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How many gallons / litres is your home water heater?
We live in a suburban 4 bedroom detached home. I find that after my wife and kid shower, I’m stuck showering in cold water.
Are they using too much water or is my water heater just not big enough?
Edit: not my photo. We currently have a 50gal tank.
That's a good sized heater. It could be filled with sediment and not working efficiently. If you haven't emptied it recently, it might be worth it.
If it's clean, you can try turning it up. It will make full-hot from your faucet hotter, so be careful of scalding yourself, but it will make the hot water last longer.
You could also get a slightly lower flow shower head. Using less water at a time will allow it to last longer and keep do better keeping up with the empty rate.
If none of that works or is something you want to try, you could always replace with a tankless and never run out. Though you'll waste a bit more water each time you turn on the hot since it takes a few seconds to kick in, but you won't run out.
Is 40gal-50gal normal for a home? Previous owners were an elderly couple. I'm sure it suited them well. But with our family of 3 with laundry and occasional dishwasher running, it seems like it's just slightly not enough. Especially if we're all trying to get ready for an event or have family staying with us.
Maybe I just need to get it serviced... Thanks!
Get it serviced, the most common cause of lack of water is sediment buildup around the heating elements.
If everything else is fine and the kids are older, turn the heat up. The tanks are all designed to go up to 140F. However by default the setting is lower in the US to prevent scalding 120-125F.