There’s nothing quite as frustrating as waiting for your water to heat up when all you want is a soothing, hot shower. This is something many people face, especially during the chilly months. The hot water running through cold pipes takes some time to warm up before it reaches the shower rose or tap.
Starting your day with a lukewarm shower can be quite annoying. You might think your plumbing is to blame, but there are actually some specific reasons your shower might be colder than you’d like.
So you may ask, “Why’s my shower heating up slowly?” We can investigate why this problem occurs and suggest what you can do to get the hot water supply working faster.
Why Does It Take A Long Time For Water To Heat Up?
Listed below are the four main reasons your hot water may not be working:
- Water pipes are too wide
- Hot water heater is a long way from your bathroom
- Pipes pulling heat from the water
- The shower head pressure is too low
1. Water Pipes Are Too Wide
The size and diameter of your pipes will affect the water flow and the amount of water that gets into your shower. Wider pipes have more space for the hot water to flow through.
This can make the travel time to your fixtures take longer. A general rule of thumb is that water moves faster with a pipe with a small diameter.
In Australian homes under AS/NZS 3500.1, residential water pipes are typically DN15 (15mm) or DN20 (20mm) in diameter. If oversized pipes were installed on a long run, they hold a larger volume of standing cold water that must be purged first.
Also, poor pipe fittings at the top or bottom of the hot water heating system interfere with the smooth flow of heated water.
2. The Hot Water Heater Is A Long Way From Your Bathroom
The farther away your water heater is from your bathroom, the longer it takes for the heated water to reach your fixtures. With only one tank delivering hot water to your home, you may struggle to receive efficient heat, particularly if you have a larger property.
Water heaters on the opposite end of the washroom tend to take longer to deliver hot water.
And with the installed piping, they are rarely connected in a straight line. The flow rate will decrease from the position of the water pipes and how they are laid out for
The closer your bathroom is to the heater, the quicker hot water will be delivered.
A ring main or continuous recirculation line can reduce thermal lag across long pipe runs between your water heater and bathroom tapware.
Suppose you are not using an instant water heater, electric water heater, or tankless water heater (with an unlimited supply of water, tankless water heaters don’t use tanks to store hot water or heat water). In that case, chances are high that you may be overusing hot water. Some hot water tanks are small and can only hold a particular quantity of hot water at a time, so they can’t produce hot water as quickly. This tends to happen when the number of people showering increases simultaneously.
3. Pipes Pulling Heat From The Water
When the pipes leading to your shower are unused, they become cooler. The colder the pipes, the more heat they absorb from the water as it passes through them.
Copper pipes retain more heat than PVC piping. The material of your water pipes and the area’s temperature can affect the time it takes for your shower to get hot.
4. shower head Flow Rate and Dead-Leg Volume
Under the Australian WELS rating scheme, showerheads are rated in litres per minute (L/min). A standard 3-star showerhead delivers approximately 9 litres per minute. If your showerhead flow rate is heavily restricted (for example, down to 6 L/min or less due to a tight flow restrictor or mineral scale), it takes substantially longer to purge the stagnant cold water sitting in the pipe run—known as the plumbing 'dead-leg'—before heated water arrives from the heater.
Under Australian Standard AS/NZS 3500.4 (the national standard governing heated water services, hot water storage temperatures, and line insulation to minimise energy waste and prevent thermal dissipation), proper line sizing and lagging ensure hot water arrives quickly and safely at your shower rose.
How Can I Get My Shower To Heat Up Faster?
You understand the cause of a cold shower and know we can suggest solutions. Here are some solutions to the main contributors that take a long time to heat up.
High Flow Showerheads
You can ask your licensed plumbing professional to suggest a high-flow showerhead. This upgrade will increase the water flow and reduce the time it takes for the hot water to reach the fixtures. However, remember that you may risk increasing your water and heating bills.
Insulation Of Your Shower Supply Lines
Pipe insulation can protect pipes from the cold air in the atmosphere, particularly long pipes in your exterior wall. It also keeps your pipes warm and doesn’t absorb much heat from the travelling water. If you are unsure, speak to your local plumber about insulated pipes.
Install A Demand Hot Water Recirculating System
A recirculation system connects to your water plumbing and ensures a constant flow of hot water through your pipes and fixtures.
A recirculating system (or tankless water heater) reroutes the cold water in your pipes. The recirculation pumps take the’ run off’ water back to your water heater, so you turn your hot water tap on and don’t get the leftover cold water sitting there from the last shower.
Calling an experienced plumbing professional is best to evaluate pipe sizing, assess line insulation, and resolve slow-heating showers. Operating under NSW Fair Trading Contractor Licence 305428C, Fixed Today is the established plumbing service Sydney households have trusted and relied on since 2011 across more than 15 years.
When you reach out, our team asks a couple of diagnostic questions about your water heater type (gas continuous flow, electric tank, or solar/heat pump) and bathroom layout before dispatch so our technician arrives equipped with thermal diagnostics and pipe-flow testing gear. We walk you through every step of our assessment on site, backed by clear upfront pricing and a $0 call-out fee on approved work.
