Dan H writes: We recently moved into a new home & although the showers get warm enough for me to take a shower, my wife would like to be able to take a “hot” shower or bath. The water at the bathroom & kitchen faucets is considerably hotter, what would be the cause of this & can it be fixed.

Dan, it sounds like you have the anti-scald guard fixtures. A lot of plumbers will not adjust those off of the factory settings for liability reasons. You should be able to pull the handle off & see a plastic adjustment ring that you can adjust to allow for hotter water at the fixture. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, & since you are in a new home, contact the builder & see if he would ask the plumbers to adjust it for you or at least stop by & show you how to make the adjustments.

Tags: anti-scald fixtures, bath scald-guards, scald-guard adjustments, shower scald guards
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector