranch so he has well water too and he absolutly loves it and he said he doesn't have the rotten egg smell anymore!!!! The filter has something in it called KDF 85 which is specialized for Well water... Hope this helps!
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QUESTION:
What happened to the hot water in the bathtub?
I live in a flat. There is a gas boiler and I have hot water in the kitchen and in the washbasin from the bathroom, but suddenly there is no hot water coming from the shower or the hot tap in the bathtub. What is happening?
Ha,ha, no sir, I know well which tap is for cold and which for hot.
No, there is not a single tub handle, there is one for hot and another for cold water.-
ANSWER:
If you have single tub handle, it may be somthing to do with the handle. If you have a tankless water heater certain handles don't work as well. Just a thought.
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QUESTION:
My hot water is working but no heat?
I'm having a bit of a problem. Earlier in the evening I could get neither hot water nor heat out of my boiler. Now, I have hot water but no heat. Any ideas?
It is a water boiler with heating boards. The boiler is only about two years old.
I went and checked the boiler. It is running and has flame. It is responding to me switching it on and off, however, it is not responding to the thermostat and none of the pipes coming out of it are hot or even warm.-
ANSWER:
Water or Steam Boiler? In any case...1. drain the water from the boiler make sure it off
2. when you drain it make check the color (rust is normal)
3. Steam Boiler has to have water set to a mid point.
4. When last did the boiler get service check-up
5. Do you have oil
6. Did you set the hot water to the max.
7. Did the circuit breaker for the blower blew out? or reset it
8. Turn on the boiler did it come on go check the flame?The flame should be a bright orange in color if it's sparking or low the unit needs to be check out.
9. Is the chimmy to the boiler clogged.
10. Might be time to replace the boiler..
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QUESTION:
How does the distribution of hot water work in a regular household?
I am asking this because I have this second mini-house in my backyard with running water in its bathroom. The right knob on the faucet streams cold water but the left one doesn't work streaming no water at all.I was wondering if there is some sort of simple fix like a disconnected pipe somewhere in my house that will make the hot water work.
Thanks
![:-)]()
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ANSWER:
Has it been working correctly? If so, make sure it has not been shut off under the sink. if that is ok, you may have a bad cartridge. pop out the centre cap and the screw below it then use a wrench to remove the cartridge. take it with you to the hardware store for replacement ....turn off the main water supply to the hot side first !!!!!!!If you wish to follow your thought of a disconnected pipe somewhere, when you have the cartridge out, turn the water back on JUST A TINY TINY BIT to the faucet. to see if you get water.
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QUESTION:
How could I have hot water in half of the house and not the other?
I have hot water in one bathroom and not the rest of the house. When I turn on the hot water in the kitchen I have full pressure but the water never heats up. In the second bathroom, I have no water pressure in the sink (hot or cold) but full pressure in the shower (but with no heat). I cannot figure it out.-
ANSWER:
Does the sink with little pressure have a single handled mixing valve? The fault could be in that valve. If you can turn the water off to just that valve(both hot and cold) that may solve the problem. If not try isolating other valves including the working one in the first bathroom. If there are no shutoff valves for these lines you will have a heck of a time finding the problem. You also need to turn off the supply to the washer to isolate the fill valve as these valves can cause this problem as well especially if it has three solenoids for auto temp. control.
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QUESTION:
What might be causing me to have no hot water after service upgrade?
Just did a service upgrade on my house from 60 amps to 200 amps. Now my water isn't getting as hot as it was before. The water will get warm but not hot enough for a shower or anything like that. I got to check my hot water heater to make sure it still has power (may have a misplaced or loose wire after the service upgrade) but i think it still has power since the water does get warm. Any ideas on what might be the problem?-
ANSWER:
Since the problem with the hot water heater came just after the service upgrade, it seems likely that it is indeed the cause. You didn't mention that the service upgrade included a new main electrical panel, but I assume that it did. If so, my first thought is that the person who re-wired the circuits into the new panel wrongly assumed that the water heater feed circuit was 120 VAC instead of 208 or 240 VAC (which most larger water heaters require) and mis-wired the circuit. It's common to use a 'Romex' cable for hot water heaters that only has black and white wires (and the bare ground, of course), and typical 120 VAC circuits use black as hot and white as neutral. Therefore, if that mis-wiring is the mistake, you would get 1/4 the power to the hot water heater and the water would never get up to the proper temperature. Look inside the electrical panel and note whether or not the hot water heater is wired with the black wire to a single pole circuit breaker and the white to the neutral bus. If so, the fix is to connect the black and white wires from the hot water heater circuit to a double pole circuit breaker so it gets the full voltage (check the nameplate voltage on the water heater before doing this, of course). When using 2 wire plus ground 'Romex' cable for a 208 or 240 volt circuit, it's a better practice to color the white wire with red electrical tape to indicate its use as hot rather than neutral.
