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No one wants to wait for hot water in their home. It is reasonable to expect it to take a minute or two for the hot water to heat up, but if you are waiting for more than a few minutes for hot water then it’s time to call emergency plumbing repair in Chattanooga, TN. After all, you have better things to do than wait for the water to warm for your shower or stare at the kitchen sink as you wait for the water to get warm enough to rinse your dishes.

4 Common Reasons Your Water is Not Warming

Before calling for help with emergency plumbing repair, you may be interested in looking at why your water is taking so long to warm. The cause will alter what the plumbing will do to fix the problem. You don’t need to figure it out on your own, the professionals will troubleshoot and let you know what is causing your particular problem. However, if you are waiting on emergency plumbing repair and are interested in what could be causing your hot water issues in Chattanooga, TN; here are a few of the most common reasons.

• Sediment at the Bottom of Your Water Heater

Sediment naturally builds up in your water heater as it ages. There is not much you can do about this, but it can cause a problem if the sediment starts to get too thick. Sediment is usually composed of minerals that dissolve in your water such as magnesium and calcium. The sediment drifts to the bottom of your hot water tank and this can extend the amount of time it takes your tank to refill.

If you suspect this is the issue, you need to call for emergency plumbing repair right away before the sediment causes damage that makes you replace the entire hot water tank. An experienced Chattanooga, TN plumber can drain and then flush out your water heater to get rid of the sediment. This will hopefully return your hot water tank to its previous level of efficiency.

• Distance

If you only notice issues with hot water that is coming from certain faucets or showerheads, then chances are it is the distance that is causing the issue. The further your water heater is away from your shower or sink the longer it will take hot water to arrive. There is not much you can do in this scenario, although you may consider having emergency plumbing repair agents check the water pressure in your home to make sure its accurate.

• Your Water Heater Is Failing

No one wants to hear that their water tank is getting old, but this can eventually happen. Water heaters that are over a decade old usually are nearing the end of their life. One sign can be that they are no longer able to deliver hot water in the same timely fashion. The simply become less effective until one day they either quit working or a leak renders them useless. If you aren’t sure whether this is the case or not, call an emergency plumbing repair company and have them check out your hot water tank. With any luck it can be tuned up, but if it is slowly dying it is better to find out now instead of waiting until it becomes an unplanned emergency.

• Hidden Low Volume Restrictor

Some people install a low volume restrictor on their showers or certain faucets. If there is a restrictor then it will delay the rate that hot water is delivered. If you just purchased a home or are renting an apartment this could be the case since you would not necessarily be aware of its presence.

How Can I Speed Up My Access to Hot Water?

If you have had an emergency plumbing repair company out to your home and there is no real issue, then you could ask your plumber about installing a hot water recirculation system. The recirculation system is able to move water quickly to any tap in your home from the hot water heater because it continually recirculates the used water to the heater to be warmed again. This allows hot water to always stay near faucets in your home.

In most cases the recirculation system is activated by your thermostat or timer so you don’t need to have it on all day. Simply activate it when you generally consume the most hot water such as in the mornings and/or evenings. An emergency plumbing repair service can mount the system near your water heater or by the faucet that is having issues receiving hot water.

Invest in a Tankless Water Heater

If you find out that you need a new hot water heater, you may want to consider purchasing a tankless water heater to help solve your hot water issues indefinitely. A tankless water heater is able to constantly supply hot water since they don’t store hot water inside of a tank. Instead, they produce hot water by passing it over an internal heating element. Thus, there is never a wait for hot water. It can be produced instantly on-demand. While you don’t necessarily need this if your emergency plumbing repair company does not stock them, it is nice to consider.

This can also help reduce your energy costs since water is never heated unless it is actually needed. Instead of a hot water tank that is always filling and refilling, the tankless system only powers up when you actually need hot water.

If you only have an issue with one or two faucets, you also can talk to the emergency plumbing repair company about point-of-use tankless water heaters. These are small units that can be placed in a closet or cabinet to heat water for specific water faucets. This is a great way to solve the distance issue, or to address faucets that your water heater may be struggling to reach. Contact Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air to schedule an appointment today.