No hot water? What should you do?
If you land on this page, you have run out of hot water in your house. This guide will answer all your questions related to having no hot water in your house and explain what you should check and do if there is a breakdown.
You were about to jump in your shower and just realised you only have cold water: the bad news is your hot water heater has probably broken down!
If you have an electric or gas hot water system installed, here are the possible reasons for the breakdown and the checks to carry out to recover hot water before calling a professional plumber.
No more hot water? Let’s first investigate
When you no longer have hot water from your taps or shower head, there are two possibilities:
- either the problem comes from the water itself,
- or it comes from your water heater, the appliance that heats cool water to make it hot. Fortunately, it is not very difficult to tell the difference.
When you turn on your hot water tap, if nothing comes out or just a trickle, this is probably a hydraulic issue and will generally require the assistance of a plumber to come and fix it. If the water flows as it should but remains cold, you will have to inspect your hot water heater installation, and the most common cause could be an electrical issue.
If you have a hot water storage system installed, it is easy to forget that a storage tank has a limited capacity. When you take long showers and use a lot of hot water in your house, your storage tank empties, and it has to heat cold water again before you can enjoy another hot shower. Most hot water heaters sold and installed in Australia use an automatic mode to heat water only at certain times, usually at night and off-peak, to save energy.
Look for the button corresponding to the heater on your electrical panel. If it is in the auto position, turn it to 1, corresponding to forced operation, and wait an hour before checking whether the hot water has returned.
Hot water is back? The tank was empty, either because you used too much hot water exceptionally or because the tank capacity is insufficient for your family’s needs.
Still no hot water? There is probably an issue somewhere.
Hot water system failure, check your water heater supply.
The first step in the event of a hot water failure is to check the power supply to the hot water heater! In principle, indicator lights confirm, or not, whether or not it is powered and switched on.
If it is not, check the socket or the circuit breaker: if one of the buttons is down, put it back up, and if it does not work, there might be a short circuit somewhere. At this time, you should consider contacting an electrician. Are the circuit breakers in the correct position? On older electrical models, you need to check that the fuses are not blown; otherwise, you need to change them.
The principle is almost the same with gas water heaters: you will need to check the standby or power indicators, then go up the pipes until you find the gas shut-off valve to check that it is open. Theoretically, a gas hot water system should not shut itself off, but no one is safe from a handling error.
Still no hot water? Check the state of the hot water heater.
If the hot water has still not returned at this stage, we prefer to warn you: with electric water heaters, the breakdown often means that the resistance or the thermostat has given up.
In most cases, this will lead to the replacement of your hot water heater since changing the part is often as expensive as buying a new heating system, unfortunately.
A new hot water system will probably be more energy efficient than your old one, so upgrading a water heater will likely cost less down the road! Save money and improve your energy consumption in the meantime!
With a gas water heater, there is no thermostat or resistance; the system uses a simple burner. The burner’s flame must be lit for your gas hot water heater to work. Read your water heater instructions to find out how to relight the pilot light, in other words, the burner’s flame, which is the only thing that can produce hot water.
Still no hot water? Time to move on to plan P!
If you still don’t have hot water after running the above checks, it is time to opt for plan P and . In the meantime, you can still fill pots with cool water to be heated in your kitchen, the old-fashioned way, on your hotplates, carefully controlling the temperature before using the hot water to clean yourself or do the dishes.
On the bright side, you can also rediscover the invigorating properties of cold or freezing water by following Wim Hof the Iceman’s teachings!
Electric water heaters
I only get cool water with an electric water heater: what should I do?
Although there are several possible causes of an electric heater breakdown, most are easily identifiable and even repairable!
Here is an overview of the most common problems that prevent hot water production with an electrical system.
To detect them quickly, we advise you to carry out the checks in the following order to eliminate each potential cause.
The water does not flow: you should drain your tank.
Have you recently had your household water cut off? Your tank may be full of air, blocking the water supply!
To purge it, open your water taps wide. It will allow the air to escape, and the water heater will naturally refill.
