*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Random Quote: If you don't know where you'e going, any road will take you there.
Alright guys, I'm hoping you can all come through again for a plumbing issue.
Moved into a new (to us) house last April. Our master bathroom is over the garage. The water in our shower takes minutes (3-5) to get hot. Other faucets in the house do not have this problem. Also, the shower water is affected by any other use of water in the house. Flush a toilet, turn on any sink, and the water gets very, very hot or cold very quickly. Our other shower/bath does not have this problem.
Most likely that’s a pretty far run and the pipes are cold, are they insulated?
Also how do you make your hot water, water heater, coil, in-direct, on Demand?
I know most on Demand systems take time to get warm water. Pipe insulation may help some if you don't already have it.
As far as you getting burnt or cold.
Its because your tub and shower mixing valve is not pressure balanced.
A pressure balanced valve always equalizes the pressure between hot and cold.
A drop in pressure when you open the toilet valve allows pressure to increase on the hot side decreasing flow to the cold side, then you get burnt.
Modern plumbing codes now require pressure balanced tub/shower valves.
An anti-scald device only limits how far you can rotate the handle increasing the amount of hot water. It does not limit pressure, only flow.
Another words have a plumber install a new pressure balanced valve (shower body) and that problem should get better.
I’m by no means a pro I’m just trying to help so please do some further research so you can determine for yourself that the above are in fact your problem.
I have a hot water heater (gas). I am going to have to tear up some sheetrock to find out if the pipes that run overtop the garage are insulated or not. A pressure balanced valve sounds like a good idea too.
You can put a circ pump under your vanity in the master bath and it will pull the hotwater for the shower. Don't waste your time insulating the pipes.* http://www.wattspremier.com/premier/manuals/500800_(instant-hot-water).pdf
Your bathroom is over the garage and you live in Bel Air, MD and you can't get hot water for 3 to 5 minutes, well that's no surprise!. You probably notice the floor is kind of cold too.
What you need to do to fix this problem is pull the vanity, rip open the wall, rip open the floor and spray foam the joist cavity where the pipes run until the pipes are no longer over the garage........there is no other energy efficent way around it......batt insulation will not do the job here.
And as everyone has mentioned, change your valve body on the shower to prevent the temperature changes.
And get rid of the 1/2" pipe supply line , move up to 3/4" to supply the Bathroom .
__________________
F350 4x4/ Dodge 2500HD 5.9L Cummins
Leaving the Picture of the Ford cuz I miss it
Pacific 2325 cc
Honda bf225
aluminumalloyboats.com
Dang! I think before I'd tear up all the walls, pipes, pumps and such, I might get into the habit of turning the water on a few minutes before I get into the shower.
removing walls, removing floor, replacing walls, replacing floors, shucks by the time you do that you done bought a pile of hot water from the system you currently have.
Temp change when you flush, I have a thirty year old shower valve that isn't temp balanced, that's what it does. And if you think that's bad I supply my own water via deep well, the pressure on the deep well is set to maintain 25 to 50 psig. At 25 psig you get a soft shower, when the pump kicks on and the pressure comes up, you better be carefull it will blow your port rutting gear plumb off. Still I prefer to use this shower verses the shower that is temp balanced and regulated to what 1 or 1/2 gallon a minute.
__________________
Cape Horn 17, Yamaha F115
with
Elmo the Boat Dog
Dang! I think before I'd tear up all the walls, pipes, pumps and such, I might get into the habit of turning the water on a few minutes before I get into the shower.
removing walls, removing floor, replacing walls, replacing floors, shucks by the time you do that you done bought a pile of hot water from the system you currently have.
Maybe so, but then again you don't live where it gets cold in the winter time and therefore you probably don't know how crappy it is to have living quarters above a garage if the floor isn't properly insulated.
I'm guessing here, but I'd wager to say it takes him/ them 3 to 5 minutes to get hot water to the sink taps as well. Now between the shower and the taps that 3 to 5 minutes times 2,3,4,5,6 times aday, week after week......man that's a lot of wasted energy costs and time standing around waiting.
Now I don't know the construction to know if the supply lines even run through the floor, they could very easily be running through the wall? Either way the problem is the poorly insulated floor, batt insulation alone just doesn't do the job in this application! Spray foaming the floor (joist cavities) is probably the best and easiest way to make a totally comfortable and useable bathroom. IMO if they don't they will probably find themself using that bathroom less and less because of the BS.
If the supply lines go though a garage, it's probably a good idea to insulate the cold-water pipes too. That will protect against freezing if you get a coldspell.
Goodluck!
__________________ I'm not a boat expert, I just read THT!
twentynine - 2/13/2009 12:36 AM Dang! I think before I'd tear up all the walls, pipes, pumps and such, I might get into the habit of turning the water on a few minutes before I get into the shower. removing walls, removing floor, replacing walls, replacing floors, shucks by the time you do that you done bought a pile of hot water from the system you currently have.
Maybe so, but then again you don't live where it gets cold in the winter time and therefore you probably don't know how crappy it is to have living quarters above a garage if the floor isn't properly insulated. I'm guessing here, but I'd wager to say it takes him/ them 3 to 5 minutes to get hot water to the sink taps as well. Now between the shower and the taps that 3 to 5 minutes times 2,3,4,5,6 times aday, week after week......man that's a lot of wasted energy costs and time standing around waiting. Now I don't know the construction to know if the supply lines even run through the floor, they could very easily be running through the wall? Either way the problem is the poorly insulated floor, batt insulation alone just doesn't do the job in this application! Spray foaming the floor (joist cavities) is probably the best and easiest way to make a totally comfortable and useable bathroom. IMO if they don't they will probably find themself using that bathroom less and less because of the BS.
you are right about that!
We don't have near the wimter time temp differential that you guys have.
Maybe, on the average winter day 55* out side 70* inside.
We do once in the while have the raw ugly couple days of freezing or near freezing temps.
Instead of breaking out the walls and floors would it be easier to make the lowergarageweather tight.
__________________
Cape Horn 17, Yamaha F115
with
Elmo the Boat Dog
twentynine - 2/13/2009 6:57 PM
Maybe, on the average winter day 55* out side 70* inside.
We do once in the while have the raw ugly couple days of freezing or near freezing temps.
Piss off ------
Quote:
Instead of breaking out the walls and floors would it be easier to make the lower garage weather tight.
Well no not really. In theory the garage should already be gas proofed because the garage is physically attached to living quarters of the house (therefore "weather tight").....that's code up here.
From my exposure the majority of the problem is associated with the cold air flow in the walls of the garage that can travel up to the ceiling joists, which in turn causes for cold living space above garages. (I also believe builders do not use enough insulation in a ceiling space when living quarters are above a garage). As you know batt insulation is not designed to be an air barrier, therefore basically no amount of insulation is going to stop cold air flow. Basically the easiest way and most effective way to create a continuous thermo barrier would be to use spray foam insulation.
So yes you are right in saying one doesn't have to rip open the bathroom floor to solve the problem; one could/ should just drop the ceiling in the garage to address the issue. Dropping the entire garage ceiling would allow the home owner to address all the cold rooms upstairs at one time, not just patching up one room at a time.
I'd guess its more of a distance thing than a insulation problem. If it's over the garage code calls for a R-30 I believe. In order to get that much insulation the ceiling would have to be dropped where the pipes are located.
Plumbing Question
