No Hot Water in Some Parts of Your Home? Here Are the Possible Causes

Posted on

If there's hot water in some parts of your home, it means the water heater is working. However, due to a fault in the delivery system, parts of your home may not be receiving hot water. This situation can be frustrating, especially if the parts lacking heated water are crucial ones, such as your shower or laundry room. Keep reading to find out some of the causes of this problem and what you can do to address it immediately.

A Cross-Connection in Your Hot Water System

A cross-connection occurs due to mistakes or poor installation of hot water plumbing pipes. During installation, the plumber may have mistakenly cross-connected hot water pipes to the cold water system. As a result, the hot water from your heater mixes up with the cold water and gets cold as well.

If you have recently had plumbing pipe repairs or installations in the affected areas, this could be a potential problem. Your plumber can check and reconnect the pipes to the right systems to restore the proper flow of hot water to all the areas of your home.

Clogs in Old Plumbing Pipes

Old pipes, especially metal ones, tend to corrode over time. This causes the pipes to break down, and the debris can restrict the flow of hot water. Similarly, if you use hard water in your house, the mineral deposits from the water can clog the pipes. In addition to not getting hot water, you won't be getting any water at all. 

In this case, you have to replace the old pipes with new ones or clean out the blockage. Also, consider using a water softener to prevent blockage from hard water mineral deposits.

Loss of Heat in Uninsulated Pipes

Insulation of hot water pipes is crucial in ensuring that hot water is delivered at the right temperature. If your pipes are uninsulated, they may lose heat along the way. This is common in pipes that run through cold parts of the house, such as the basement or attic. Also, the problem is recurrent in parts of the house that are far from the water heater. Insulating your hot water pipes should solve this problem.

Recent Freezing of Pipes

Lack of hot water during winter can be attributed to pipe freezing. If your pipes are not properly insulated, they can freeze when the temperatures are low. The water in the piping system turns to ice, creating a blockage. The block of ice in the pipes prevents hot water from flowing. However, after some time, the hot water will heat the ice and melt it. To avoid this problem, insulate all your pipes before the winter season.

Lack of hot water in the home can create an emergency that requires immediate attention. Contact an emergency plumber for repairs to restore hot water in the house.


Share