How long do you take your shower?

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How long do you take your shower?

Sam Leon
Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes

One of my 1 bed 1 bath that I just changed from an old 20 gallon water heater the previous owner installed to a new 30 gallon low boy.  Its in the closet so there isn't much room for more.

Prior to the water heater change there were no complaint.  I looked at the serial number of the old heater and they were all installed in 1981 which makes them 34 years.  I switched all the units to new 30 gallons.

Now one of the units complained that she needs more hot water.  No complaint before on a 20 gallon?  But now her BF stays over occasionally and takes a shower in the morning before her, and she goes in after and hot water runs out in the middle of her shower.

By the way she said she likes long showers 20+ minutes shaving, washing hair etc...

Is a 30 gallon sufficient for a 1/1 in your opinion?  

I could adjust the temp higher from the preset 120 but I am not sure about the liability if they get scold.

Another option is to go with a low flow shower head.

A tankless or a bigger tank I need to run new wires and not a good time to do that right now.

Frankly why am I even considering a solution to deal with an occasional BF stay over?

so how long do you take your showers?

Is a 30 gallon hwh sufficient for a 1/1 im south Florida where the winter temperature is in the 70s?

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Cal C.
Investor · Peachtree Corners, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
11y

@Marcia Maynard That might backfire because they might need more than a one bedroom in nine months or so. 

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  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    11y

    Well a question I thought I wouldn't see on BP! lol

    I am not a big coffee drinker so I enjoy a good shower in the morning to wake up.

    Low flow shower head they might just rip It off and put regular back on again.  

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    1Reply
  • Andrew S.
    Investor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 708 votes
    11y

    Never actually timed myself or anyone else but I have a 30 gal heater in my mountain cabin and we routinely have  2 kids (even when they were teenagers) and 2 adults take a shower in the morning, one after the other.  Never once have we run out of hot water....  

    0Reply
  • Kimberly T.
    Investor · Colorado Springs CO · Member since 2014 · 535 posts · 253 votes
    11y

    As a woman with long hair, I'll vouch for the 20+ minute shower.  I just don't know how ladies do it all in 5-10 minutes.

    With that said, 30 gallons should be plenty.  We even have some 30 gallon water heaters in some 2 bedroom units.  I like your ideas of turning up the heat a little (especially if the tenant is paying for the utilities) and installing a low flow shower head.  I want to say we replaced an old water heater for a tenant a while back and then they complained about running out of hot water, and it turned out that the new one was on the lowest heat setting, so turning it up solved the problem.

    1Reply
  • Mike Moreken
    Investor · Trenton, NJ · Member since 2014 · 67 posts · 19 votes
    11y

    Both  a slightly higher temperature for the water, and a low flow shower head.

    0Reply
  • Marcia Maynard
    Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    11y

    Seems she will need to adjust her showering habits!  I would explain that the 30 gal is a sufficient size for a one bedroom/one bath unit and provides more than she had before. Suggest she buddy up with her BF and shower together! :-)

    The new low flow shower heads still provide a good shower; I'd put those in. We haven't had tenants remove them, although some might.

    Also, address the temperature point in your rental agreement. This is what ours says:

    "WATER HEATER.  Tenant acknowledges that Landlord, or his agent, upon commencement of tenancy has or caused the hot water heater to be set at a temperature of not higher than 120° Fahrenheit (or 49° Celsius). Tenant has verified said water heater setting or water temperature output. Tenant further declares that if for any reason Tenant makes any adjustment to said water heater temperature setting, or allow others to do so, Tenant will save and hold harmless Landlord from any and all liability for damages, injury or death attributed to said re-adjustment."

    4Reply
  • Stephen E.
    St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes
    11y

    I had just this issue come up with a tenant in a two bedroom townhouse. The tenant said that they had enough hot water in the kitchen and when running water in the bathroom sink, but that they ran out during showers. My answer was the Niagara 1.5 GPM (Gallon Per Minute) shower head. It is used by utilities in conservation drives and uses one whole gallon per minute less water than a standard 2.5 GPM shower head. I went over and installed it myself in a few minutes. Hey presto! The tenant's complaints about lack of hot water have gone down the drain.

    The Niagara shower head is $7.75 on Amazon with free delivery for Prime members:

    Niagara Shower Head

    It is also highly rated getting 4.5 stars from reviewers - and there are a lot of reviews. It delivers a high pressure shower that people like.

