[eskielover]

I have been so frustrated with the shower head in my bathroom. The stupid thing is one of those scald proof knobs & there big thing is that is keeps water from changing temp in your shower if cold or hot is being used somewhere else in the house.....lol....I'm the only one in the house & my dogs don't flush toilets or wash my dishes while I am taking a shower.

When I had my propane water heater, I just turned up the temp on the water heater, but with my new electric water heater, I don't really want to turn up the temp.....want to be somewhat energy effeciant.....but these warm showers were getting to me. I would stand in the shower forcing the faucet toward the hot to just get a little more hot water out as long as I was forcing the faucet.

I had looked at the shower head & there was no way to remove the scald proof block...which was why I just turned up the temp of the propane water heater. Because there was no easy way to remove the scale proof block, I decided to go ahead & turn up the temp by 5F on the new water heater....that should make enough difference in the water temp, since I could get a nice feeling temp water by standing there pushing hard on the shower handle.

So I get to the water heater in my basement....have to take off 2 covers as there are 2 thermostats...bottom & top of the tank. I get my screwdriver & can't get the stupid screws out of the tank....somehow, they get caught on the tank & won't let go....tried pushing them around, working at them with pliers.....got so frustrated....all 4 screws (both top & bottom plates were put together that way). I finally got the top panel off & the temp adjusted on it, but no way to get the bottom screws out. Pliers trying to move the screw around to get it uncaught....I tried everything I could do including trying to shame it by telling it that a new hot water heater shouldn't be messed up like this. I spent an hour trying to get out 2 stupid little screws without any success.....until I felt my frustration build to the point I wanted to BREAK the DANG thing!!!! So...called GE to have a service person come out.....just to get 2 stupid screws out & fix if so it's easer to access in the future....so they give me a plumber to fix the screws...lol....oh well, it's under warantee...GE is paying for it....but not before telling me that keeping one thermostat at 125F & the other at the 120F settings would mess up the water heater. I figured it would just help warm up the water just a little bit more & it would be ok????? NOPE!!!!!!

I decided to go ahead & look at the shower knob again.....turned off the water to the house & took the stupid thing completely off the shower. There is a stupid piece of plastic that is a solid part of the unit & no way to adjust for any more hot water. I got so angry, I found a little saw I had (after looking for the stupid little saw for 20 minutes) & cut the stupid plastic block completely off the unit....reinsalled the knob & sure enough, I could now take a nice extra warm, or Duke hot shower. It felt so wonderful....just wanted to stand under the shower all day.....but ended up running out of hot water because of the long shower...lol.

My hot showers are the only thing what washes away my anxiety attacks. Since I don't have any meds that have ever worked or that aren't way to strong to take living alone.....the anxiety attacks have been building up since the ice storm when I had no electricity & my propane ran out day 3 of the ice storm.

Still going to have the repair people come out & fix the panel on the water heater because I know in the future I will want to adjust the temp down if I am ever traveling back to CA to finish my move.....so will need to access the thermostat & besides, it's just not right & it should be......so THEY WILL FIX IT!!!!

Everyone seems to have to make their products to protect us consumers & all they end up doing is making things so we have to break them to get them to work the way they are supposed to.

Debbie

[Brian37]

geez...where did you buy that water heater

my gas one has a large temp adj. knob right in front......pretty simple

as far as the scald proof knob....just replace it with a standard...thats what I did

[AAAAA]

Yes I found that quite surprising when we re-did our bathroom too! Our solution was the same, cut off the "safety" tab. It was very irritating before we realized what the problem was, our showers were barely warm.

[eskielover]

Electric water heaters have 2 panels with a top & bottom thermostat & heating unit for the upper & lower parts of the water heaters.

Yep, my propane/gas water had the nice little dial in the front that was real easy to adjust.....not so with electric.

Yep....sawing off that stupid tab has done the trick....nothing like a nice hot shower....feels so good & helps with my anxiety attacks.....washes them right down the drain...lol.

Debbie

[SeptemberMorn]

You sure tell a great story, Debbie!

I had that problem just one time when I had my shower retiled not to long ago. Our problem was so much more eaily fixed than yours, though. All Jerry had to do was turn the water faucet around. It now reads oposite of what the water temp really is but I know that right is Hot and left is Cold. LOL That one time I took a shower before Jerry fixed the faucet sure was unpleasant! The water was barely tepid!

Know what else gripes me to no end? The water saving device!! I like to feel the water hit me and powerfully wash away the soap, the gunk and any ill feelings I might be having! It's annoying to have to chase the water drops around the shower just to get rinsed off. GGRRRR! Got that fixed, too, now.

