Water heater not heating water

[Wally162]

My gas water heater has virtually stopped heating my water. It has slowly been heating cooler and seems to have escalated quickly (within the last month) to the point it is at now. It is now barely lukewarm which makes for a very quick shower! Whenever I turn any faucet in the house on, it takes about 2 minutes to go from cold to barely lukewarm. I checked the setting on the dial on my water heater and it is set between the mid point and the highest point. The water heater came with the house when it was built 4 years ago. I have not done any maintenance on it since I moved in and am not sure what maintenance is required since I know NOTHING about plumbing. Can someone help me out?

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-Mary

[nicktheplumber]

This problem could have many causes. The most likely are: 1) faulty thermostat; 2) defective (cracked/broken/missing) dip tube; 3) and reverse-installed water heater. Sludge or scale buildup in the tank or fittings could also cause this problem, but seems unlikely given the newness of the tank and plumbing system. I presume you’ve checked to make sure that the valve to the tank is wide open.

Since you say you are unfamiliar with plumbing, I’d advise calling in a plumber to check it out. Since the tank is only 4 years old, it is still under warrantee. I’d also suggest calling the contractor who built the home.

NtP

[Selgas]

Mary

Try turning the temerature dial from the midway position to the HOT position and see if that overcomes your problem before calling in a gasfitter/plumber – lots of time this kind of problem is caused by a slow or delay acting thermostat.

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Selgas Services Ltd
Craftsman Gasfitters, Plumbers, Electrical Service Technicians

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