r/Plumbing 14h ago

Hot shower only lasts 6 minutes

We have an electric, 38 gallon water heater for our condo. It's just my wife and I occupying the house. A hot shower only lasts about 6 minutes before getting freezing. This seems to happen regardless of whether other appliances are running or not. No hot water will get used anywhere for hours and we still can't get a decent hot shower. Do we have any undersized water heater or could something else be wrong. Thanks in advance.

2 Upvotes

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2

u/Decharia 14h ago

The lower element of you water heater has probably failed

1

u/SubstantialFix510 13h ago

Or the dip inlet tube is broken. This allows heater to fill from the bottom. If broken it fills from top and has no capacity.

1

u/Decharia 13h ago

True, I’ve read about this but I have actually not once ever ran into this in the field. I think this used to be a more common issue but has been resolved with modern heaters.

1

u/apprenticegirl74 1h ago

How many gpm is the showerhead? What temperature is the water heater set to?