Hot water

[GoldenDogs]

I live in an old council house that only has a bath, no shower, and can’t afford to pay anyone to put one in. I have 4 teens/ preteens, and if someone has a bath in the morning there isn’t enough hot water for anyone else to have one again for up to an hour. It’s making the mornings difficult as they are teens so need a bath in the mornings. Are all houses like this and run out of water?

A lot of houses now have boilers which heat water on demandbut obviously replacing a boiler would be expensive.
You can buy things which connect to the taps to make it into a shower. It's not amazing but better than nothing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Croydex-Secura-Shower-Head-Hose/dp/B0CN1MH4FW/ref=asc_df_B0CN1MH4FW?tag=bingshoppinga-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79989677863689&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=41684&hvtargid=pla-4583589141127673&psc=1&msclkid=f3d6f19dad761bb359eb98ebe02db0d2

Could you get some kids to bathe in the evening instead of the morning or share bathwater?

Then they can’t have a bath in the morning

they can have a limited amount to hot water to wash in think bucket wash

Do you have a hot water cylinder? How long do you have the hot water on for? What are the bath taps like? Could you fit one of those hoses on to turn it into a shower?

I tried those it caused a flood and damaged the flooring

Tried these they didn’t work for our taps

This was all we had when I was a teen and it caused arguments. Somone would always try to get up earlier to get the water or actaully steal your bath whilst it was running!

The only options are stand up/Bucket wash which is a shit way to start the day. Or as someone has linked above something you can attach to the tap so it's like a shower.
Both these options still mean you are working with one tank of water so it still limits use.

Obviously a new boiler is ideal but expensive . I would try to save for an electric shower I assume the showers are quite cheap its the installation that's a pain.

There’s nothing you can do apart from getting a proper shower or a combi boiler (or both). Have you got a hot water cylinder? What heats the water, a gas boiler or an immersion heater?

Or they could share the bath water… or have bath which is only two inches deep. Money will be required sadly.

Shallower bath or share bathwater are the other options

Could they alternate morning baths? If shower attachments won’t work you need to lower the demand on the water you have. Could they get up earlier if they want a bath? Can you change the temp on the hot water tank

Can you ask the council about having a replacement bath shower mixer tap that has a hose and shower head fitted?

If they do not offer this service, could you buy one and have it fitted. This one is on sale for £20 but you'd also need to budget for a plumber to fit it.
Bath shower mixer tap

Much less expensive than buying and installing a shower but still with a cost attached.

Meantime, shallow baths might help reduce the hot water used and time needed for water tank to reheat.

In the past I've filled a curver box. It probably only uses 1/4 of bath water. Flannel to do arms and face, dunk hair in it, sit in and trip over your head for a final rinse.

I have to be honest op I'm sure money is tight for with 4dc but I'd really prirotise saving for an electric shower. Not being able to have a proper wash in the morning is miserable for everyone and not normal for many anymore it's setting your dc at a disadvantage.

But yes if we have multiple baths we run out of hot water, we just boost the tank so it reheats whilst the first person is in the bath and space the baths out, but we are evening baths only, morning is a shower or flannel wash

I wouldn’t make teens share bath water and they wouldn’t go in each others anyway maybe ok for little ones

Think it will have to be smaller baths as they wouldn’t go in each others baths and I wouldn’t expect them to use to have to do that growing up and once I was a teen it use to make me feel sick

They don’t do that. It’s considered a luxury so you have to pay to get that done yourself.

Have you asked the council about the shower? What did they say? It's a disgrace if its council they can't expect 5 people to all wash 1 hour apart.

Yes it’s considered a luxury so if you want one you pay for it.

They will just have to have baths at a set time each day then. So one or two in the morning and then everyone else after school. Maybe you could save up to get a shower curtain put in and the save up for an electric shower or to get the bath taps changed to ones with a shower attachment. Either shouldn't be all that expenaive although you might need some shower panelling installed so the water doesn't run down the back of a bath.

Theres 3 of us that would definitely need baths in the morning, I wouldn’t leave the house without a bath! I just wondered if it was normal as we had this growing up but I assumed now a days it wouldn’t be like this as it’s such a struggle in the mornings or any time we need to go anywhere like weekends etc waiting for everyone to have a bath and the heating to come back on (it’s a gas boiler)

You will just have to get up earlier then until you have saved up to fit a shower. Unfortunately life is often about making compromises.
Tbh in our house we don't all have a shower in the mornings. We mostly wash in the evening.

not getting up any earlier would rather have smaller baths 🤣

I’m not complaining btw I think some comments on here think I’m complaining? I’m just wondering if it’s normal to only have enough water for one bath before it runs out.

If you don't have a combi boiler then the boiler can only heat a hot water tanks worth of water which is about a bath full.
Most houses have combi boilers now and they heat the water as you need it.

Can you put the immersion on? I know it’s pricey to use but least you’ll all have hot baths!

How do you heat your hot water? If an immersion then it will take its time. A gas boiler will heat quicker. Otherwise it's a tap/shower device that will allow you to shower.