Demosthenes

At college dorms, especially during the mornings there are sometimes a run on the hot water. Worse some days an asshole will pry open the bathroom window and leave it open overnight during the middle of January. Combined with freezing air and water, I usually just skip showering for that day.

In Italy, they either have small water heaters that usually are turned on in advance of your taking showers or the cold water is heated up just prior to coming out the nozzles.

Viti

I cannot imagine centralized hot water...it never occured to me there was such a thing! Is it because most US cities are so sprawled out that it would be inefficient, or the sheer population, or the fact that most of our utilities are privatized?

Per

Heh, I kinda assumed centralization was the default position especially in urban areas. The only ones I know who heat their own water are my grandparents when they lived on a small island (pop. ~25). As for urban sprawl... I don't know, with proper pipe insulation not a whole lot of energy is lost.

edit: clarification

Viti

Well, it appears the whole country of Denmark is around 6 million people. We have single Metro areas with larger populations, but they are spread out over miles and miles. Centralization might work in more concentrated population areas like New York City.

Interesting differences. I wish I was better traveled so things wouldn't come as such a dumb American shock to me.

Godless Dave

I can't find it in the local paper, but earlier this year I read about a Minnesota town that uses an old central steam heating system. They are gradually shutting it down, though. Many college and university campuses have central steam heating, with tunnels going from a central plant to all the buildings. Not that I would know anything about how to get into those tunnels.

cheetah

I have occassionally lived in places where the hot water runs out when two showers are taken near in time. But, can anyone tell me how this situation works: Sometimes in taking a shower in one of those houses, you just CANNOT have anyone flush the toilet, as it will burn you. I assume that the toilet is taking the cold water that you are mixing your shower hot water with, away from the shower to the toilet and you are left with only scalding hot water briefly, no matter where on the temperatrue gauge you put the lever. But, why does this happen? There should always be more than enough COLD water right? It's not like you have a water cooler in your house for these things, it just starts out cold, so I don't understand why ALL the cold water would have to be diverted. And again, this only seems to be in the case of places with poor plumbing, because most places I've lived have been fine.

Godless Dave

It's not the amount of water exactly, it's the water pressure. By flushing the toilet you are causing a drop in pressure because the toilet is, as you say, diverting cold water from the shower. Remember the cold water is coming to your house through a pipe, and the pipe can only carry so much at a time. But showers are supposed to have a valve (called a pressure equalization valve or something like that) to prevent this problem. If you are getting scalded whenever someone flushes it usually means that valve has gone bad and needs to be replaced.

Yes, I watch This Old House every week.

Godless Dave

Another thing with hot water heaters is they can become coated with sediment from the water. So after 10 or 15 years your 30-gallon heater might not hold 30 gallons anymore.

A previous poster mentioned turning the heat knob up on the water heater. Mine has a big warning label on it because it's possible to turn those things up hot enough to seriously burn someone. Be careful! I keep mine on the lowest setting for bathing but I turn it up when I want to sanitize beer bottles in my dishwasher.

Born Free

When I first moved into my flat I had what's called a power shower, it used hot water from the tank. It was awesome for power.

The flats got renovated and we lost it, I ended up with an electric shower and the hot water is heated instantly with no danger of it running out which is great but I miss the sheer brute power of the old one.

mongrel

Or it means the house never had one of those valves to begin with. Like my place...

The same goes for someone turning on a hot water tap somewhere else in the house, making the shower go cold.

As for the original question, I ran out of hot water yesterday morning- but that was because I need a new heater for the bathroom, it was a chilly morning, and I was enjoying the hot water so I wasn't too keen to get out of the shower.