Would turning up the temperature on my water heater give more hot water, or just hotter water? My roommate and I both shower in the morning (seperately :p), and when one’s done, the other barely has any hot water left. Would turning up the water heater fix this?
Thanks.
Since you’ll have to mix less of the water from the water heater to get the same temperature shower, it would mean that the tank will last longer.
The reason it’s not usually done is because the hotter water will scald more easily. It’s usually considered (at least somewhat) OK to turn it up a little in households that have no children in them.
ETA, OTOH, I know someone who passed out in her shower and managed to turn the cold water off as she fell. She ended up with burns over almost her entire body. She was in pretty bad shape for about 2 years trying to recover from that. But it was an odd coincidence and I wouldn’t use that as a reason not to do it.
I agree, insofar as by “the tank will last longer” Joey means to say that you’ll use less hot water for the same effective temperature in the shower, thereby leaving more water in the tank for the second shower. I don’t think it will have a long-term noticeable effect on the lifespan of the device itself. 
hotter.
you don’t want to set the temperature higher than you can stand to be in only hot water without it burning yourself. this is for safety.
try altering your schedule to give more time in between.
take turns who go first. first might also run the temp at what is just enough to not be uncomfortable, then second will have the same.
It may mean the tank goes earlier. Your tank most likely has an anode rod that is meant to divert corrosion from the tank walls to the rod. At the higher temperatures, it’s like that the corrosion will happen faster.
It’s also more expensive. Keeping a tank of water at 150F costs more than keeping it at 130F. The 150F water will lose heat faster due to heat transfer laws (stupid Newton), so the heating element/flame will have to turn on more frequently just to keep it at that temperature.
How big is the water heater tank? If it’s around 30 gallons, it should be good enough for 2 people unless someone is taking a rather long shower. Otherwise the water heater is probably on its last legs.
If it’s 40 gallons or more, then something is really wrong with the water heater.
Obviously you should also look at how you shower. You might turn down the volume of water flow, do shorter showers, make sure you aren’t running the shower a long time before you get into it…
Tell us what temperature you have it set at now.
I think it’s set to 120°F now. I would have to check to see its gallon capacity.
My roommate generally showers at 7:30 in the morning, but sometimes I try to get in there a little earlier because I have an 8:30 meeting. I think we both shave in the shower, so that tends to make it last a little longer. I have asked him to keep his showers to 10 minutes or so and I will do the same, but this morning the water started getting cold when I was done shaving and he went in right after me.
I don’t think the poor guy got much hot water this morning, which is why I’m asking.
A alternative, if you don’t already have one, would be to get a low-flow showerhead that uses less water but keeps up the same amount of pressure. It’s simple, inexpensive, and would pay for itself easily by eliminating the extra cost of turning up the water temperature.
And pardon the WTF, but shaving in the shower when hot water is in short supply and you know your roommate will be following right behind? Seems a bit inconsiderate.
When was the last time you drained your hot water tank? Shut off the heating element. Run a hose from the hot water tank to a drain. Open the drain valve to flush tank. Close the drain valve and restart the heater.
As far as showering goes, turn the shower on and get wet. Turn shower off to soap up (and shave). Turn shower on to rinse off. From personal experience, 5 people can shower before a 30 gal tank runs out of hot water, IF everyone cooperates.
Turning up the water tank temp will allow you to use less “heated” water mixed with your cold water to take same temp showers. The “hot” water will last longer.
If you’re concerned about accidental scalding, you can add a “High Temperature Shutoff Device” which automatically reduces the water flow to a trickle if a specific temp is reached or exceeded.
Sounds like something is wrong with the water heater.
If you have a dishwasher, that would be to low to safely clean and disinfect the dishes. 140°F is what you want. Some dishwashers do have self-heating and even high temp settings.
Esox Lucius idea of a water saving shower head is a great idea. I’ve been using them for year.
Seems like you have that set on the low side, bump it up a bit and see how that goes. Also a low flow showerhead could be helpful in your circumstance, though I normally don’t like them, as it would seem to allow the length of shower you both want and provide enough hot water.
120 is also too low to prevent Legionella from building up in your tank.
Interestingly, there are two conflicting safety concerns when setting your water heater temperature. The SGU talked about this about six months ago: if your water is above 120, you risk burns, but if your water is below 140, you risk Legionnaires’ Disease. So the reasonable thing to do is to multiply the severity of the outcome by its likelihood to determine the best course of action, right? But examining the epidemiology for both health risks, there’s no clear best answer. And you can’t split the baby: setting the temp between the two ranges just puts you at risk for both outcomes. Experts are pretty much divided on the issue. I was surprised to learn that there’s such an open question on such a basic fact of everyday life.
The water control valve for my shower has an anti-scalding device built in. I believe that they are code for newer homes, but an older home may not have them.
I have also see anti-scalding devices that go between the water pipe and shower head. Easy to install and only about $20. I just looked on Amazon and you can buy shower heads with anti-scald built in.
Great point, and I think that’s the conclusion that the SGU drew: the best solution is to keep your tank at the hotter temp, but install a device that mixes in colder water before it gets delivered to the rest of the house. The water control valve you describe would serve a similar function.
But for those without access to the technological solution – renters, people without money to buy/install it, people who are too lazy – the question remains: what’s the safest temperature?
that doesn’t sound right. I suspect that there is something wrong with the water heater. There are 3 possibilities. The most common in my experience is that one of the two heating elements is burned out. They are placed near the top and the bottom. if the bottom one burns out (it is usually the one that turns on the most), then you have hot water at the top and cold at the bottom and therefor only half the hot water you think you have. If you are comfortable with doing this, disconnect the power to your heater, remove the wires to each heater and check the resistance using an ohmmeter. BE CAREFUL!! Many hot water heaters are 220 volts. That is enough to kill you. If you aren’t comfortable around electricity, this isn’t the place to learn. The resistance of the heating element is only a few ohms. If the element is burned through, I have seen that, then the resistance will be very high or very low. If in doubt, drain the tank, and check again with the element in air. Alternatively, there could be air in the top of the tank, reducing the effective volume. Find the overpressure line on the top, make sure you are OK with where the water will go, open the pressure relief valve on the top of the tank until only water comes out. This can make a mess so be careful you know where the water goes. Lastly, as has been mentioned upthread, drain and flush your tank. There could be sediment buildup in the bottom causing a reduction in useful volume. Takes a lot of sediment though. I guess it depends on where you live and how hard your water is. Around here we have soft water and not much sediment in the tank.
Or learn to shower the navy way. Save money and water.
Above 120 is the danger range. Home dishwashers have heaters built into them.