5 Reasons Why Your Water Is Taking Too Long to Heat
Sunrooms can be the best of both worlds. You get the sunlight and a beautiful view of the outdoors without all the heat, humidity, creepy-crawly bugs, and infuriating mosquitoes of a Texas summer. But keeping your sunroom cool can be difficult without a sunroom ventilation system and good insulation. You want to let the sunlight and the view in without letting in the heat. But the sunlight brings heat in with it. And when it’s not just sunny but also hot and humid outside, it makes it even harder to keep your sunroom nice and comfortable. If you are planning on adding a sunroom to your home or building a new home with a sunroom, there are some important considerations to be aware of during the planning and building. Certain things that can have a huge impact on summer comfort in your sunroom are easier and cheaper to build in than to go back and add. If you already have a sunroom but you’re finding it gets uncomfortably warm for you in the summer, there are still some great things you can do that will help without having to resort to potentially expensive rebuilding and replacement.
How Do You Cool a Hot Sunroom?
Insulation
Normally we think of insulation as important for staying warm because it keeps the heat in. This is true, but the opposite is also true. What insulation really does is block heat from moving either way. So insulation is just as important for blocking the outside heat from getting in, which helps keep your sunroom nice and cool. When you build your sunroom, one of the key things that you can include in the plan is good insulation. The tricky thing about insulating a sunroom is that the whole point of a sunroom is to let the sunlight and the view in……and that means a lot of glass.
Insulated Glass
Sunroom glass tends to be custom cut, so it can be expensive to replace later. There are different types of heat-reducing glass treatments such as low-E and tinting, but if you want the best insulation for your sunroom, you really need energy-efficient multi-pane glass. This glass has at least two panes with an insulating layer (usually of inert gas) in between. This creates a barrier that keeps heat and humidity out. The highest-rated energy-efficient glass panes usually have three or more panes with a layer of inert gas in between each. But even if you already have regular single-pane glass in your sunroom windows, you can still have tinting or a low-E coating added to them. This lets sunlight and the view in while reducing the amount of heat that gets in with the sunlight. Adding drapes, shades, or blinds that you can close when the sun is at its brightest will also help keep some of the heat out. The downside is that these will block the view when closed and may obstruct your view somewhat even when open. Whatever kind of heat reduction method you choose for your glass, it’s important to always consider using tempered glass for safety. Tempered glass is harder to break than non-tempered glass, and it’s less dangerous if it is broken because it breaks up into glass pebbles instead of shards.
Wall and Floor Insulation
Though there’s usually less wall space in your sunroom than in your other rooms, your sunroom walls are still a potential area for cool, conditioned air to get out and the hot, humid air to get in. When building a sunroom, you’ll want to make sure that you install adequate insulation in your walls to combat this, so make sure to use insulation with a good R-value –which is a measure of its heat flow reduction. Your sunroom floor is another area where your nice, cool, conditioned indoor air can seep out and be lost. Good insulation helps here too, but it’s always a good idea to consider building a vapor barrier into your floor to keep condensation and moisture away from your insulation and flooring material. If you don’t already have good R-value insulation in your existing sunroom, you can always go back and have it installed or upgraded. But the demolition and removal can make it cost a bit more than building it in from the beginning. The good news is that, even so, it should pay for itself over the years in reduced electric bills.
A Good Sunroom Ventilation System
When it’s cold outside, it can feel like an eternity for your shower or sink to warm up. Sometimes it’s taking longer than it should, and you may wonder if there’s a way to make getting hot water easier and faster. Don’t let a slow water heater ruin your morning! This guide will teach you about the most common causes of a slow water heater and if you can solve the problems at home. When you leave the water running to heat it, it can waste your time, running up your water bill. Here are some ways that you may be able to get hot water almost instantly.
1. Cold Water in Pipes
Sometimes the only issue is that there’s already cold water sitting in your pipes. Hot water comes from the water heater, and when you turn on the faucet, the pipes will push out water sitting in the pipes since someone used the water last. If you turn on the heat after running cold water for any reason, the pipes need to rid themselves of all the cold water before providing hot water.