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QUESTION:
How long should a 75 gallon hot water heater old hot water?
I have a large home but only 2 people. after 10 minutes the hot water is not gone but I can no longer make it hotter. I flushed the system recently and it seems as though that was not the issue. I would think that I could take a shower for an hour and not have a problem as I am having. It is 10 years old.
This is a gas water heater.-
ANSWER:
Considering that you do have hot water for a while you can rule out having bad elements. Since the unit is 10 years old it is more likely that you have a defective dip tube. The dip tube forces the incoming cold water to the bottom of the tank so it does not mix with the hot water near the top. If the dip tube fails the cold and hot water mixes and you get lots of luke warm water.Many many dip tubes were recalled years ago because they were made from a plastic that dissolves in hot water. The recall is no longer going on so if that is your problem you will not get a free replacement.
For about you can get a new dip tube. If you are handy you can install it yourself or pay a plumber for an hour of work. Of course since the water heater is 10 years old you might be better off replacing it.
If you have real hard water you should consider replacing it. I have seed 20 year old water heaters still going fine and 10 year old units fail. It is your choice.
Here is a good article on dip tubes.
http://www.thehomeinspector.com/Clients/DipTube.html
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QUESTION:
How do I drain hot water lines without draining the water heater?
I have a cabin that must have the water lines drained in winter, to avoid lots of plumbing problems in spring. This is a well with a partially underground pump, so the pump is fine, but the lines beyond the cutoff at the pump must be drained. The cold water is no problem, but getting the maximum amount of water out of the hot water lines without draining the water heater is my challenge.When I turn off the faucet at the tank, it causes some water to remain in the pipes. It is not possible to disconnect the pipe at the heater, and after leaving the heater, the pipes are inside the concrete floor and do not emerge until they reach the bathrooms, Next to the heater is a sink, but I don't believe disconnecting that line will cause the others to drain either.
I will worry about the logistics if someone can explain the principle of why the one end being disconnected and the other being connected seems to form a partial siphon or vacuum or whatever it does.-
ANSWER:
What I would do considering your plumbing setup is to turn off the cold water, which is the input and you seem to know how to deal with it. Then I would disconnect the hotwater output on top of the water heater and open all the hot water faucets in the house and blow air into the flex line on top of the water heater. I am assuming it is a copper flexible line, some are hard plumbed, the air should blow out almost all of the water from the lines. There is another way this can be done, there is a special spring loaded check valve that can be buried in the ground and surrounded by gravel, this device opens up and drains water when pressure is relieved, or at about zero psi. These were invented for underground sprinkler systems, but can be used for other purposes. About the partial vacuum, the system has trapped air and can be relieved by opening the faucet that is the highest of the bunch prior to draining, of course this is with the water pressure turned off.
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QUESTION:
I have no hot water to the showers but I have hot water to my Radiators? I have a furnance and a summer winter?
I had no or very little hot water on the 2nd floor and real hot on the 1st floor. Now There is no hot water at all to any of the showers or sinks. But I have Hot water running thru the radiators. What could this be?
I have a tankless boiler for my hot water. So all my water runs through my boiler. My dimestic water is not getting hot.-
ANSWER:
no hot water in the showers means your hot water heater is bad. check to see if its leaking.
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QUESTION:
Why does the water pressure drop when I turn on the hot water in my shower?
It only is happening in one of two showers and in no other faucet in the house. I also noticed a hammering sound when I turn the hot water on at the sink in the same room as the shower in question. The drop in pressure is dramtic and when I turn the handle to full hot and back it off slowly the water flow acks as if there is air in the line. Ideas?-
ANSWER:
are the pipes old? You might have limescale in the hot water feed lines.
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QUESTION:
Why has my hot water stopped flowing in the shower?
I no longer have any hot water flowing from the faucet in the shower. The cold flows fine and all other faucets throughout the house work fine. It's summer, so no freezing. The only thing that has changed is that we tried a faucet sprinkler timer on our outside faucet and it's a newer home so it has a pressure release valve on it. When I hooked up the timer and turned the faucet the pressure release valve leaked water. The next day all of the indoor hot water faucets in the house spit and sputtered like they had trapped air. They all worked themselves out except the hot water in the shower. Just a tiny bit of water comes out that feels luke warm. Again, cold water runs fine. This is a one story house. What do we do to fix it?-
ANSWER:
Ok, its a newer house, so you dont have galvanized plumbing to contend with...That should not have been a "pressure relief valve, it should have been a "backflow preventer valve"
If that "valve" leaked, then chances are, it sucked in air and "airlocked" the lines. What you have to do is bleed the hot water tank out, by opening all the hot water faucets.
