SeanArenas, I hope you realize we’re all waiting with baited breath [eew] to hear what exactly you do and how your landlord handles it. Yours is a compelling mystery.
This is why I really doubt that it’s just warm water in the pipes. It would never be too hot to take a shower if it was just abient temp. It really sounds like the line has been cut into a hot water line. Perhaps a repair in another apt and your feed got T’d off another line.
eta.
I’ve seen hot water lines feed into a toilet that melted the wax ring and caused leaks.
I would be surprised if they used a thermostatic mixer when most people were born with 2 of them. My first impression was that they ran the hot and cold lines together through the walls which would account for warm water but you should be able to flush the system in less than 20 minutes unless it’s a huge building. Is there an access panel behind the shower? That would be a good place to start your own research project.
As stated before, I would video tape the shower using a thermometer for documentation. After she reviews the tape you can ask the landlady if she would object be being scalded by cold tap water in the interest of science.
There’s no access panel. We will video record it when the situation arises. I’m just getting to my shower now and it’s 5:16, not early enough for it to normally occur - if it does, though, I’m recording!
Argh, typed a post and lost it.
Have to leave for work so this will be brief…
Water from just cold water faucet came out lukewarm for 30 seconds, then alternated between lukewarm and cold every 10 seconds for a few minutes, then I gave up on looking for consistency and took my shower.
My girlfriend comes back from the gym to tell me that the toilet water was hot this morning, and that yesterday morning the temperature from the cold water faucet alternated between super-hot and cold yesterday, and her entire shower was an agony of fry-freeze from which she had to make rapid adjustments to the controls.
I’d also like to point out that yesterday was especially hot, 106 degrees, and it was 87 this morning at 4:30 before the sun came up (and 79 inside the apartment, pant, pant).
I’m pretty sure I know what is happening with your hot water, you are most likely sharing a hot water tank with other or all residents in your building.
One resident uses a portable clothes or dish washer, the kind that you hook up to a tap, it is probably left hooked up overnight with the taps opened. When you turn on the hot water in the morning, the difference in water pressure forces the hot water from his unit to yours thru the cold water pipe.
Eventually, that resident gets up and disconnect the washer, that explains why you have the problem early but later on, it is OK, it also explain the sometime fluctuating water temperature.
The solution is an anti-backflow valve installed at the tap of the offending appartment, of course, you will need the cooperation of the tennant in that appartment and your landlord.