    I am so impressed I have decided to gradually change all of my units over to Niagara shower heads at turnovers and whenever shower heads have issues. Good for the environment and eliminates predictable complaints about lack of hot water for showers if larger numbers of tenants move in. The frugal landlord approves of this device!

    4Reply
  • Joshua Kidwell
    bedford, VA · Member since 2014 · 11 posts · 4 votes
    11y

    I take 25-30 minute showers. I work 11-13 hours on concrete floors so I really like to put some heat and message on my lower back and shoulders. I turn on some books on tape and just chill out. That said each to their own. I'm not cookie cutter so I don't expect anyone to relate nor pay for my oddities.

    1Reply
  • Cal C.
    Investor · Peachtree Corners, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    @Marcia Maynard That might backfire because they might need more than a one bedroom in nine months or so. 

    5Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    11y

    The problem is most likely that the old water heater was set well above 120 F and so it produced sufficient hot water for a long shower since the hot would get mixed with cold. This would be especially so if there are 3 handles there - one for hot, one for cold, and one for diverter. So did you ever check the hot water temp on the old unit?

    1Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    11y

    I concur with low flow shower heads; they actually have good pressure and it even can have sort of a massaging effect. 

    @Marcia Maynard

    @Marcia Maynard - out of curiosity, do you use a temperature measurement device to show the tenant the hot water temp? I do ...

    0Reply
  • Nathan Patterson
    New to Real Estate · Castle Rock, CO · Member since 2014 · 172 posts · 66 votes
    11y

    I generally take a 5-10 minute shower on a 20 gallon HWH which is fine for me.  I don't think changing the temperature will make a difference, yes it'll increase temperature for those 30 gallons but after that it'll drop temp until the temp can build up again.  The low flow showerhead I think is your best bet.  If it doesn't work, then you can up the temp.  Not only could the low flow potentially fix this issue, it'll save water in the long run anyway.  Not sure if you have an electric or gas HWH, but you might want to check the elements.  They might have burnt out if the tanks wasn't installed correctly too.   

    0Reply
  • Michaela G.
    Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    11y

    My showers are about 5 minutes, or 10 min, if I wash my long hair.

    Well, I would say the 30 gallon WH is sufficient for 1 tenant and that she should adjust her showing. Maybe she should take her 20 min. shower first and then her guest will be the one to run out of hot water.

    I agree with others, that maybe the temperature is set lower than the other one was.

    0Reply
  • Sam Leon
    OP
    Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes
    11y

    @Steve Babiak, good point, I never looked at the old heater temp settings.

    That could be one reason.

    The BF is new, she was living alone before.  So I don't know which is the variable.  I jokingly asked her to ditch her BF, someone who left her with no hot water.

    0Reply
  • Mike F.
    Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 570 posts · 521 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Sam Leon:

    One of my 1 bed 1 bath that I just changed from an old 20 gallon water heater the previous owner installed to a new 30 gallon low boy.  Its in the closet so there isn't much room for more.

    Prior to the water heater change there were no complaint.  I looked at the serial number of the old heater and they were all installed in 1981 which makes them 34 years.  I switched all the units to new 30 gallons.

    Now one of the units complained that she needs more hot water.  No complaint before on a 20 gallon?  But now her BF stays over occasionally and takes a shower in the morning before her, and she goes in after and hot water runs out in the middle of her shower.

    One thing to think about is that not all 30 gallon water heaters are the same. Typically you use 2 things to compare same sized heaters-

    BTUs

    1st hour recovery

    The higher the BTUs the more horsepower the tank has to heat the water and the 1st hour recovery is a standard method of comparing how much heated water you can get out of tank. 

    Technically you could have a smaller water heater out perform a larger one if there was enough difference in them in BTUs and the 1st hour recovery numbers.

    Many manufacturers offer good, better and best models with the best rated ones being fast recovery tanks, which means they out perform similar gallon sized models. 

    So there is a lot to it and it's not always necessarily and apples to apples comparison going from a smaller to larger capacity tank.

    0Reply
  • Tom A.
    Investor · West Bloomfield, MI · Member since 2009 · 358 posts · 306 votes
    11y

    Another factor is the incoming water temp. While it's probably not an issue in Florida, up north it can vary by 10 - 20 degrees F from summer to winter.  Since showers are usually a blend of hot and cold water, if the cold water is colder than usual, the ratio of hot water to cold water will be higher in the winter, so the hot water gets used up sooner.