If this keeps up, then I would replace that valve, as it is defective.
Make SURE, that the valve isnt inline, with water coming from your meter, and going into the hot water tank. If it is, then it may be restricting it from going into the hot water tank.
I wish you well..
Jesse
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QUESTION:
How to get hot water back?
Live in an apartment with electric only, no gas. Have a boiler for hot water but not radiators as we have wall heaters instead.Was having a shower and hot water ran out. How do i get the hot water back? I have switched on the boost switch on the boiler but it doesn't seem to be doing anything as there is no noise coming from it.What can i do to get hot water back?-
ANSWER:
Call your landlord. the boileer has nothing to do with your hot water. How long have you been without hot water? If it's only been an hour or two then the tank needs to reheat. If it's been longer call your landlord because it's his problem and he must repair it immediately
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QUESTION:
Is hot water or cold water best when washing your face?
I know hot water opens up your pores and I usually use that when washing my face because I suppose my pores would absorb the medicine in the face wash better...but am I right in my thinking?
Cold water constricts your pores so is that better when you're putting on make-up and heading out? And is hot water better when you're just going to sleep? Or does it make no difference at all?
Thanks in advance. ;]
If it helps, I have very oily skin.-
ANSWER:
When you are washing your face, you need to splash your face with warm/hot water first, so the cleanser can wash deeply into your pores. After cleaning, you should rinse your face with cold water, so your pores close. If your pores are closed, then it will be harder for dirt to come in it, reducing the amount of oils and dirt on your face. Warm water is the best, because it won't dry out your skin. If you wash your face with cold water first, your pores will close and it won't clean correctly.
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QUESTION:
What is the proper way to maintain a hot water heater?
We have an 80 gal hot water heater and after just 2 wash loads and 2 showers, we're out of hot water. My husband has never drained off any sediment (I think you're supposed to do that), and I have no idea how old it is. What maintenance is supposed to be done on a hot water heater and how can we improve its performance?-
ANSWER:
Near the bottom of the water heater you should have a valve that you can hook a garden hose to, First hook a garden hose to this valve and open it, keep the water supply on, this will force all the sediment out of the drain. I would let it run for about 20 minutes. Also you want to make sure that the heating elements are still good if it is an electric water heater. You should flush you water heater about every 6 months.
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QUESTION:
Can an Insinkerator instant hot water dispenser be hooked up to a reverse osmosis filter?
Any plumbers out there that can answer this question? Please no guesses! Thanks!
I'm wondering can an Insinkerator instant hot water dispenser be hooked up to a reverse osmosis filter? I have a WaterCare Reverse Osmosis system and was thinking of getting an Insinkerator instant hot water dispenser. But I didn't want to hook it up just to the cold water line. I could but would be much better to the filter.
Thanks!-
ANSWER:
as long as the filter is installed BEFORE the water heater (i.e. water line goes to the filter first, then feeds the heater) there shouldn't be a problem. you may have to find a special fitting or two to convert the outlet of the filter to the inlet of the heater, but your local plumbing supply/hardware store should have what you need.
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QUESTION:
Does a Oil Fired burner and hot water work when there is no electric?
I have an oil fired heating system and my hot water works off the same system. The water is municipal water, so I will have water flowing back into the hot water heater.-
ANSWER:
It depends on the boiler. Many require some electricity to work. Few work mechanically to start the fire.If it is electrocnic it willnot start the spark. nor let the oil flow into the combustion chamber. if it is meechanical it may only require a push to ignite sparker, and either use a mechanical pump or gravity to feed it with oil fuel.
Many city water supplies pump water up to high water towers so gravity will pressurize the water pipes with out power.
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QUESTION:
What happens to your energy/hot water if you are using solar power and it's cloudy for several days in a row?
I used to have a solar water heater 15-20 years ago and it worked OK when it was sunny (of course!). However, if it was cloudy/rainy for several days in a row, there was no hot water when it was needed the most.
Do modern systems work better, or is this still an issue?-
ANSWER:
Most solar water heating systems are installed as a preheater to a backup water heater. The collectors heat the water in a super-insulated storage tank. The hot water output of that goes to the cold water input of a backup heater; electric, gas, oil, whatever. So on rainy days, the tank is insulated so it doesn't lose much of the heat that it made, but it may send 90 degree water to your backup heater instead of the 50 degrees you get from the city or well. That's 40 degrees less that the backup needs to heat, but still always provides hot water to the house. But on sunny days, your backup heater doesn't need to turn on at all. Many people actually turn the backup off in the summer.
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QUESTION:
How do I stop my hot water tank overflowing?