2. Extreme Temperatures
Sometimes no matter how well your water heater works, it can’t compensate for extremely cold temperatures. If you live in an area such as the northeastern United States, where temperatures get below freezing, the water heater cannot supply a steady supply of hot water as it cools running through the pipes. The water heater will make the water even hotter to reach the target temperature, which will take a few extra minutes. If you live in extremely cold weather, you may have to prepare ahead of time for some waiting, or you can talk to your trusted technician to troubleshoot the issue.
3. Volume Restrictor
A volume restrictor is a small insert that you place over any faucet to limit the amount of water that can escape at any given time. People usually install these to save money on high water bills, and they’re good for water conservation: however, they can be why you’re waiting too long to get water. It takes longer to push cold water out of a faucet when there isn’t a lot of water coming from the tap. Talk to your technician to decide the proper volume restrictions on your faucets.
4. The Water Heater
If your bathroom is on one side of the home and your water heater is on the other, perhaps you are too far from the water heater. This distance is a frustrating problem, and it results in water waste. The water heater also has to work harder because it is extremely cold, and the water can cool on its way to your faucet. If the water demand has gone up over the years due to more people living in the space or changing needs, the water heater may not be large enough to supply hot water to so many facets. Your water heater may be too small, and it‘s time to upgrade to a larger size. When there’s enough water in the tank to meet the demands, you won’t have to wait long for water. If you’ve recently noticed a lack of hot water, it may be because your water heater isn’t functioning properly. This problem can be due to a damaged component, an electrical issue, or others. Water heaters usually have a lifespan of about ten years. The water heater won’t be able to work as fast or as hard and will take longer to deliver water. Older water heaters also consume more energy and rack up your water bill. If you’re thinking about replacement but don’t know where to start, contact one of our experts to schedule an inspection.
5. Build-up of Sediment
You may not know that all of the water we get from our faucets has some necessary minerals in it, like calcium and fluoride. It’s completely normal for water to have some sediments, but over time, they can sink to the bottom of the water heater and build up right where the heating element is. Hard water is when there are 60 milligrams or more of dissolved minerals per liter of water. Soon the mineral build-up will begin to fill up the tank and leave less room for the water we need. A water heater with sediment build-up will take longer to heat due to blockage and run out faster due to lack of water in the tank. A water heater professional can clear out your tank and restore it to working order. Once the tank is clear, your hot water should be working swell.
Call Strittmatters for Heating Repair in Flower Mound
If you’re tired of waiting too long for hot water, contact the technicians at Strittmatter. We offer the best services to the Flower Mound, Texas area residents with all HVAC needs. The reliable professionals at Strittmatter will be able to provide any service you may need for your water heater. We have knowledge and expertise about all kinds of water heaters, new or older. We’re here to tune up your appliances, repair them or replace them to our best ability. Call Strittmatter or contact us online to find trusted water heater care in Denton today. Follow ourFacebook pagefor more updates and subscribe to ourYouTubechannel.
Airflow
If your existing sunroom doesn’t have a ventilation system, keeping the warmer air moving and not trapped in the sunroom will help improve your comfort levels, and a classic ceiling fan is helpful for this. In a pinch, even just opening the door to the main living area and using floor fans to draw conditioned air in can help make a difference. The downside here is that fans can be noisy or somewhat annoying, and an open door will make your central AC work harder.
Hvac System
When planning on building or adding a sunroom, one option is to simply build your home’s central air right into the sunroom. Another solution is ductless mini-split installation–which is basically a small, ductless independent air conditioning system for your sunroom. Ductless mini-splits are very flexible and easily scalable for the exact size of your sunroom. Also, because they don’t use ductwork, they’re a particularly energy-efficient way to both ventilate and air condition your sunroom. For an existing sunroom, you can also extend your home’s central HVAC in to cool and ventilate it–just make sure that the additional square footage of the sunroom doesn’t exceed your central HVAC’s intended capacity. Also, for an existing sunroom, a ductless mini-split installation is a great solution because installing a mini-split is usually relatively easy. It functions as an excellent sunroom ventilation system for good airflow, and it gives your sunroom its own private energy-efficient air conditioning!
AC Installation in Flower Mound, TX
Just click here or call us at 940-246-2075 for more information on a sunroom ventilation system to cool your hot sunroom. At Strittmatters, we have offered HVAC installation services and AC replacement services to Flower Mound residents for over 40 years, so we’ve seen it and done it all!