    2Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    11y

    @Mike F. - sometimes the quality is a function of the sacrificial anode rod in the heater; the more of a sacrificial anode the longer the tank life, so the better the unit and they charge accordingly. 

    0Reply
  • Dawn AnastasiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    11y

    I have long hair and generally I take 5 minute showers, although I have to admit sometimes I'm in there 10 minutes in the winter because the hot water warms me up before I go to bed.

    There is no reason for a 20 minute shower.  She has 10 extra gallons now than she did before!

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    1Reply
  • Roy N.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Joel Owens:

    Well a question I thought I wouldn't see on BP! lol

    I am not a big coffee drinker so I enjoy a good shower in the morning to wake up.

    Low flow shower head they might just rip It off and put regular back on again.  

     Joel:

    Not if you do your homework and select a good 1.5gpm shower head .... they'll not even notice.

    0Reply
  • Jean BolgerPro Member
    Aurora, CO · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    Yep, I've found the low flow shower heads actually improved the shower experience at my house. Since they restrict the flow it adds to the pressure of the water coming out. Our regular water pressure is nothing to write home about.

    I can imagine spending twenty minutes in a bath. A shower? nah

    0Reply
  • Mike F.
    Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 570 posts · 521 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Tom A.:

    Another factor is the incoming water temp. While it's probably not an issue in Florida, up north it can vary by 10 - 20 degrees F from summer to winter.  Since showers are usually a blend of hot and cold water, if the cold water is colder than usual, the ratio of hot water to cold water will be higher in the winter, so the hot water gets used up sooner.

     Very true. In a two tank hot water system in series we can create a system that has virtually limitless hot water, a system you simply can't run out of hot water. You do it by hooking two in series, the first turned low pre-heating the water to the 2nd, with the 2nd being a fast recovery unit. Mega benefits for a homeowner, besides the obvious one of having limitless hot water, the additional one is they can be plumbed in a way where you'll never be without hot water in regard to an eventual hot water heater failure waiting for replacement, since you can simply by-pass the failed unit and limp along on one heater until you get the bad one replaced. This is a great system for someone who wants to upgrade a smaller tank to a larger one, instead of replacing the smaller one, you add a 2nd and use the original to feed the 2nd. Totally irrelevant to a rental property usually unless for some reason you had an odd property with two or more apartments running off a single water heater and having the problem of having to upgrade to a commercial boiler, the double hot water heater system could be a very cost effective solution.

    1Reply
  • Brandon Valiquette
    Escanaba, MI · Member since 2014 · 5 posts · 3 votes
    11y
    Haha I'd suggest that she take the shower first and let her boyfriend take the cold shower! ;P
    1Reply
  • John D.
    Rental Property Investor · La Quinta, CA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 779 votes
    11y

    If I am listening to a new BP podcast that's not for newbies, I'll take a 20-30 minute shower, and will continue listening to the rest in my towel sipping coffee in my living room.

    If I am listening to a new BP podcast that's kinda for newbies, Ill take a 10-15 minute shower, and will continue listening to the rest the next time I am driving.

    If I am listening to a repeat BP podcast because I got a lot of value out of the first time I listened, I might shower until the podcast is over.....which is probably inflating my propane bill.

    If there is no BP podcast when I am showering, I'll take a 5 or so minute shower.

    0Reply
  • Marcia Maynard
    Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    11y

    Yes we do! On move-in day, my husband demonstrates how to use all the equipment in the unit. He shows the tenant that the H20 heater is set for 120 degrees and runs a thermometer under the running water at the sink.

    1Reply
  • Max T.
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    11y
    If it is electric, one of the two heating elements could be not working, effectively making it a 15 gallon heater. It's with checking out.
    0Reply
  • Roy N.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Max T.:

    If it is electric, one of the two heating elements could be not working, effectively making it a 15 gallon heater. It's with checking out.

     Max,

    It's not that linear.   Having an element out does not effectively make your DHW heater equivalent to one at 50% capacity.   The OP would still have a 30 usg storage heater, but the recovery rate would be dismal - depending upon the element that is out, it could be less than half of normal.

    We have 60usg storage tanks in two of our student rentals - same tank, with the same standby-loss, but one has an optional third element.  The only performance difference is the recovery rate.

    1Reply
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