4 Common Causes of No Hot Water at the Taps

When you turn the hot water tap, you expect to see a stream of heated water come out. You might need to wait for a moment or two while the hot water travels through the lines, but it should eventually turn warm, and then hot. Of course, there’s always the chance that you’ll turn the tap and only cold water will come out. What causes no hot water at the taps? Actually, there are many potential reasons. We’ll discuss four of the most common below.

Hot Water in Use

Perhaps the single most common reason to have no hot water at the taps is that you’re currently experiencing a high volume of hot water use. Is someone bathing at the same time? Are you running a dishwasher? Have several people just finished showering? It takes time for your hot water heater to refill and then to heat the cold water from the mains to the desired temperature for use. If this is the case, you’ll just need to have patience (and better planning in the future).

Blown Breaker

Another common reason for no hot water at the taps is a blown breaker. Like all other appliances in your home, the water heater is governed by a circuit breaker. It’s designed to trip, or "blow", when an overload situation occurs in order to provide safety. A sudden power surge, a spike in electrical supply, and other reasons can all trigger the breaker to blow even if there is no actual problem with the water heater. Locate the breaker, and if it is tripped, reset it. Wait until the water has heated once more, and watch for the breaker to trip again. If it does, call EasyFlow for repairs.

Failed Immersion Heater

In order to warm the water that fills those, water heaters must have a heating element. With an unvented cylinder, this job is performed by immersion heaters. There are usually two of them – one located at the bottom of the cylinder, and then another one around halfway up the cylinder. If one or both of these heaters fail, then you will experience cool or cold water at the taps. In many cases, the immersion heaters can be replaced without replacing the entire cylinder, but you’ll need to work with a licensed professional, such as EasyFlow.

Blown Water Heater Fuse

Finally, your water heater is equipped with a 13-amp fuse to protect it. If this fuse blows, the water heater will not work (even if you flip the breaker). Before taking your troubleshooting too far, make sure that the fuse is not blown, and replace it if it is.

There you have them – four common reasons for experiencing no hot water at the taps. Of course, rectifying the situation can be a challenge, and you’ll need a trusted professional to handle it for you. We invite you to call EasyFlow on 0161 941 5571 to schedule an inspection and repair for your unvented water heater.

EasyFlow is a Country and Town Limited Service and we provide unvented water cylinder repair and maintenance service in Manchester and Liverpool.