COLD IN HOT WATER LINE

[JOHN T]

IN ALL MY FAUCETS, IT TAKES AT LEAST 60 SECONDS TO GET HOT WATER. THE WATER COMES OUT COLD AT THE BEGINNING. I LIVE IN FL AND MY PIPING IS IN THE ATTIC, WHICH IS HOT ALL THE TIME. COULD MY COLD WATER BE OVERRIDING THE PRESSURE IN THE HOT WATER LINE?

 

[James Henry]

COULD MY COLD WATER BE OVERRIDING THE PRESSURE IN THE HOT WATER LINE?

Not likely. Go to the sink closest to the water heater and see how long it takes the water to run hot.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

The water lines may run in the attic, but they also run in the walls. That portion of the house is likely air conditioned. Depending on how long it was since your last water draw, the insulation levels, where in relation to the a/c ducts, and where in the wall the pipe is run (closer to the room or the outside) will all affect how cool that water gets.

A lavatory faucet runs about a max of 2gpm, so with a typical 1/2" pipe, is moving around 2'/second. Then, it takes the pipe a bit to absorb the heat and account for whatever distance it is to the water heater itself.

If the wait is longer than you want, you might consider a hot water recirculation system.

 

[ImOld]

IN ALL MY FAUCETS, IT TAKES AT LEAST 60 SECONDS TO GET HOT WATER. THE WATER COMES OUT COLD AT THE BEGINNING. I LIVE IN FL AND MY PIPING IS IN THE ATTIC

Same here. Ditto. Likewise. Unless this just started, join the rest of us in our concrete bunkers with the water heater on one end of the house and bathrooms on the other end.

 

[JOHN T]

THANKS GUYS.

 

[WorthFlorida]

.... COULD MY COLD WATER BE OVERRIDING THE PRESSURE IN THE HOT WATER LINE?

Not possible unless you have a cross over somewhere. That is such as a shower faucet with both the cold and hot water on and the water is shut off at the shower head. If you had a crossover it would hardly get hot at all.

 

[Sylvan]

A lot of installers (plumbers) forget or do not know about a 27" loop on the cold water supply to a hot water tank.

This loop prevents stratification of hot water molecules from entering the cold water line

 

[hj]

In FL, as in AZ, the water lines are often in the attic and when water is NOT flowing it gets as hot as the attic is, so the water has to be emptied from the pipes before you can get "cold" water. Cold water being about 85 degrees normally.