This is an old terraced property with no central heating. The hot water tank drips out of the overflow, running the hot water tap for a couple of minutes stops it for an hour or so. I tried leaving the tap running at night about the same amount that was overflowing only to be woken about 4am by noisy vibrating pipes. How do I adjust the level of the hot water tank?-
ANSWER:
You need to investigate what system you have in your property.
I will guess that you have a hot water tank with a ballcock that refills the tank with cold water thereby maintaining a fixed water level for the boiler.
If the ballcock is not closing properly it will cause the problem you describe , reasons for the ballcock not to close are a perished rubber washer , dirt rust etc clogging up the rocker arm of the ballcock.
Solution clean and inspect , probably replace the rubber washer.
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QUESTION:
Why does the hot water in my shower make a squealing noise in the pipers in the wall?
This happens in only one shower in my house, no others sinks or showers or anything! I have a single knob to control hot and cold and when I have the cold water on there is no noise, but when I turn it to hot, it makes the noise and it doesn't stop until I turn the water back to cold, or to off. My house is only about 10 years old.
Thanks!-
ANSWER:
either you have a pipe not fastened securely in your wall and it's vibrating on something or there is air getting trapped in the hot water line. Hard to say without actually hearing it.
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QUESTION:
My electric hot water heater is taking ages to heat?
It is a tankless system which should heat instantly. It has worked fine for ages but recently the hot water has taken a long time to come through. The whole block of flats has experienced some problems recently with water pressure but I have no idea if that would cause the problem. Any suggestions?-
ANSWER:
Depending on the total load of the unit, it will have 2 or 3 searate elements, one of these these may have failed or the could be a open thermostat or bad connection. I doubt if the pressure has anything to do with it. What type/model of heater is it??
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QUESTION:
I have hot water in my bathroom sink but the shower barely gets hot?
My bathroom sink get really really hot but the shower get just a tad of hot water, basically no hot water. What can I do to fix it?-
ANSWER:
If you have single handle for your shower's faucet (instead of separate hot and cold water knobs), than you may have a problem with the faucet itself. Usually, a single-handled faucet is a pressure-balanced faucet, which can sometimes become defective and unbalanced. If you have separate hot and cold water knobs for your shower... read on...Usually, all of the hot water in your home would come from a hot water heater. However, you could be in a condominium apartment. Reason being, in some apartments, particularly if hot water is included with your condo fees (or rent if you're renting), each fixture has its own supply. For example, all the showers in the building (throughout all the apartments) could be connected to a hot water supply line coming from the building's central boiler. All the kitchen sinks in the building are connected to another hot water supply line, coming from the building's central boiler. All the bathroom sinks in the building are connected to yet another hot water supply line, coming from the building's central boiler. This type of setup is not as common as the more common configuration, where each apartment has a single hot water supply and a single cold water supply, along with a shut-off valve for each one. These "mains" then branch off to the various fixtures throughout the apartment.
However, if you do have separate supplies for each and every fixture, than what's likely happening is that since it's unlikely that someone else is taking a shower at the same time as you, you have to wait a while for the hot water to get from the boiler all the way up to your shower, which can take as long as 5 to 10 minutes in some cases.
Either way, whether you're in a building with a central boiler, or you have your own hot water heater (such as in a single-family home, or a condominium home/apartment without a central hot water boiler), all of your hot water is coming from the same place.
The majority of configurations is in the way that all of your fixtures come from the same supply line (which I call the header), which runs across your basement ceiling, or throughout your apartment. However, that is likely not the case with you, as your shower would heat up fairly quickly, particularly if the water from that bathroom's sink faucet is already hot at that time. If you do have your own heater, you may have a separate pipe from the water heater, going directly to your shower. If that's the case, try leaving your shower running on 100% hot (no cold water) for a good 10 minutes. If the water never gets to the same temperature as the rest of your home's fixtures, than the only thing I can think of is that you have a mixing valve installed somewhere for your shower.
A mixing valve is basically a valve or valve(s), which mixes cold water in with the hot water. You can then manipulate the valve(s) to adjust the temperature of the hot water. I sometimes see them directly above hot water heaters, on the main hot line for the house, when the heater does not have a thermostat. Since the heater doesn't have a thermostat, the plumber installs a mixing valve so the homeowner can increase or decrease the water temperature to their liking. A previous owner may have decided to install a mixing valve strictly for the shower, for safety reasons. To find out, you'd have to follow the hot line all the way from the shower to the water heater, and look for a three-way valve which has a cold-water pipe also connected to it.
I hope all this helps. Just remember... If you have a single knob for your shower faucet, than it's likely defective. If you have separate hot and cold knobs for your shower faucet, than follow your pipes to figure out how your shower is connected, and from where, and search for a possible mixing valve which you can then re-adjust to your liking.
Cheers.
