Are you facing difficulty getting enough hot water from your Tuscany shower faucet?
Many Tuscany users often complained their shower water was either not sufficiently hot or didn’t become hot at all. Your Tuscany shower faucet may not become not hot enough for several reasons.
Regardless of the reason, quickly addressing the issue is crucial to avoid further problems. Here I will share the primary causes that prevent your shower faucet from not making the water hot enough and how to fix it.
How Tuscany Shower Faucets Work
Tuscany shower systems use cartridge or thermostatic valves to proportion the mix of hot and cold water supply lines. Handles or knobs control flow rate and temperature blend. Issues on either the hot water supply side or internally in the valve can prevent hot water delivery.
Thermostatic faucets have a special thermostat unit that maintains water temp during pressure changes. Cartridge faucets rely on consistent supply pressure for their temperature calibration.
Why Is Your Tuscany Shower Faucet Not Hot Enough?
Tuscany Shower Faucets may show a wide range of problems that may prevent them from offering ideal temperature water. Here are the top reasons to check out.
- Problems With Shower Faucet Cartridge
Sometimes, a shower Cartridge is a primary culprit for not getting the perfect hot water in your shower.
Its main job is mixing cold and hot water perfectly to provide hot water with the right temperature.
But if any part of the shower Cartridge is broken or damaged, its functionality will be compromised. This makes the water cold.
If your shower Cartridge is damaged, replace it. But make sure to choose the right size and model. You can contact the shower manufacturer to get the compatible one.
At first, you need to remove the handle located close to the faucet and then take out the attached nut or bonnet from it. Finally, install the new faucet cartridge.
- Switched Off Water Heater
Test other shower faucets of your house. Are they offering hot water? If not, checking the water heater is essential.
A water heater plays a key role in heating the water entered into your resident. It might be shut down.
So, what can you do in this regard?
Locate the circuit box. The heater might be got off if the circuit switch tagged “water heater” is turned to “Off.”
If this is the cause, switching on the heat is necessary and then waiting for 1-2 hours to give the machine enough time for heating the water.
Now, you can test out your shower water. Check if the water is hot enough.
- Dysfunctional Water Heater
If your water heater is switched on but is still offering cold water, the heating component of the water heater might be damaged.
Generally, this heating part works like an oven element, which needs to be replaced after a certain time.
Before replacing this element, make sure you remove water from the heat using a drainage pan or hose. Then disassemble the unit.
Take out the bad element. Finally, install the new part. Now, you can add water inside it.
Since it is a little bit tricky, having some basic plumbing skills is important. Otherwise, hand it over to a professional.
- Limited Hot Water Supply
Tankless heaters and undersized tanks can struggle supplying adequate hot water to multiple fixtures at once. The shower is starved for continuous hot flow.
- Crossover in Plumbing Lines
If valves fail in the hot and cold supply lines, one can cross over and contaminate the other upstream of the shower valve. Mixing reduces hot water purity.
- Issues with Cartridge or Thermostat
Internal problems with the Tuscany valve itself, such as broken thermostat springs or cartridge wear, throw off the hot/cold mix proportion.
- Clogged Showerhead
Mineral deposits from hard water accumulating in the showerhead restrict flow. This creates excessive backpressure on the hot supply.
- Malfunctioning Anti-Scald Regulator
Some Tuscany valves have a maximum temperature limiter that may activate prematurely, putting a cap on hot water volume.
In many cases, Tuscany shower hot water problems stem from inadequate supply, cross-contamination, or easily repairable internal valve issues.
- Shower Faucet Scald Guards
Some Tuscany shower faucets include a temperature-balanced feature or scald-resistant guards. Its job is to increase or decrease the overall water temperature that comes through the shower faucet.
If a particular shower is not offering an ideal hot water temperature, remove the handle connected with the faucet. You can use the screwdriver to detach the attached screws.
Locate the last part of the faucet with a ring-shaped plastic dial. Generally, it is situated below the handle.
Increasing the water temperature requires you to twist it in a clockwise direction. Keep adjusting it slightly until an ideal water temperature level is achieved and let the hot water pass through the cartridge.
Instead of adjusting the temperature too fast initially, do it gradually. Test how hot the water becomes after each adjustment to avoid overdoing doing.
Once it offers the ideal water temperature, you can now install the faucet handle and head again. Watch this video to understand more about this.
- Issues with Pressure-Balancing Valve
Does your Tuscany shower faucet feature any pressure-balancing valve, which the main job is stopping any accidental water temperature changes?
