Suburn Water heater problem

[johnfv2]

10 gal. LP Suburban Water heater runs cold before shower is finished?? Any help will be appreciated.

John

[tbutler]

Has it been doing this all along? Is this a change in behavior? If this heater is new to you or has been doing this all along, perhaps we should look at problems other than the water heater. It could be that you need to use a pressure adjuster to lower your use of water or perhaps your shower has had the flow restriction device removed. You certainly get a more vigorous shower without a flow restriction device but you use a lot more water and that means a lot more hot water. If you are new to RV'ing, perhaps you are expecting to take the same kind of showers you do at home and RV's simply are not set up to provide that kind of shower.

Do you have to turn the hot water to a higher setting to compensate for lower hot water temperature? Perhaps the water heater isn't heating the water as hot as it was before. It could be a failing heating unit or an accumulation of calcium/iron buildup on the heating element. It could also be a failing thermostat. Another possibility is that it could be caused by a colder incoming water temperature which will require adding more hot water to compensate for the colder water coming to the shower. That would also bring in colder water to the hot water heater and cool that tank down faster.

Help us diagnose the problem by providing some background and a little more information.

[wolfe10]

John,

Is the water heater on propane or electric? Propane gives a LOT more BTU's of heating.

Is the water heater still on/running when the hot water turns cold?

Are all showers and faucets turned off at the faucet, not just the head-- check particularly if you have a wet bay shower head?

Brett

[Roodriver]

When was the water heater last drained and flushed? Have you tripped the pressure relief valve to make sure the tank is full and not air locked? Did you remove the exterior door and check the cleanness of all components?