The electrical origin: check your fuses
The first and simplest check to make when a hot water fault occurs is to check whether the tank is still getting electricity. Problems of electrical origin are often the easiest to solve without external intervention.
Go to your circuit breaker to check the fuse connected to the heating appliance. If it is in the down position, raise it to the ON position.
Apart from a simple power cut, there are several reasons why the power supply may be cut off:
- The water heater has gone into a safety mode because it is too full of scale, or the thermostat is defective.
- There is a water leak from the electrical components of the appliance. Unfortunately, this type of failure requires replacing the water heater.
The wall socket to which the water heater is connected could also be in bad shape. It is, therefore, necessary to replace it.
The fuse to which the water heater is connected is no longer working. You should replace it.
You likely have a short circuit if the fuse blows again when you turn your switch back on. Do not hesitate to call in a professional.
The water did not heat up: reset the thermostat.
Check your thermostat if you have not detected any electrical problem and your tank does not seem to be filled with air!
This element is essential for controlling the temperature of your water and therefore prevents it from heating up when it is no longer working.
To reset it, press the button on the underside of the water heater (sometimes it is located under a plastic cover).
Why did the thermostat disarm itself?
- The water heater has tripped due to a power cut.
- The bottom of water heater tanks is scaled up, interfering with the thermostat disarming itself.
- The thermostat is defective and needs to be replaced.
Lukewarm or still cold water: replace or descale the heating element
Finally, if the thermostat is not the cause of the failure, it may come from heating elements. Indeed, if the part is scaled, it can no longer heat your water.
The presence of limescale or sediment buildup on your water heater can also prevent it from functioning properly, which gives you the sensation of having only chilly water.
Failures in the heating element require the help of a professional, who can then open the appliance to descale, fix or replace it. However, as a replacement element can be very expensive, opting for a new water heater is sometimes more worthwhile.
It is recommended to check the error code and refer to your user manual. Call a professional if the indications show that your system cannot be easily repaired.
Whom do I call if the problem persists?
Despite your attempts to repair the problem, you still have no hot water? Then you need to !
If you have an electric water heater, it is best to contact a hot water specialist. However, if the cause of the breakdown is electrical, you can also call a qualified electrician. It is also advised to call a hot water specialist if you have a storage system.
This way, the most common breakdowns such as power cuts or disarmed thermostats can be easily repaired. It is still highly recommended to contact a professional if you cannot find the cause of the problem or if you have a tank.
Gas water heaters
No hot water with a gas system? We got you covered too!
What are the solutions for troubleshooting a gas water heater?
There are two main reasons for the lack of efficiency of gas water heaters. Given the complexity of this type of heating system, it is recommended that a professional be called in to repair it.
In the event of recurring problems with your gas hot water, it is best to consider upgrading your system or setting up a maintenance contract to guarantee coverage of the costs incurred, notably when a faulty part is replaced.
Gas supply issue
It goes without saying that you should always start by inspecting your gas supply to make sure you do not have a natural gas leak or any problem with your gas line or gas valve. When in doubt, contact your gas company!
Power failure
The problem is often with the so-called thermocouple element. Located inside the safety group of the gas water heater, this part is supposed to ensure the proper functioning of domestic hot water production by controlling the burner flame. This blue burner flame represents the internal gas flow during the heating process.
If your thermocouple has a manufacturing defect or has reached the end of its life, it is possible that the blue flame no longer fulfills its function. It is necessary to clean or replace the defective part by using the services of a professional.
System failure
A gas water heater is usually switched to forced operation to identify the problem quickly. Thanks to the excess pressure allowed in this mode, it is easy to check that a tank is not leaking (it is rare to repair a leaking gas water heater) as well as all the hot and cold water pipes.
This diagnosis is often recommended when warm water comes out of the circuit. In addition, a complete descaling and draining operation must be carried out. This process should remove residues and other limescale deposits while giving your hot water tank a second life. Whatever the maintenance that is carried out, it is essential to restart your water heater to see the results.
We hope that this guide helped you getting rid of your no hot water problems and that you no longer have to deal with a cold shower!