Here's my logic on these two things. It may be wrong, but that's how I like to think about it. If the water heater is set at a high temp, you use less hot water because you have to mix in more cold water, right? If you get a strong stream of water, you use less water because you don't have to stand under the shower nearly as long to get rinsed off. Don't tell me I'm wrong now! I want to believe I am right! I'd have to sit under the running shower, if set to save water, for at least an hour to get my long, thick hair rinsed out well enough. See there? I'm right! LOL

[eskielover]

How cute Tomi.....yes, I already turned the shower knob around the last time I had a fight with the lack of hot water & it did fix the problem until I got the new electric hot water heater.....I can just see you chasing the water drops around the shower.....luckily I never had to fight the surge control junk they keep adding to our shower/bath products.....when will they just stop protecting us & let us go back to the good old days. I end up getting hurt worse trying to fix (break) their bright ideas than it they would just let me figure out the right temp for my shower.....I am quite capable of knowing when something it too hot....my body won't even go there...lol.

Ok Tomi, I won't tell you you are wrong.....cause you are right....my only problem with my showers is that I like to take at least a 20 minute shower.....need to loosen up my stiff joints & sore body & sometimes it takes at least 15 minutes to wash away the anxiety.....since it's not just the soap I am washing off...lol.

I know this also sounds crazy, but standing in the hot shower is when I usually talk with God & thoughts pop into my head. It's when I make all my important decisions...lol My showers are so much more than washing my hair & getting clean....

The only negative part of having the hot water heater temp turned up is that it ends up sitting there at the hoter temp & using more electricity to keep it there while I'm not showering.....so not as energy effecient...I'm still fighting with the guy to get my compressor in my heat pump & get Goodman/Imana to pay for the excess on my electric bill so wanting the rest to be as effecient as possible. Go figure....I use those new energy efficient lightbulbs....so what do I do....I go upstairs & fall asleep, leaving all the lights in the kitchen on & other places in the house until I wake up & realize it's 4am & all the lights are still on in the house....great energy effeciency...but at least I'm using the right light bulbs...lol

Debbie

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by SeptemberMorn

Here's my logic.... If you get a strong stream of water, you use less water because you don't have to stand under the shower nearly as long to get rinsed off. Don't tell me I'm wrong now! I want to believe I am right! I'd have to sit under the running shower, if set to save water, for at least an hour to get my long, thick hair rinsed out well enough. See there? I'm right! LOL

Yes, you are totally right. I have often thought that. I think it is because the engineers who designed the water saving shower heads all have short hair. You can rinse the shampoo out of short hair in a flash. I have long hair and have to stand in the shower forever to rinse my hair. Just once, I would like to take a quick shower but it's impossible with the water saving device. The only shower heads available in the stores here are the water saving ones. Where do you buy a regular, good shower head like they used to make? I need one so I can save water every day, lol. SeptemberMorn, how did you fix yours?

[AAAAA]

I bought one of those that you can adjust the stream and use the concentrated one. Even when my hair is short, it's thick and takes forever to rinse.

[eskielover]

I don't have really long hair...down to my shoulders......what I bought was one of those rain shower heard....with the huge head about 5-6 inches around with the water coming out from all over it.....I really love it for washing my hair. I can stand right under the shower like standing in a rain storm & it washes off the shampoo & conditioner from the top & the water surrounds my head, rinsing the everything right down off my hair.....not only that, but it's an awesome feeling shower, being completely surrounded by the shower water.

What gave me the idea for this kind of shower was when I took a tour of Piru mansion (Tomi....sure you know about this home in Lake Piru)....the tour was with an interior design class I was taking at the college & it's a huge victorian mansion....with all modern interior.....but they had the most beautiful bathroom with the rain type shower head coming out of the ceiling of the shower. When I moved to KY, I found that Lowes has all kinds of shower heads mostly this new rain type, so I got one that worked with the pipe design I have & wow.....absolutely love that shower & washing my hair. When my anxiety was at it's highest, I would sometimes take 3 shower a day.....it really washers the shampoo, conditioner & soap off so easily & completely. Never seemed to have any problem with the flow restriction.....just the stupid temperature control was driving me crazy & that had to do with the faucet not the shower head.

Might look at Lowes or Home Depot.....or google shower heads on the internet to get the information before going to the store.....good way to get all the information available is through the internet.

Hope you can find the perfect one....nothing more frustrating than fighting with your shower.
Debbie