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QUESTION:
When testing the elements on a electric hot water heater should there be a short or no short?
We've been having scalding hot water and then no hot water lately. I believe it keeps overheating and tripping the reset button. I constantly am going and reseting the switch. I changed the top thermostat and tested the elements. Both of them have shorts on them. Should I replace them both or should I replace the bottom thermostat?-
ANSWER:
Do you mean a WATER HEATER ?because if you already have hot water why heat it !
if the water intake is cold ,it is a WATER HEATER,one that heats up cold water into hot.
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QUESTION:
how come my hot water will not come through the faucet in my camper after fixing a leak?
I repaired a leak at the plug in the water heater. The water heater has hot water in it, but will no come through the faucets. What can I do?-
ANSWER:
What plug in the water heater. If you have a leak in the tank it is probably about rusted thru and needs replaced. How old is it.
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QUESTION:
Does installing a solar hot water system increase the value of your home?
A lot of solar hot water systems claim to also increase the value of your home but provide no real information regarding it. Who would determine this value or how might it be applied to the value of the home? If it does increase does this increase depreciate?-
ANSWER:
Yes of course it increases the value the real question is does it increase the value as much as it costs to install it. A smart Realtor might be your answer.
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QUESTION:
installing a dishwasher and have to remove hot water valve?
how do i shut off the water supply off of the copper line??? becausei have to remove the hot water valve and there is no hot water valve off of the hot water tank only a cold one.
how much watre will i lose?-
ANSWER:
If there is no shut off under the sink or at the hot water tank (really unusual), you can shut off the cold water supply to the tank and remove some of the pressure by turn on a tap nearest to the dishwasher. You can then disconnect the water line to the dishwasher. Have a shallow bowl for some dripage and some towels or rags to soak any water up. There should only be a cup or so of water coming out depending of course on the length of the line and if there is any upstairs plumbing which could drain. If you haven't planned for it yet, I would put in a new shut off for the dishwasher in case you encounter any leaks after the new installation.Good Luck
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QUESTION:
Why does my shower suddenly give really HOT water or really COLD water?
Shower suddenly sprays really hot water or really cold water. There is no in-between. Why is it doing this? How do I fix it?
Sorry, I don't mean it does this randomly, so it's not due to any toilet flushes or kitchen sink issues. The shower was fine and just this week, it now only sprays extremely hot or extremely cold.
Also, I have two bathrooms and this only occurs in one.-
ANSWER:
a change in the water pressure is the cause. if someone is flushing the toilet in another bath room or the dish washer or the washing machine is on also why you shower.This is common is a older home with older pipes. you can remodel, change the pipe size, incress the pressure to the home, if you can, or install on demand water heaters in the room with the shower. Thats the cheapest to do. about 800.00 parts and labor
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QUESTION:
Kenmore gas Hot water heater not getting hot and turned up to max? No sediment inside of it?
Hot water heater not getting hot, only warm. Checked and no sediment?
What could be wrong. It gets semi hot but will not get a bath hot.
Kenmore.-
ANSWER:
If the thermostat is turned all the way up like you say, and the water is okay hot, and the burner isn't lit but the pilot is than the gas valve / thermostat is bad. Cost of a valve from a plumber around 200 plus another 100,150 or so to put it in, cost of a new heater installed twice that. tank life on most hot water heaters 10 to 15 years, 20 years if you are the only one in the house. Basically more people in the house or more use on the heater than less the life.
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QUESTION:
Why is there not much hot water in the shower?
I have a para coil (sp?) with my oil furnace that heats our water (no seperate hot water heater). We have had no problems with it up until now. We only get about 1 minute of hot, and then lukewarm water. Heat to house (baseboard) is fine. What could the possibilites be?-
ANSWER:
The circulation pump may be out, or you have a restriction in the water flow. Turn on the shower tap (hot) and go to the unit. Listen for the circulation pump. If you can't hear it, that is most likely your culprit. If you do hear the pump working, the impeller may be damaged, or sediment/debris has clogged a filter screen. Also check the temperature setting on the domestic water side.
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QUESTION:
The timer on my hot water heater starting buzzing what does this mean?
The timer in my hot water heater started buzzing today and it's never done that before and we've had it for over 3 years. I have no idea what it means. It's a timer with a bunch of pins you can set for the times you want hot water. Thank you for your time and help.-
ANSWER:
Your Done stick a fork............innmm..um.. nvm...hot...... water.......buzzing ......well I crack me up! Those pins are start stop points and hopefully are still in place. Have you recently lost power allowing it to think its a different time? Being mechanical it cant sense or adjust. On the door of the timer will be instructions to reset the time. The pins should remain in place, shut off power source to water heater so it doesnt click on and off while you reset the time. I hope you have a intermatic with a yellow dial face? Well read how to reset follow and Badda-Bing Badda-Bang your back on track. Keep in mind if power outages.Good Luck.
