Hello to you very knowledgeable folks.
I am looking to get a hotter shower, and trying to identify what would be the best method of attack for trying to fix it. I am unknowledgable about these things, but I want to learn.
Situation:
- 3-storey house
- 50L traditional tank in the basement, looks to be 12 years old. Set at a high setting.
- anti-scald mixing valve installed at tank about 6 years ago. I am unable to adjust its setting as it appears to have seized.
3rd floor shower is the one that we use the most, and we find it lukewarm most of the time. It feels like the temperature can be inconsistent from day-to-day and time-to-time.
I got out a probe thermometer used for cooking (not sure how accurate it is) and did some temperature tests and recorded the maximum temperatures:
3rd floor shower 101F (I think it has a thermostatic mixing valve, not sure)
3rd floor sink 108F (two separate handles for hot and cold)
2nd floor tub 102F (one handle, not sure what's inside)
1st floor kitchen 109F (one handle)
Basement sink 113F (one handle)
Basement shower 104F (one handle)
My understand (and please correct me if I am wrong) is that the mixing valve at the tank should be providing hot water at around 120F.
Questions:
Is it typical for single-handle sinks to provide hotter water than single-handle showers? Do single-handle sink typically have anti-scald features like (I think) most showers do?
I am trying to figure out why all of the showers seem to be below (what I am guessing is) an optimal temperature of 110-115F.
I read that most newer shower fixtures can adjust based on actual water temperature, whereas older fixtures may need adjusting if the actual water temperature changes. I don't know what kinds I have. My 3rd flower shower is <5 years old, so I figure it's of the newer type.
I figure I have three areas I could target:
- the shower fixtures / cartridges
- the mixing valve at the tank
- the tank itself
Any suggestions on how to narrow the options down? I recall a plumber trying to check temperatures coming out of the tank and out of the mixing valve, but I'm not quite sure how they did that or what tools one would need.
Sorry for the length of this message. Thanks for reading!
I am looking to get a hotter shower, and trying to identify what would be the best method of attack for trying to fix it. I am unknowledgable about these things, but I want to learn.
Situation:
- 3-storey house
- 50L traditional tank in the basement, looks to be 12 years old. Set at a high setting.
- anti-scald mixing valve installed at tank about 6 years ago. I am unable to adjust its setting as it appears to have seized.
3rd floor shower is the one that we use the most, and we find it lukewarm most of the time. It feels like the temperature can be inconsistent from day-to-day and time-to-time.
I got out a probe thermometer used for cooking (not sure how accurate it is) and did some temperature tests and recorded the maximum temperatures:
3rd floor shower 101F (I think it has a thermostatic mixing valve, not sure)
3rd floor sink 108F (two separate handles for hot and cold)
2nd floor tub 102F (one handle, not sure what's inside)
1st floor kitchen 109F (one handle)
Basement sink 113F (one handle)
Basement shower 104F (one handle)
My understand (and please correct me if I am wrong) is that the mixing valve at the tank should be providing hot water at around 120F.
Questions:
Is it typical for single-handle sinks to provide hotter water than single-handle showers? Do single-handle sink typically have anti-scald features like (I think) most showers do?
I am trying to figure out why all of the showers seem to be below (what I am guessing is) an optimal temperature of 110-115F.
I read that most newer shower fixtures can adjust based on actual water temperature, whereas older fixtures may need adjusting if the actual water temperature changes. I don't know what kinds I have. My 3rd flower shower is <5 years old, so I figure it's of the newer type.
I figure I have three areas I could target:
- the shower fixtures / cartridges
- the mixing valve at the tank
- the tank itself
Any suggestions on how to narrow the options down? I recall a plumber trying to check temperatures coming out of the tank and out of the mixing valve, but I'm not quite sure how they did that or what tools one would need.
Sorry for the length of this message. Thanks for reading!