If the shower's been running out of hot water sooner lately, there's a good chance nothing is broken. It's November.
The water coming into your house is colder now, and that changes how far a tank of hot water goes.
Below: why hot water runs out sooner in winter, the showerhead we'd use, why sweaters pill, why LED bulbs die early in covered fixtures, where your houseplants want to sit this winter, and why a cut tree stops drinking.
Reply and tell us: who gets the last shower at your house? We read every one.
Why Hot Water Runs Out Sooner in Winter
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If the hot water gives out sooner this month, your water heater probably isn't failing. The water coming into it is colder, and that can make the tank refill about 30% slower.
Water heater maker Ruud says to plan on incoming water around 40 F in a northern winter, per its sizing guide. In its Minneapolis example, summer water comes in 20 to 25 degrees warmer. A.O. Smith's builder guide puts northern groundwater at 37 to 51 F.
Two things change when that water gets colder:
Each shower takes more hot water. Mixing 120 F tank water with 40 F water to get a 105 F shower takes about 81% hot water. With 65 F summer water, it's about 73%.
The tank refills slower. Rheem publishes a recovery formula for its electric tanks. For a 50-gallon model with 4,500-watt elements, it works out to about 23 gallons an hour with 40 F water coming in, against about 34 with 65 F water.
Put those together for a 10-minute shower at 2.5 gallons a minute. In summer, that tank is back in about 32 minutes. In winter, it takes about 52.
TLDR: the first shower is fine either way. It's the second one, right after, that comes up short.
A.O. Smith's own numbers show the same thing. One of its tankless heaters is rated for 4.5 showers at a time in a warm climate and 3 in a cold one.
Here's what helps:
Space out showers and laundry by about an hour on busy mornings.
Use a lower-flow showerhead. At 1.5 gallons a minute, that winter shower takes about 12 gallons of hot water instead of 20. Scroll down for the one we'd use.
When is it more than the season? GE Appliances calls colder winter water normal, but lists a damaged dip tube and reversed water connections as real faults. If your hot water dropped off suddenly, not gradually, call a plumber.
Renters, the showerhead and the schedule are yours. Tell your landlord about a sudden drop.
Worth a Look
A Showerhead That Pauses When the Water's Hot
If winter showers keep coming up short, the Evolve 1.5 GPM Handheld Showerhead with ShowerStart is the one we'd point you to, at $24.99 at time of writing.
It flows at 1.5 gallons a minute, so each shower pulls less from the tank. Its ShowerStart valve also pauses the flow on its own once the water runs hot, so warm water doesn't pour down the drain while you're grabbing a towel.
It's a 3-spray handheld, with a pause setting for while you lather up. Here's the showerhead on Amazon.
We haven't showered under this one ourselves. The specs and price come from its Amazon listing.
That said, 1.5 gallons a minute is a gentler spray than an older 2.5-gallon showerhead, and you pull a small cord to restart the flow after it pauses.
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Why Some Sweater Pills Never Fall Off
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Pills are the little fuzz balls that show up on a sweater. Woolmark says they come from rubbing during wear, mostly at the elbows, armpits, sleeves and sides, where your arms brush the body of the sweater.
Loose fiber ends work their way out of the yarn, tangle and roll into a ball. Fibers that haven't broken hold the ball in place.
That's why the fabric matters. On wool, pills tend to wear off over time, because wool fibers are weak enough to break away, per the textile guide Fabrics by Marypaul Yates. On polyester, nylon and acrylic, the stronger fibers hold the pills on. Downy adds that synthetic blends pill more than pure natural fabrics.
Here's how to slow it down, per Woolmark:
Turn it inside out before washing.
Skip fabric softener on wool.
Wash it less. Woolmark says wool resists stains and odors, so it needs fewer washes.
Dry it flat instead of tumbling it.
Already pilled? Woolmark calls a fabric shaver low cost and very effective. A sweater comb works too, if you go gently.
Why LED Bulbs Die Early in Covered Fixtures
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LED bulbs are supposed to last for years. In a closed glass dome, some don't, and heat is why.
ENERGY STAR says managing heat is the single most important factor in how an LED performs over its life, and that the hotter an LED runs, the faster its light fades.
The electronics suffer too. The Department of Energy says failed capacitors are a leading cause of LED driver failure, and higher temperatures speed that wear.
TLDR: the driver is the small circuit in the bulb's base that powers the LED.
An ENERGY STAR bulb has to be rated for at least 15,000 hours. How it's tested depends on its label, per the program's spec:
No warning on the box: it was life-tested hot, at about 113 F.
"Not for use in totally enclosed fixtures": it was tested at room temperature.
So for a dome light, a covered porch light or a closed ceiling fixture, look for a bulb labeled rated for enclosed fixtures, and skip any that carry that warning.
Renters, bulbs are yours to swap.
Where Your Houseplants Want to Sit This Winter
Winter is hard on houseplants mostly because of light. UGA Extension names low light and overwatering as the most common causes of stress for indoor plants.
Distance from the window matters more than you'd think. Illinois Extension puts a south-facing window at about 300 foot-candles of light, an east or west window at about 150, and a spot 8 feet from any light source at about 75.
TLDR: a foot-candle measures how much light lands on a surface. UGA puts the summer noon sun outdoors at about 10,000.
One upside: the low winter sun reaches farther into a room, per UGA.
Move sun-lovers to the south window for the season.
Rotate them now and then so they grow evenly, per Illinois Extension.
Group humidity-lovers in the bathroom or kitchen. Nebraska Extension says furnace-heated air can be as dry as desert air.
Less light means slower growth, so expect them to drink less until spring.
Renters, this one's all yours.
Why a Cut Tree Stops Drinking
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Bringing home a real tree this year? It drinks more than you'd guess. The National Christmas Tree Association says a tree can use up to a quart of water a day for every inch of trunk width. A 4-inch trunk can go through a gallon a day.
The catch is the cut. After about 3 to 6 hours in the air, the cut end takes in air and stops drinking well, per the association. A fresh cut reopens it.
Here's the setup:
Cut about a half inch off the base, straight across, right before it goes in the stand.
Don't shave the trunk to fit the stand. The outer wood takes up the most water.
Fill the stand with plain tap water. The association says additives don't help.
Check the water every day, and keep it above the bottom of the trunk.
A dry tree is a fire risk. The NFPA says a heat source too close causes one in four home Christmas tree fires, so keep the tree at least 3 feet from fireplaces, radiators and heat vents.
Renters, every step works in an apartment.
One quick tap
When did you move into your home?
That's Wednesday: winter hot water, a self-pausing showerhead, pilled sweaters, LED bulbs in covered fixtures, houseplant light and a thirsty tree.
If you only do one thing this week, give the second shower an hour.
Forward this to whoever in your house gets the last shower.
See you tomorrow.
The Home Wire
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