Hot water

[circe]

Why doesn't Harry use his magic to warm his shower water? Or to keep himself cool so he can wear the magic duster when it's hot? He always complains about his cold showers, how hard could it be for him to warm the water?

Just wondering.

[exartiem]

1: running water cancels out magic, so heating it as it comes out is extremely problematic.

2: even if he stored several gallons of water and hooked it into his shower, he would have to spend large amounts of magical energy to heat it.  This could weaken him at an inconvenient time.

3: if he really wanted a hot shower, he could go to a hotel where the water heaters are well away from the room itself, and thus safe from his murphyonic field.

[Aminar]

1: running water cancels out magic, so heating it as it comes out is extremely problematic.

2: even if he stored several gallons of water and hooked it into his shower, he would have to spend large amounts of magical energy to heat it.  This could weaken him at an inconvenient time.

3: if he really wanted a hot shower, he could go to a hotel where the water heaters are well away from the room itself, and thus safe from his murphyonic field.

Or the YMCA/Murphy's gym/etc. It's clearly not something he minds that much(although knowing what unheated water is like in Wisconsin in winter... I don't think the idea is well thought out past a running joke.

[Mira]

Or the YMCA/Murphy's gym/etc. It's clearly not something he minds that much(although knowing what unheated water is like in Wisconsin in winter... I don't think the idea is well thought out past a running joke.

It has long been a topic for debate because it gets FREEZING in Chicago in the winter..  If you take it another step, there may be reasons why Harry doesn't mind freezing his wand off, but Thomas lived with him for a year and I cannot see him putting up with unheated showers..  Other friends have used his shower as well.

[forumghost]

Why doesn't Harry use his magic to warm his shower water? Or to keep himself cool so he can wear the magic duster when it's hot? He always complains about his cold showers, how hard could it be for him to warm the water?

Just wondering.

Because Harry is filled with a deep-seated self-loathing and thinks that if he ever tries to use Magic to make his life less terrible by even the smallest of degrees he'll either turn into a full-blown Supervillain instantly or the universe will reach down and squish him like a bug for daring to live any other way then in abject suffering just above the poverty line.

TLDR: Because Harry's an idiot.

This answer also covers other questions, such as:
"Why does Harry never again make any of those OP potions that solve half his problems"
"Why doesn't Harry ever find out about things like freaking Vampires until post-SF, even though he's had Bob for years"
"Why does Harry never look into healing Magic on any level, despite his suicidal lifestyle"
"Why doesn't Harry work on his water Magic, since that apparently counters a Wizards weakness to flowing water"

And so on and so on (Seriously, Harry is terrible at Wizarding)

[argetlampuppeh]

Because Harry is filled with a deep-seated self-loathing and thinks that if he ever tries to use Magic to make his life less terrible by even the smallest of degrees he'll either turn into a full-blown Supervillain instantly or the universe will reach down and squish him like a bug for daring to live any other way then in abject suffering just above the poverty line.

TLDR: Because Harry's an idiot.

This answer also covers other questions, such as:
"Why does Harry never again make any of those OP potions that solve half his problems"
"Why doesn't Harry ever find out about things like freaking Vampires until post-SF, even though he's had Bob for years"
"Why does Harry never look into healing Magic on any level, despite his suicidal lifestyle"
"Why doesn't Harry work on his water Magic, since that apparently counters a Wizards weakness to flowing water"

And so on and so on (Seriously, Harry is terrible at Wizarding)

Jim has addressed the first point: A wizard only has so much power to invest in their magical gizmos. At this point, Harry is rocking things like his staff, jacket, shield bracelet, and blasting rod (essential tools for amping up his wizardry) and so does not have the magical umph to spare.

Additionally, as OP as those potions were, they nearly got him killed, and are one-use only.

On the healing magic front: It is -incredibly- difficult. Listens To Wind has built his life around it, and even he cannot cure everything. Harry, who has less experience and less innate talent for slow, low watt magic, is unlikely to do anything meaningful with it.

Water Magic: Maybe you missed it, but Harry has been throwing around an awful lot of ice lately. Ice isn't, inherently, water magic, but Harry is still working within that realm.

[LordDresden2]

Why doesn't Harry use his magic to warm his shower water? Or to keep himself cool so he can wear the magic duster when it's hot? He always complains about his cold showers, how hard could it be for him to warm the water?

Just wondering.

Magic by itself wouldn't be a very efficient approach to that.  It takes a lot of practice to use magic on running water reliably, he could use magic fire to heat water, but that would be exhausting (a shower uses a lot of water quickly).  Imagine taking hot showers using water heated by an electric heater powered by a stationary bike, so you pedal to heat the water before you shower.  It would be kind of exhausting.

But people have pointed out over the years that there are low-tech ways Harry could get hot water.  But as I said once, Harry is a Wizard, not a general contractor.  Plus he's got some subconscious issues, as Nicodemus pointed out.

