I'm living on the second floor of a two-bedroom, two-bath condo and I've got a 40-gallon gas water heater from Rheem, which was installed in 2021. Since I moved in less than a year ago, I've noticed the water, especially in the showers, has never really been very hot. I tried turning up the thermostat to the max, which helped a little initially, but the water still goes lukewarm pretty fast.
I called a plumber to check it out. He found that one bathroom got really hot water, but the other one barely gets it warm. After a few hours, even the hot water from the kitchen starts hot but then cools down quickly after just a couple of minutes. The plumber suggested that there's some cold water getting mixed into the hot water system but couldn't pinpoint where exactly it's happening. He then recommended that I replace the entire hot water heater with a different brand he couldn't remember. I got a bit skeptical when he said repairing it would be too difficult because the parts are too tightly secured.
I'm starting to wonder if he's just trying to upsell me. Is it really that hard to find out if the issue is with the shower cartridge or the tank itself? And is it truly complicated to replace parts in the tank? Any advice or next steps would really help!
3 Answers
This whole situation doesn’t add up. If the mixing is happening at the water heater, it should be easy to fix. It sounds like the plumber is looking for an upsell. You might want to consider getting a second opinion. If possible, share a pic of your heater's plumbing setup so others can weigh in on whether the plumber's advice holds up.
If there’s cold mixing with hot water, replacing the heater won’t solve it! I’d suggest shutting off the water supply at the heater and then running the hot tap. If you still get water, that means there’s a mixer issue somewhere in the plumbing. If nothing comes out, the problem might be the heater itself.
I’ve seen this issue before where a cold water dip tube has a break, letting cold water mix into the hot outlet. You should contact Rheem with your model and serial number. These parts can be replaced even if they’re tightly screwed in; just be cautious about space around your heater since it can complicate repairs.
This is great advice! Definitely try that.