Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Could someone give me some plumbing advice Please

OK heres the deal really hot water in the sinks , mostly luke warm in the showers. It has gotten worse over the years.

Upstairs is a brand new bathroom complete gut and refit about a week old now. Single lever and yes the anti scald is in the hottest position possible.

Downstairs dual lever old school nothing fancy original equipment.

I have a rheem 15A oil fired boiler, no hot water heater. Water in the sinks could scald you if your not careful because I raised the temp on the boiler to try and get a hotter shower. Shower gets hot right at the beginning then looses temp to luke warm and pretty much stays there. I used to get a really good shower so much that you would need radar to find your towel afterwards. Not so anymore. I get some steam on the glass doors but not like I used to . Tried to locate where a coil would go into the frame of the boiler but don't see where it could go in, no obvious bolts to pull one out unless it built right into the dam thing. Any thought's?

There is just 2 of us and we shower 3 hours apart. My one buddy told me to just get an indirect heater. Problem is the only place I can put one in there is behind the boiler and I would have to lift the heater up and over the boiler to do that (not an easy task). it would be a real PITA. Help Please . Thanks in Advance

You're losing hot water on the way to the shower. Check for leaks. I assume a dual pipe leading to the shower? Also, your diverter core in the shower lever has likely gone bad. Replace that.

Bad shower faucet.

The only advice about plumbing I know is:

Payday is on Friday.
Chit goes down hill.

The entire shower assembly is only a week old . Dual pipes coming in were cut and freshly joined with new copper. The run is literally 10 ft straight up no visible water leaks at all , that was checked before closing up the wall. No loss in pressure either.

Murphy's Law: If it can go wrong, it will.

There is no doubt in my mind that Murphy was a plumber.

Good luck!

Then you have a bad shower valve unit.

I really don't like those single control faucets.

do you have a clothes washer in line? if so try closing the valves to it before taking your shower. ours had a messed up mixer valve and allowed cold water to mix into the hot side reducing the temp by half. I fixed that and voila' hot water again.

I really have no idea and zero experience but ...

It could be a bad shower valve unit or ...

It's improperly adjusted and having the temp turned up on the water heater is causing it to over compensate.

Look at the owners manual for the shower valve unit and see if there's troubleshooting section. I'd try adjusting the shower valve, and the water heater, and then go from there.

I dunno. ???

I assume you adjust the faucet for more hot water as you shower. If so, run the shower until the control is all the way to the hot side and you are getting only luke warm water, leave it running and go shut the water off at the water heater or boiler. Now check the shower and see if you have cold water coming out. If so, you probably have a junk shower faucet.

Had the same problem years ago - 'till I stopped taking showers.

chit flows downhill Dean


that's what I know, no need to thank me

What he said!! Seriously. For sure shut off at least one valve to the washing machine. And try what savage24 said too.




Now for your further edification: The Six Rules of Plumbing:
#1: Hot on the left.
#2: Cold on the right.
#3: Schidt won't run uphill.
#4: Payday is Friday.
#5: The Boss's wife drives a Lincoln.
#6: Don't chew your fingernails after working on the sewer.

Either the water isn't leaving hot enough or you are loosing a ton of heat on the way.

So is the water hot enough elsewhere - if it is try putting insulation around the copper pipes going up to the shower.

The issue with anything that heats water is that the internal tank corrosion can gum up the works and not heat the water properly. That gives you slower flows, and a very very small amount of HOT water.

Diverter valve isn't timed properly... it can be taken apart and timed, replace the cartridge, but if it's new better to just call your plumber and have him re-do it.

Phil

I did not know that.

Thank you.

Whoa ...

Can I Thank you?

Is that appropriate ... or not?

I dunno.

I have the same deal with my shower unit.
the hottest setting ,still wont get hot.

Seems like the problems are with the sinks rather than the showers.

You're getting a cold blend through a leaking sink faucet,

How many bathrooms we talking, 2? 2 showers in both? they both act the same? This has been going for years?

Who did the upstairs remodel? A Plumber, or a "handyman"? This "Plumber" was in your house and couldn't find the problem, but you think We can do this over the internet?

recent plumbing work suggests that some pipe dope or other debris is blocking a screen/filter or opening at the diverter valve. Shut water off, remove diverter valve and clean out. Easy peasy