Hot water...

[rigmover]

OK, my hot water heater is getting hot, but nothing is coming out of the faucet or shower but ice cold water. Under the sink are 3 shutoff valves, I played with them while the hot water was running with still no luck.

Can anybody help me take a hot shower, PLEASE????

[GaryKD]

Hi rigmover,

If there are instructions in any of your books/manuals, start there. Taking a shot in the dark, Turn the top and bottom valves to the open position (usually parallel to the line). Then turn the middle valve to the closed position (usually perpendicular to the line).

Think back to when this happened. Just before, were you running water through the outside shower in the utility bay? Had you moved any of the valves mentioned in the OP?

If none of the above works, try the following. Making sure the actual knobs for the outside shower are turned off is a good. Sometime the shower head on/off button gets pushed and the person forgets to actually turn off the hot/cold knobs.
If none of this works, one of the valves may be broken in the incorrect position. Turning the handle does nothing.

[ga traveler]

The two outside faucets should be open. The center faucet should be closed. This is normal. Bypass is two outside closed and center open. ( i should have said valve, not faucet)

[rigmover]

I feel like a big dummy but it was not entirely my fault! A previous owner ran the hot and cold water lines backwards, so the hot water comes from the cold tap....
Thank you!!!

[wa8yxm]

Three valves arrained in an arraingment of pipes that form the letter "H" usually on it's side

Since you may well be lying on your side it works good to talk about the 'H".

The cross bar in the H has a valve. this should be CLOSED

So should the valves on the showers (both inside and out)

The two "Legs" of the H both have valves between the cross bar and the water heater

These need to be OPEN.

Often these are "Quarter turn" valves, usually the handle on those is oval shaped. OPEN is when the Long axis of the handle is in line with the pipe, less someone messed it up.

Page 2.

Many water heaters have a check valve or two.. Often the hot valve, gets "Limed up" and won't open and let the hot out. You can gut it without damage since you have a 3 valve system, the check valves are not needed on the 3 valve system.

[rigmover]

Thanks, got hot water now!!!!