Is there anyone else, like me, who has been frustrated by taking lukewarm showers, because you have been unable to coax more heat from the dial when it is cranked to the max?
I have lived in this house for nearly a year, and in that time I have not been able to have a truly hot shower. It has been an on-going challenge to find the source of the problem.
Photography By Michaela Ristaino
My apologies to anyone who thinks my hygiene is lacking since I’ve moved here.
Now I must disclose that I do like a particularly heated spray.
Here’s what I have done attempting to rectify the situation. I have repeatedly increased the heat on my hot water heater. In fact, now all of the sink faucets are hot enough to make a cup of tea directly from, but still the shower feels like I am like standing outdoors in a warm rain.
This shower conundrum has been driving me crazy. Both the gas guy and the plumber have scratched their heads, saying that the culprit may be some wonky plumbing behind “the wall.”
Well, recently, the infamous “wall” came down for a shower renovation. I thought maybe it would uncover a pretzel shaped hot water pipe, but no such luck — it revealed just the normal labyrinth of pipes.
So imagine my disappointment when the new tile went up and a brand new shower kit was installed and it sprayed warmly but not hot.
This is where writing has it perks. I have the email addresses to some Pfister suits. Pfister is the major manufacturer of bathroom faucets, which includes the one I chose. I shot Danyel Tiefenbacher an SOS email. He explained that the factory sets the shower to not exceed 100 degrees. Per his instructions, we popped off the shower control cover that reveals a valve that will allow you customize your heat setting. This fix takes about 2 minutes.
Pfister is not the only faucet company with a scald-proof setting. Some elementary research has indicated that this is a common practice.
So, for all of you like myself, who long for a shower that leaves the room steamy and your skin pink, go rogue and set your own temperature limit.
I never thought that the day would come that I would quote Paris Hilton … but “that’s HOT.”
