Last night I was brushing my teeth and, you know, waiting for the shower to heat up, and it just kept running cold. Then suddenly—bam—scalding hot. Like, almost jumped outta my skin. Got me thinking, what if there's some sorta mischievous spirit trapped in the pipes, messing with the water flow? Maybe it's bored or something. Anyway, thought it could be a fun idea for a short story or something. Anyone wanna run with it?
Ha, a mischievous spirit would be way more fun than the usual suspects! But as someone who's spent way too many weekends wrestling with plumbing, here's my two cents on what's probably happening:
- Sudden temp swings usually mean your shower valve cartridge is worn out or clogged. Basically, it can't balance hot and cold water properly anymore.
- Could also be sediment buildup in your water heater tank. When sediment shifts around, it can cause sudden bursts of really hot water (been there, felt that).
- If you have an older house with galvanized pipes, corrosion can restrict flow and cause weird pressure changes.
- Or maybe your water heater's thermostat is acting up—sometimes they're just moody like that.
Honestly though, your ghost theory sounds way more entertaining than my plumbing nightmares. I'd rather deal with a bored spirit than another trip to the hardware store on a Saturday morning...
"Could also be sediment buildup in your water heater tank. When sediment shifts around, it can cause sudden bursts of really hot water (been there, felt that)."
Totally agree with this point—sediment buildup is sneaky and often overlooked. Had a tenant who kept complaining about random scalding showers, and after trying everything else, flushing the tank finally did the trick. It's messy and a bit annoying, but worth doing every year or two... beats calling an exorcist at least.
"flushing the tank finally did the trick. It's messy and a bit annoying, but worth doing every year or two..."
Fair enough, but honestly, do you really need to flush that often? Mine's been fine for almost five years without touching it... maybe I'm just lucky or tempting fate here.
Five years is pushing it, honestly. Depends on your water quality though—hard water areas build up sediment quicker. I flush mine every couple years; keeps the heater efficient and avoids surprises like OP's sudden temp swings.
