We spent a lot of money remodeling and upgrading our primary bathroom, only to find out afterward that the shower isn’t hot enough.
The contractor informed us that manufacturers now include shields on hot water handles to protect children from getting scalded. It’s a basic bath, apparently for adults, since there are no tiny children in our household.
Why can’t we get a hot shower in our Remodeled bathroom?
First, the alteration isn’t particularly “new.” Second, there may be a means to modify the water temperature using your hot water heater or the shower valve, allowing you to take a shower that is satisfyingly hot but not dangerously hot.
A history of attempts to limit maximum hot water temperatures, published in the online magazine Plumbing & Mechanical Engineer, shows how we ended up in the scenario you are in.
For decades, plumbing rules required hot water in houses to reach at least 120 degrees—a minimum, not a maximum.
Plumbers frequently set the thermostat substantially higher, which was a simple way to avoid callbacks when consumers discovered their hot water had ran out after many individuals showered in a short period.
If the water from the water heater was hotter, individuals may add more cold water to their showers, extending the hot water supply.
Then came the 1973 oil embargo. Heating hot water to a lower temperature was a simple technique to save energy. Maximum temperatures of 140 degrees became typical, but hot water was still required to be at least 120 degrees. Since then, the recommended maximum temperature for hot water tanks has changed, reaching as low as 110 degrees.
Water at 140 degrees can inflict significant burns in 3 seconds, whereas 120 degrees takes roughly 10 minutes, giving someone ample time to step away unless the temperature rises so quickly that they panic and slip.
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Setting a water heater to 120 degrees also inhibits the growth of bacteria that cause Legionnaire’s disease; 110 degrees is insufficient.
To save water and energy, plumbing standards began requiring shower heads with a flow restriction of 3 gallons per minute, rather than the 5 to 10 gpm usual in older showerheads. Suddenly, many more people were getting scalded in showers. Researchers discovered that low-flow shower heads were the cause, as an abrupt decrease in water pressure.
Perhaps because someone flushed a neighboring toilet while someone else was showering—has a significantly greater effect on water temperature when the flow is modest. Plumbing standards began demanding protection against this in 1990, and the industry changed mostly to shower valves that maintain a relatively constant temperature even when pressure changes.
Now, the 2021 International Residential Code is in effect throughout much of the United States,
Shower or tub-shower valves must have a maximum setting of 120 degrees, and they must be modified after installation to ensure that the water does not get too hot.
Pressure-balancing valves, also known as anti-scalding valves, are intended to maintain water temperature from fluctuating more than a few degrees as pressure varies.
This is the most prevalent type of valve nowadays, thus you most likely have one. The valves typically feature a single handle that controls the amount of water flowing from the hot and cold pipes. The valve does not maintain the flow consistent.
If the pressure in the cold water line reduces, so does the amount of water coming from the hot water line. A low-flow shower can seem cold even if the temperature remains constant. More importantly, a pressure-balancing valve does not directly control temperature, but rather the ratio of hot to cold water.
In the winter, when the water entering a house is much colder than it is in the summer, a setting that provides 80 percent hot water and 20 percent cold water is likely to make the shower much colder than it would be in the summer.
And if your water heater is at one end of the house and your shower is at the other, the hot water that enters the showerhead is most likely much cooler than when it left the water heater.
Before you give up on having a comfortable shower, check what is going on in your home. Turn the shower handle until as much hot water as possible comes out.
If the temperature is significantly lower than 120 degrees, you might try adjusting the thermostat on your hot water heater. Wait two hours and then verify the shower temperature.
Also, check the water temperature at other faucets and showers to ensure that no flows exceed 120 degrees.
If the new setting generates too high temperatures elsewhere but not in the shower, you may be able to change the shower’s pressure-balancing valve to pull more water from the hot tap and less from the cold tap when the handle is fully turned on (to the left).
Moen, a faucet and valve manufacturer, states in the installation instructions for its Posi-Temp Tub and Shower Valves that the temperature limit device within the valve may need to be modified annually due to variations in the temperature of incoming cold water. However, considering how frequently the setting may need to be changed, there is no obvious mechanism to make the adjustment.
Partially dismantle the faucet and adjust the alignment of the “temperature limit stop.” Check the installation instructions for your shower control, or conduct a Web search for “how to adjust
If you can’t figure it out, contact a plumber. However, even if you enjoy hot showers, you are unlikely to want to shower at 120 degrees. A reasonable maximum might be 110. Skin-care professionals frequently prescribe considerably lower.
Another alternative, which you should have known about before remodeling, is to invest in a thermostatic valve, which is meant to regulate both pressure and temperature. However, these valves are more expensive. At Home Depot, a Moen pressure-balancing valve with a chrome handle and trim costs $172.07.
If you want a thermostatic valve, the basic Kohler unit costs $384.79, and you’ll need to buy a handle and trim kit separately.
A delta two-handle chrome trim kit costs $239.09. The price of valves and handle trim kits increases with the number of features. Variations may have numerous handles, allowing water to flow from more than one showerhead or from body jets.
However, the expense is unlikely to be the most pressing concern for you at this time. To install a different valve, a plumber would have to cut into the wall, which is not something folks who have recently remodeled want.
