LESLIE: Norma Jean in Arkansas is dealing with some hot water issues. What’s going on at your money pit?
NORMA JEAN: Well, we installed a new hot water heater. The old one went out. And when I do my washing I do it warm water. Well, it’s either hot or cold. It’s not mixing. I don’t know if he’s got it set right.
TOM: What kind of a water heater did you put in? Is it electric or gas?
NORMA JEAN: It’s electric.
TOM: Hmm.
NORMA JEAN: But I don’t know the brand of it.
TOM: OK. And do you have any hot water or is it just cold? Or does it run out quickly?
NORMA JEAN: Well, it’s – oh, it’s hot. But when I turn it to where it’s supposed to be warm, when I do my washing it’s cold.
TOM: So the issue is the mixing valve.
NORMA JEAN: Yes.
TOM: Is that what you’re talking about? Hmm.
NORMA JEAN: Mm-hmm, it’s the mixing.
TOM: Well, that may not be the water heater. That could be the valves at the washer. Do you have a single lever valve that turns on both hot and cold at the same time?
NORMA JEAN: Oh, we have a knob that you turn on for the hot and then you turn it on up to the warm, cold, you know, and mix. And that’s all I know. I don’t …
TOM: Well, with a water heater you typically – it’s either on or off. So if you – we’re talking about the fill valves for the washing machine here. It has to be all the way on. So both hot and cold would be all the way on. Now, if you’re doing that and you’re trying to tell the washer to wash in warm water – you’re not getting warm out – I doubt it’s the water heater. If this is a problem you’re only noticing with the washer then it wouldn’t be the water heater. Could be the washer itself. Did you consider that?
NORMA JEAN: The other water heater – the other hot water heater was just fine, you know. It was just fine.
TOM: When you turn on your kitchen sink, do you get hot and cold water and plenty of it?
NORMA JEAN: Yes.
TOM: Alright, it’s not the water heater. Something might be wrong with the washer. This could just be bad timing, Norma Jean, but if it’s only happening at the washer I suspect that the problem is at the washing machine. Now, there’s only one other thing I can think of but I – now that I’m – I’m thinking out loud to myself. It probably wouldn’t be it. I was thinking if maybe he reversed the lines and sent the hot water to the cold side and the cold water to the hot side, but you would notice that at the sink. So I’m going to go back to my original theory. I suspect something’s wrong with your washer here and that’s what you need to look at; not the water heater.
NORMA JEAN: Oh, alright. Alright. I’ll have him to do that.
TOM: Alright, Norma. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
Leave a Reply