[jonas]

Because Harry is filled with a deep-seated self-loathing and thinks that if he ever tries to use Magic to make his life less terrible by even the smallest of degrees he'll either turn into a full-blown Supervillain instantly or the universe will reach down and squish him like a bug for daring to live any other way then in abject suffering just above the poverty line.

TLDR: Because Harry's an idiot.

This answer also covers other questions, such as:
"Why does Harry never again make any of those OP potions that solve half his problems"
"Why doesn't Harry ever find out about things like freaking Vampires until post-SF, even though he's had Bob for years"
"Why does Harry never look into healing Magic on any level, despite his suicidal lifestyle"
"Why doesn't Harry work on his water Magic, since that apparently counters a Wizards weakness to flowing water"

And so on and so on (Seriously, Harry is terrible at Wizarding)

Besides a book mentioned possible apprenticeship to LTW, if you ever care to learn the little known fact about Harry that he like Horses, Queue in Horses actually being creatures crafted by Poseidon and craft together a... crafty theory Merlin being connected to Atlantis means he was at least in part a water mage and the heir apparent to his legacy/cyclic nature probably has some natural, albeit undeveloped ability to utilize water magic. I actually think it would be cooler though if it happens offscreen and we all figure it out when

(click to show/hide)

Marcone figures it out

Lol!

[Zaphodess]

I hope he figures out that it is quite possible to heat water for showers or baths in a fire-burning bath oven when he gets his new place. The cold showers really were a bit ridiculous. 

[circe]

Thanks guys.

[Mira]

   I seem to remember Harry has been beat up yet again and takes a shower and finds the water wonderfully warm and soothing.  This surprises the heck our of him until Lasciel's shadow tells him the water is still cold be she is making him feel it as warm or something like that..  I cannot place book to scene though, 

[Lazarus52980]

As someone who lives in Minnesota (a fairly cold state in the US) and takes cold showers year round by choice... It's really not that bad once you get used to it.

[Aminar]

As someone who lives in Minnesota (a fairly cold state in the US) and takes cold showers year round by choice... It's really not that bad once you get used to it.

A cold Shower is different from a shower without a water heater. Trust me. Had it happen at my grandparents cabin in Michigan. Never again.

[Rasins]

Something else we need to think about is that we don't know how often Harry showers.  It's entirely possible he only showers once or twice a week.

[huangjimmy108]

Jim has addressed the first point: A wizard only has so much power to invest in their magical gizmos. At this point, Harry is rocking things like his staff, jacket, shield bracelet, and blasting rod (essential tools for amping up his wizardry) and so does not have the magical umph to spare.

Additionally, as OP as those potions were, they nearly got him killed, and are one-use only.

On the healing magic front: It is -incredibly- difficult. Listens To Wind has built his life around it, and even he cannot cure everything. Harry, who has less experience and less innate talent for slow, low watt magic, is unlikely to do anything meaningful with it.

Water Magic: Maybe you missed it, but Harry has been throwing around an awful lot of ice lately. Ice isn't, inherently, water magic, but Harry is still working within that realm.

Healing magic and water magic at a level that he could nullify or reduce a wizards weakness on running water is truly out of Harry's reach.

For the most part Harry is self taught. Du'Morn definitely does not train a well rounded wizard. He wants an enforcer and he trains Harry to be so, while Ebenezar mostly train Harry's spiritually and not arcanely. He is ostrasized by most of the white council and all of the senior wizards that could teach him the really good stuff either hates him, fear him or keeping away from him for his own protection. Harry has Bob, sure. But Bob is just a good tool. Bob is not a teacher, he is just a better version of a computer. If Harry fail to ask the right questions, he wont get the right answer. All of this probably slow down Harry's development as a wizard. Ramirez for example. The guy could create a magical shield bracer based on water magic that is mostly on par with Harry's improved shield bracelet in book 9. Remember that Harry commented that this new improved shield bracelet is something he probably can't craft 5 years ago and he can only craft something this good because teaching Molly helps him solidify the basics. Ramirez is about what? 10 years younger compare to Harry?

I refuse to believe that Harry is less talented compare to Ramirez, but it is clear that Harry is about 10 years behind on certain field compare to an official council graduate.

The hot water and potions though, that, I am more incline to agree on the subconscious issues Harry has. The one that Nicodemous pointed out on book 5. Buying a big metal bucket and developing a simple water heating spell on a bucket of water is not something that hard. Harry can develop a candle lighting spell, he can do the water heating one. Potions such as the brest enhancing potion he made in book 2 to pay the bill harms no one and could get him a nice income, and it could be repeated to a certain extent. I am sure there are more things he can do to make his life easier using magic without actually breaking any laws, rules or even ethics. But Harry simply refuse to do so.