Running out of hot water?

You know feeling. In the shower after a long day, and suddenly you get that inkling that the temperature is starting to drop. You move the shower control to max, and the water heats up briefly, then it runs ice cold. You try to get the soap out of your hair quickly, and then shut off the shower disgusted and cold. Why does this happen?

A couple things can be going wrong. If you have teens, then you don't have to look much farther. You may also have a constricted coil in your ancient and inefficient oil boiler. This happens over time as the dissolved lime in our area adheres to the coil and makes the hole going through it smaller and smaller. Or maybe you have an old electric hot water heater that is undersized for storage, or has heating elements coated in the same lime that was causing trouble with the aforementioned oil boiler.

Solutions are many and need to be customized to the use, family size, fuel available, and budget. For smaller families, I have had great success with the hybrid electric heaters. These look like your old electric hot water heater with a refrigerator compressor on top. They are extremely efficient. will help dry out damp basements, and even have a current Energize Connecticut rebate of $400.

For larger families or for those with spa tubs, or large showers, I try to utilize large tankless instantaneous hot water heaters. These units can heat upwards of 5 gallons per minute to 120f continuously. Once your water is hot, it stays hot. The drawback is a slight delay in getting your hot water, and to some degree initial costs. I have a Rinnai tankless in our household of 5 with 3 showers and we can run them all at once. The tankless have some rebates if you have natural gas in your house which can offset some costs.

Whatever your hot water needs, let Bradley and Sons Plumbing be your hot water specialists. We pride ourselves on fair prices, and always provide a free estimate with no cost for simply looking at your heater. Never a fee. In fact, you can simply text a picture of your leaking hot water heater including the model number and we will get back to you with a price same day. We will also provide alternate solutions if it is appropriate for you. You are free to make a decision without being pressured by a salesperson, or being told you will be charged for the estimate if you don't purchase through them. Call or text Bradley and Sons Plumbing at 860.365.9450