Ill watch for updates if manual not there.
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QUESTION:
Tips for living without hot water?
I live in an apartment and can't afford to pay my natural gas bill, so they disconnected me and I have no more hot water.Can anyone offer tips on living with no hot water, especially in accordance with hand-washing/bathing/bathing pets/etc?
Thanks!
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ANSWER:
Using the navy shower technique can keep you from freezing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAr1hdExL-w
A similar technique should work on your pets. Washcloths are good to spread the suds and clean yourself without having to subject yourself to a cold stream of water.If the water temperature coming from the tap is below the room temperature, you can draw water into a washtub and leave it overnight so it's not as cold to use in the morning when you wash up.
If you have a gym or Y membership or are a student, you can take showers at one of those places. Just pack a change of clothes.
With respect to hygiene, the temperature of the water will not affect how clean you get. Using soap, water of any temperature, and friction is what gets you clean:
https://www.healthforums.com/library/1,1258,article~11399,00.html
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QUESTION:
Does turning down the temperature on an electric hot water system save money and help the environment?
Hi. I live in Australia and we have an electric mains hot water system with a capacity of approximately 210L. We seem to be paying alot for electrictiy, approximately 00/year, however we do not run any heating or air-conditioning appliances and are we are careful to minimize our power comsumption. Three people share this house. When I check our power bill there is no charge for any off-peak usage of power so I'm guessing the hot water system must turn on/off whenever it needs to. The water that comes out of the system is extremely hot, you can't even put your hand under it. Would turning down the temperature on the hot water system save us money and also cut greenhouse gas emissions? Thanks for your answers guys.-
ANSWER:
Yes it can save money but a better way that I used was to install a "timer" that you can find at almost any good hardware store. But be sure to get one that you may set for more than one time a day because as you will find out you use your hot water most in the mornings and evenings.
I experimented and found that by setting the hot water timer to come one for only about 3 hours in the mornings that was enough for the morning! But in the evenings if you have a large family especially you will have to set it for longer periods to cover bathing, dishwashing, washing of clothes ect.
Figure you have it set for even as much as 10 hours each day! You still have 14 hours of electricity you save each day! 98 hours per week or 5,116 hours per year!!
So yeah you can definitely save money.As far as greenhouse gas emissions!?! I don't thing all the water heaters in the world could do near the damage as automobiles do! Much less the factories that are in countries that don't care or can't afford to manage their pollutants better.
One report I read had to do with "Acid Rain" and "Mercury content" in water resources in Florida. They found that all the plants in Florida couldn't count for the amount of mercury they had found in the bodies of dead animals such as raccoons, and even full grown Florida panthers! Through much research they finally came to the conclusion that the air currents brought the poisons from as far away as Europe to add to our own toxins! Danged if you do, danged if you don't!!
It's a can't win situation! But God bless those who at least do their part and try!
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QUESTION:
In my bathroom, no hot water is coming into the tub, but the faucet turns hot almost immediately in the sink?
Does anyone know why I'd get hot water in every faucet, kitchen sink, and my master shower and NOT the tub in my 2nd bathroom? I don't understand how this could happen. Should there be a 2nd water heater or something?-
ANSWER:
Is it a shower / tub or separate unit???Are you getting water pressure???? If you have Galvanized pipes the pipes may need to be replaced due to corrosion.....You may have to call a plumber to take a look.....Or faucet may be bad....
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QUESTION:
Why don't I have water pressure in the hot water of my shower?
Recently, the hot water in my shower has hardly any pressure. The cold water comes out just fine, but the hot water is very weak. It's only in my shower. My sinks have fine water pressure. Also, the hot water isn't as hot and it's either hot or cold...no warm. This too is something new.-
ANSWER:
Time to call in a plumber.
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QUESTION:
The hot water pipe is leaking at soldered joint where the shut off valve is. Can it be fixed?
While helping my ex-girlfriend replace her dishwasher, must have stressed the hot water supply line when giggling the pipes around to reconnect the line to the new dishwasher. Am now in "hot water"...(again!) with her as the joint is dripping in the basement now. Its copper pipe....if I heat up the joint will new solder seal it ? Or should the valve be replaced? Any input greatly appreciated...and no, no new boyfriend to help her!-
ANSWER:
If the solder joint is leaking, then you will need to turn off the water, drain that pipe (water in the pipe will prevent solder from working), and resolder the valve. If you are going to that much trouble, just replace the valve when you do the repair. I recommend using a ball valve as that type is more reliable than the other types, plus there are no gaskets to replace in it.
