# Hot water heater problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032 "2008-04-12T14:24:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![t-mobileguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@t-mobileguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-mobileguy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/1 "2008-04-12T14:24:39Z")
Help me teeming millions I have a hot water heater that is about 4 years old. I have it set at the absolute hottest setting there is ( I like really really hot showers, really long hot showers) normally I can get about a 35 min shower before losing hot water. Last night I took a 40 min shower and everything was fine. During my shower this morning I lost ALL hot water about 7 or 8 min into it\*. Does anyone have any ideas of things I can check? Being Saturday I would really like to make calling a plumber my last option. Any advice would be most appreciated. - I know, I take a lot of showers. It relaxes me. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/2 "2008-04-12T14:27:03Z")
Gas, oil, or electric? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/3 "2008-04-12T14:30:57Z")
Lots of good info [here.](http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Fixing_Electric_Water_Heaters-Water_Heaters-F2171.html) ---
**Author:** ![t-mobileguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@t-mobileguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-mobileguy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/4 "2008-04-12T14:31:38Z")
gas ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/5 "2008-04-12T14:32:11Z")
If it’s an electric heater, you probably have a bad lower heater element. ---
**Author:** ![t-mobileguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@t-mobileguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-mobileguy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/6 "2008-04-12T14:34:15Z")
Thanks racer but it’s a gas heater. I search that site ( what a neat place thanks!) and couldn’t find anything on gas heaters. thanks for the link though ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/7 "2008-04-12T14:35:48Z")
electric or gas? Do you still have some hot water, but not enough? electric - check your breakers. You could have a lot of sediment in your water. If this builds up it can cover the lower heating element. If electric, do you have two heating elements? I suspect that one has gone out because of scaleing or sediment. gas - Is the pilot light out? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/8 "2008-04-12T14:40:23Z")
Since it was working fine last night, check for main burner activation. Once it has heated the can of water and shut off, try another shower. If you run out quickly again, my guess is a broken dip tube. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/9 "2008-04-12T14:41:03Z")
So it’s gas. Can you get hot water now? ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/10 "2008-04-12T14:41:59Z")
Turn it off, drain it, and remove the elements, replace them with new ones, and you’ll probably be good as new. That’s what I do with our electric water heater about every two years, or so. We’ve got horribly hard water, and it mucks up the elements that quickly. I’ve not had a problem since I’ve started doing that. Since your water heater is gas, I don’t have a clue, but I’m assuming they work about the same way. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/11 "2008-04-12T14:47:37Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Since it was working fine last night, check for main burner activation. Once it has heated the can of water and shut off, try another shower. If you run out quickly again, my guess is a broken dip tube. [/QUOTE] Good call. But I’d be a bit surprised since it’s only 4 years old. ---
**Author:** ![t-mobileguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@t-mobileguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-mobileguy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/12 "2008-04-12T15:02:52Z")
Thank you everyone for your replies. I do have incredibly hard water and I’m worried that that’s what is causing my problem. The burner went on and the lower side gets warm to the touch so I think everything is ok there. I get hot water out of the tap, but I got almost 10 min of hot water this morning too. I’m going to give it like an hour and see what happens. I don’t know how to drain my tank so I may need some advice on this later. Thanks again for the very fast replies and all the help. Now can any of you fix a dish washer, a surround sound system, my car door, and my lawn mower? They all also broke THIS WEEK! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![t-mobileguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@t-mobileguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-mobileguy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/13 "2008-04-13T14:08:23Z")
Sorry to report back so late my computer crashed last night and I still can’t get back online. Now back to my update… Last night I took my shower and the hot water was fine. I took over a 30 min shower as hot as I could and didn’t start to run out till the end. Now don’t get me wrong I’m very happy About this but still kinda worried. Was this of things to come? My big worry was having to call a plumber on a week end, since it seems to be working fine I’ll wait till Monday and make an appointment for someone to come and give it a check up. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-problem/445032/14 "2008-04-13T14:27:53Z")
First turn the temperature back to normal as you don’t want to have somebody scalded. Next call in somebody to service it. Hard water could have built up considerable deposits during 4 years, as well as something like the safety or temperature controls are failing.