You've probably experienced this at least once—there's a pile of dishes in the kitchen sink that needs to be washed, but the hot water takes forever to come. It can get a little frustrating, and you can't help but tap your feet and wonder how you can get hot water faster to your kitchen sink.
There are 5 ways how you can get hot water faster to your kitchen sink:
- Add insulation to your hot water pipes.
- Install a hot water recirculating pump system to your water lines.
- Replacing your heater with an upgraded tankless water heater.
- Changing the water fixtures to ones with a higher flow rate.
- Always do preventive maintenance.
Now that we've listed a few ways how you can get hot water faster, you might also be wondering what causes this issue. We've listed down a few questions related to these hot water problems, and fortunately, we've looked into the answers to these burning questions. Keep on reading to learn more about getting that precious heated water to your kitchen sinks.
How To Get Hot Water Faster To Your Kitchen Sink
It's a problem one too many households experience on a daily basis—you turn on the tap, but the first gush of water that you get is freezing ice-cold water. You patiently wait for a few moments for the heater to kick in, and you wonder if there is an actual way to get hot water instantly.
Hot water often takes quite a bit of time to get to your taps due to a few reasons. Before we address the reasons why hot water isn't delivered instantly to your kitchen sinks, we must first know why this is happening.
The water that flows when the tap is turned on often comes from water that has been sitting in the pipes and not from the water heater itself. This makes the first gush of water cold or room temperature because it takes a while for the heater to kick in.
Sometimes, the location of the water heater also affects the time it takes for the hot water to flow through the pipes. Typically, cold water flows ahead of the hot water when it is still traveling through your home's pipework. This results in wasted water and a bit of inconvenience to the user.
There are a few simple ways to get hot water to flow faster to your kitchen sink. Here are some of them:
Add insulation to your hot water pipes
If you have metal pipes that are quite long or are close to the exterior walls of your home, then this might be one of the reasons why it is difficult to get hot water to your sink. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, having insulated pipes can help conserve water and lessen the waiting time for hot water to come.
Having insulated pipes for your home can lessen the heat loss that often happens when the cold pipes pull out the heat from the water. It also prevents mold growth and aids in making your plumbing a lot quieter.
Pipe insulation has many different kinds, so it would be wise to do research on which one will best suit the pipes in your home. Typically, the common choices are fiberglass pipe wraps or foam pipe insulation sticks, but there are also alternatives like foam insulation tapes.
Install a hot water recirculating pump system
Another option you may want to consider is to completely recirculate the hot water in your home with the help of a pump system. This is beneficial for homes with water heaters located far from the water fixtures.
Recirculating pumps lessen the waiting time by moving cold, unused water back to the heaters. This keeps the hot water located in certain parts of your home, giving it less time to flow when the taps are turned on. Because the recirculating pump returns the unused water back to the heater, it helps save water and energy at a lower cost.
Check out this recirculating pump system.
Upgrade to a tankless water heater
If you feel like your water heater has been servicing your home for quite some time already, then it might be good to consider upgrading to a tankless water heater. Unlike regular water heaters, tankless water heaters do not store water because it simply heats the water as it flows through the system.
This eliminates the waiting time for hot water to flow through the pipes.
Installing a tankless water heater is a quick way to make sure that water is instantly heated when the faucet is turned on. A tankless water heater system can typically heat up about 2 to 5 gallons of water per minute, which is enough to keep hot water running in the sink.
Get this tankless water heater on Amazon.
A faster way to get instant hot water is to also use a point of use or on-demand water heater. These heater systems are installed closer to the source, therefore making it easier for hot water to be released when the faucets are turned on.
Check out this on-demand water heater on Amazon.
Change to a higher flow rate fixture
Most of the time, one of the reasons why hot water takes some time to reach the faucet is because of its low flow rate. These water fixtures are often installed to help reduce water consumption, but the low flow also causes hot water to slow down when getting into the tap.
Consider changing to a high flow rate fixture for certain areas like the kitchen to lessen the hot water waiting time. Having a higher flow rate faucet can help you spend less time waiting for hot water to heat up, wasting less water along the way.
See this kitchen faucet on Amazon.
Always do preventive maintenance
Hot water issues also happen when the heaters and the pipes are not properly maintained. More often than not, most homes find that their heater is already malfunctioning due to years of use. When this happens, you should immediately contact a service professional to see what the problem is.
Another issue that needs to be considered is the possible sediment buildup that prevents water flow. Homes that have hard water often get this problem, therefore causing hot water to move a lot slower through the heater and the pipes. This problem can be remedied by getting a scale inhibition system for your heaters.
Check out this scale inhibition system on Amazon.
How Long Should Hot Water Take To Reach The Tap?
Depending on the location of the water heater, hot water typically takes about a minute or two to reach the faucets. However, if certain issues are not addressed, it may take a little longer than this, even going as long as five minutes.
If you are looking into getting hot water faster to your sink, the best way would be to install a tankless water heater or an on-demand water heater system. This will heat your water faster and give you instant hot water most of the time.
Why Is My Hot Water Suddenly Too Hot?
Getting hot water fast can be an issue for some homes, but for others, the problem comes in the form of their faucets gushing out hot water that is too hot for their liking. This issue can be dangerous if not addressed quickly, as it can cause scalding and burning when someone opens the faucet.
Just like the issues that cause hot water to slow down, these issues can also cause your heaters to overheat the water in them. A malfunctioning water heater with a broken thermostat or heating element can cause issues because you might be reading the temperature wrong.
Contact a professional plumber or service professional to make sure that the heater's thermostat is working properly to avoid overheated water.
Sediment buildup can also cause hot water to be overheated because it stays inside the heater tank longer than it should be in it. The slow flow of the water causes it to heat up while in the tank. Make sure to flush your water heater every once in a while to get rid of sediment, and install a scaling inhibition system to help prevent it from happening again.
Final Thoughts
Getting hot water to your kitchen sink is easier than it looks. All you need is a good water heater that is close to your faucets or a pump that will help recirculate the hot water in your pipes to lessen the waiting time. Addressing these issues should help you get your hot water quicker instead of wasting water while waiting for everything to heat up.
Looking to know more about using hot water in your kitchens? It's a good thing we've got these great articles that might spark your interest:
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