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QUESTION:
Can you wash clothes in hot water without soap?
My infant is really sensitive to any type of detergent. (Even the free and clear ones) If her clothes have no stains and are not that dirty would washing them in hot water be ok, without the use of detergent? Also, I do know that Cetaphil works great for her as a body and hair cleanser. Has anyone used this on clothes? Or is there anything like it that could be used for laundry? What about plain baking soda? Would that work? If so, how do you use it with a front loader?-
ANSWER:
Hot water, if the fabric can handle it is better than nothing. My brother was allergic and the Dr told my mom to use All detergent. I know they also sell baby detergent. Have you tried one of those? Shampoo or baby wash would work better than just hot water but could get costly.
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QUESTION:
What is wrong with my hot water heater?
I have a 2 story house with 1 water heater. It's always been slow getting hot water upstairs, usually around 60-90 seconds. Now, there is no hot water getting upstairs. I've checked my gas line to the heater, no problem there. I've drained and refilled it. Hot water is getting to my sinks downstairs, the dishwasher and the washing machine, but not even a drop of warm water will reach upstairs anymore. It is a Rheem 40 gallon heater made in 1991. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I guess I need to explain it a little bit more. My house is 10 years old, so the pipes are copper. It is a gas water heater, so elements aren't the problem.. Another thing, like I said the water downstairs gets hot, it's upstairs where I have the problem and if it is the pipe between downstairs and upstairs, I have no clue how to get to them to clean them out since they're all behind walls.
If there is a clogged pipe, shouldn't NO water at all come through when I turn the hot water knob?-
ANSWER:
Here it is in layman's talk.Get a water hose 50' or so connect one end to the hot water faucet down stairs laundry tub,washing machine outlet will have the screw on type of adaptor.take the other end upstairs over the bathtub,have someone open the HW tap.If you get lots of hot water,then its your pipe that's BO.If the hot water has no presser,do this,go down get a wash pail mark it on the top inside fill the pail to line by timing it, go upstairs and do the same thing with hose.If there is a 10% or more time wise then its the lack of presser on the cold water side that makes hot water flow in your pipes.you should have 75 to 110 psi. or a 3/4 inch pipe feed line from main to HTW tank is a plus in a upstairs washroom.If there is not enough HW,then go to your tank.And look at the temp.set tings,what colour is the pilot light,when was the last cheque up done etc.etc.
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QUESTION:
How long does the water in a water heater typically stay sufficiently hot with no electricity?
Our electric company has a program in which they install a device on the water heater that lets them shut it off for 6 hours at a time, if necessary, during peak demand times. In exchange, they give a 2% discount on the total electric bill.We're trying to decide if this is a wise decision, or if we'll find ourselves without hot water when we need/want it. If we agree to it, it's a minimum 1-year commitment, so we want to be pretty sure about it.
Thanks for any information!
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ANSWER:
If you're not using hot water, the tank will remain hot for a few hours. The problem is that once you start draw water out, it's replaced by cold, and before you know it, you'll have only luke-warm water. Six hours is a long time too, but on the other hand, peak demand is probably afternoon, when morning showers are finished, and before after dinner clean up is required, so maybe it's worth it for the 2% discount. In my opinion, no, but your situation may vary.
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QUESTION:
Why cant I get hot water out of the faucet?
I have one shower where when turning on the water, the cold water dispenses fine, but when you continue turing for the heat, the water turns to a dribble, although I can feel the hot water, but no pressure to actually take a shower. All of the other showers work fine....... This is in a house where I have 2 Hot water heaters, both gas.-
ANSWER:
Check the actual handle for that feed. Usually there will be a tab with the "H" on it. This will either screw off or pry off. Under that tab there will be a phillips screw. Make sure that screw is nice & tight. Snug it down but not to the point of stripping the threads.Try the hot water again....I bet it works. If not, then the problem is a little more complicated and you have some blockage in that hot water feed.
This is when calling a plumber might be your best bet. They aren't all crazy expensive. Ask neighbors & friends who they use (or just as important...who they wouldn't use) I'm lucky enough to have found 2 such plumbers who are great! Neither work for large plumbing contractors.
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QUESTION:
I have air in the hot water line only- bathroom and kitchen, now I have no hot water?
The water heater is 10+ yrs. old, had a new thermal cupple installed about 4 years ago. About 2 weeks ago, began getting air in the hot water line only. No big deal, but now I have no hot water at all. I have a well and this is not happening in the main house, only in the cabin, which runs off the same well, but different water heater. Any ideas on what it could be? Can I fix it myself or do I need a plumber?-
ANSWER:
If you have no hot water, first check and make sure the circuit breaker is not tripped.
When you worked on it a couple weeks ago, did you drain the lines?