Generally, a red lid is visible on the shower cartridge when your Tuscany shower faucet has a pressure-balancing valve.
At first, we need to keep the cartridge inside the cartridge cover, adjust the pressure-balancing valve, and finally change the bonnet nut.
Now, take off the red cap. Rotate the cartridge in a Counterclockwise direction. This will let higher temperature hot water enter inside the valve. But if you have overdone it, rotate it clockwise direction to make the water slightly cooler.
After perfect adjustment, place back the red cap in its original location to secure the current adjustment. Also, attach the shower faucet cartridge to the right location using the bonnet screw.
Turn on the waterline and see if you have enough hot water from your Tuscany shower faucet or require further adjustment.
- Small Heater Size
Most of our households have around 50-gallon water heaters. So, you have the accessibility of using 50-gallon of hot water readily before processing additional hot water.
The water flow rate of your household showerheads vary, which can be anywhere from 2 to 14 gallons of water every minute. However, water usage per minute will increase if your shower has several sources, such as double showerheads or body sprays.
If your showerhead offers 2 gallons of water each minute, you can get 25 minutes of continuous hot water before the heater tank becomes empty.
However, when hot water is getting through multiple showerheads or other sources, it won’t be possible to get constant hot water after a certain.
The same problem can arise if the showerheads pump water at a higher speed. You will be out of hot water within a short time. The showerhead will offer lukewarm water until the water is heated enough.
When you have a big family, installing a larger water heater is better to avoid running hot water in the middle of the showering.
Alternatively, you can install a showerhead that pumps a reduced amount of water per minute, which will lessen the water usage and the monthly electricity bill as well.
How to Adjust Faucet for Hotter Water
If your Tuscany shower faucet delivers water not hot enough for your liking, try these adjustments:
- Replace Cartridge/Thermostat
Swapping in a new cartridge or thermostatic valve can restore accurate hot/cold blending if the current one is worn or damaged. Match your specific model.
- Adjust Anti-Scald Regulator
Increase the maximum temperature stop point if your Tuscany valve has this safety feature enabled. Allow for a max of 120°F.
- Increase Water Heater Temperature
Safely turn up your water heater thermostat 5-10°F higher to generate a hotter supply. Give time for the tank to fully heat.
- Insulate Supply Lines
To prevent cooling, insulate exposed hot water supply pipes leading to the shower. This preserves more heat.
- Flush Valves and Filters
Clean out any particle contamination in valves and supply filters that may be obstructing full hot flow.
- Increase Water Pressure
If pressure is low, install a booster pump to increase hot water flow if supply distance is an issue.
Take care not to promote scalding with adjustments. Small increases in water heater temp and regulating valves often improve hot water supply suitably.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
Adjusting the temperature on a Tuscany shower valve requires you first to take out the trim and cylinder and use a screwdriver to rotate it left or right based on the water temperature condition.
If your mixing valve is not working properly, you will fail to get the right hot water temperature. Mixing valves include rubber parts that get damaged from regular usage, which need replacement after a certain time.
If your hot water tank is not cleaned for several years, many sediment and minerals will accumulate inside it. This will reduce the heating element efficiency, which will result in only lukewarm water instead of enough hot water.
If your Tuscany shower water isn’t hot enough, the likely causes are: a faulty water heater not producing sufficiently hot supply, crossover plumbing contamination diluting the hot water, limited hot water from a small tank, clogged showerhead backpressure, failed cartridge or thermostat, restricted anti-scald regulator, or loss of heat from uninsulated pipes.
To adjust a Tuscany shower faucet for hotter water, try replacing the cartridge/thermostat, increasing the water heater temperature, removing any anti-scald regulators or adjusting them for higher maximum temperature, insulating hot water supply pipes, and flushing debris from valves and filters.
Tips for getting hotter shower water include increasing the water heater thermostat, replacing worn cartridges/thermostats, checking for crossover plumbing, clearing showerhead clogs, insulating hot water pipes, boosting low pressure, removing any anti-scald regulators, and flushing particles from the hot water system.
Conclusion
Since we every day use our shower, it is important to keep it well-functional. Make sure to clean your Tuscany shower faucet regularly to prevent mineral buildup.
Also, replace it every few years when it is not offering the ideal hot water.
Hopefully, this article has helped to understand what can cause your Tuscany shower faucet not to become hot enough and the easy-gong ways to fix it.
Thanks for reading!