If you did and did not turn the power off you may have run the hot water heater without out water in it. Most have a check valve in them today, but they don't always work. This will damage the elements. In that case they need to be replaced. Follow these instructions to replace the elements:1.) Turn off breaker to the hot water heater.
2.) Verify there is no power with a voltage tester.
3.) Turn off the water supply to the hot water heater.
4.) Attach a hose to the bottom valve of the hot water heater, open the valve where you can drain the water out side. Be careful the water will be very hot!
5.) Open the "pop off valve" at the top of the tank to help vent the tank, or you will be waiting all day for the tank to drain.
6.) Once the tank has drained remove the access panels to each element. You can remove which ever element. Diconnect both wires going to the element. Use an adjustable wrench or I use an element wrench, it looks like an oversized socket to remove the element.
7.) Replace you're new element and other parts in reverse order.
8.) Make sure you fill your tank completely before turning on the power or you will ruin the new element.
9.) After replacing the element, I turn on the water supply, and vent the tank using the pop off valve until it starts going through it. You are sure then the tank is full. You can then check for leaks.
10.) Turn on the power. You should hear the new elements beginning to sizzle.I hope this helps, Goodluck!
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QUESTION:
What are the steps involved in flushing a hot water boiler?
I flushed our hot water boiler on Wednesday by opening the drain valve until the water ran clear and then closing it again. Now it seems there's no water pressure in the boiler, and our radiators are cold despite the thermostat indicating that the heat is on (I've since shut it off to save gas until I figure this out). Is there another valve I have to open/close to refill the tank?-
ANSWER:
When you did that you added fresh water in the system and fresh water has air it it. You have to bleed all the air out of the radiators. Start with the furthest one and work your way back to the boiler. If you have a expansion tank on or around your boiler do not let the air out of it. It will have a bicycle air valve on it covered by a plastic cap. Don't touch this unless you already did then you will have to get an air pump and pump air back into it. If you have no pressure in the system you can't bleed out the air. Make sure your circulating pump is working also or you will have no heat. Hope this helps.
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QUESTION:
theres no hot water in my flat. i opened up the fuse box and the switch had tripped. ?
I tried to switch this back on but there was a loud spark like noise like an explosition. all other switches are ok. The boiler is shared in a block of flats and I only have a hot water tank which is warm only at the top. theres is also a separate fuse switch. Should i call an electrician?
which is the reset button?-
ANSWER:
Most likely you need a new lower heating element but depending on how old the unit is you may be better off replacing the hot water tank. Hope your not paying the electric that supplies the tank unless you are the owner.
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QUESTION:
How long can a landlord leave a tennant without hot water?
I moved in Saturday, and since yesterday morning I've had no hot water, and I've just been told they can't do anything about it unti ltomorrow afternoon. Can they leave me this long legally without hot water?
It would be about 60 hours without hot water, which I think takes the biscuit.
The bit about PARTS is irrelevant as they don't even know what is wrong with it, so waiting for parts is no excuse.
and the reason I'm so annoyed about it all is after the referencing process finished they told me I'd have to wait 10 days until I could move in while they sorted the place out for me. Since then, I've had: a stupid boiler, a tap that doesn't work, windows that barely open, a door handle that's hanging off and no waste pipe in my kitchen for my washing machine, so all in all, it's been pretty rubbish so far, and it makes me wonder what thye were getting up to in those 10 days.
Would people please stop giving me attitude? I'm asking a question, I am NOT saying it's an inconvenience, and it is NOT up to me to find a plumber, I'm just wondering how long they can keep me waiting without hot water, so those of you who obviously can't read properly, I suggest you don't bother answering.-
ANSWER:
Other than things like gas checks the Landlord doesn't have any legal (as in breaking the law) obligations when renting you a property. You enter into a contract which is a civil matter and disputes are a Tort (as in a civil wrong). In other words there is nothing illegal in the fact you do not have hot water.The tenancy will say something like 'the Landlord will maintain and repair such things as heating and hot water within a reasonable timescale'. Everybodys idea of a reasonable timescale is different and when you have no hot water your idea of reasonable will probably be different to the Landlord!! However he/ she has acted reasonably in this case.
You'll just have to keep boiling the kettle in the meantime I'm afraid!
Ps ermm, why am I thumbed down for trying to advise you and giving a correct and factual answer?!!
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QUESTION:
I have no hot water to my shower. Anyone know why or how to fix this?
The hot water works in the sink, the toilet flushes, etc. But I can't get the water in the shower to get hot. Both valves under the sink are turned all the way to the left. Why is the shower not getting hot? Any suggestions other than call a plumber?-
ANSWER:
what kind of shower is it? if it's symmons temptrol (very common) then youmay hav to replace the spindle, the piece that is turned by the handle.
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