Hot water system repair and installation across south-east Melbourne
The shower ran cold this morning and the switchboard has a tripped breaker, or the tank is weeping onto the floor. Electric hot water fails in a small number of predictable ways, and most of them are a same-day fix rather than a replacement.
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Cold showers rarely start without warning
A hot water system usually tells you it is going before it goes. These are the signs worth acting on while you still have a choice about timing.
- No hot water at all, and the hot water circuit has tripped at the switchboard.
- Water runs warm rather than hot, or runs hot then goes cold part way through a shower.
- The unit is audibly knocking, hissing or rumbling when a hot tap is opened.
- Water is pooling under the tank, or there is rust staining down the casing.
- Hot water runs out far faster than it used to, with no change in the household.
- The system is on off-peak and there is no hot water in the morning but plenty at night.
- The tank is over ten years old and you are deciding between another repair and a replacement.
- You are replacing a failed unit and want to know whether the existing circuit can carry it.
What a hot water installation actually covers
Swapping like for like is a day. Changing fuel type or moving the unit adds work, so the scope depends on what you are replacing.
- Test the circuit, the isolator and the thermostat before touching the unit itself.
- Element and thermostat replacement, which covers the large majority of electric hot water faults.
- Off-peak and controlled-load wiring checked, including the tariff timer where one is fitted.
- Faulty or undersized circuits corrected, with RCD protection where the wiring rules require it.
- Full changeover of a failed unit, including the isolator and the circuit back to the board.
- Instantaneous and heat pump units wired and commissioned to the manufacturer's requirements.
- The old unit removed and disposed of, not left in the side passage.
- Testing and a Certificate of Electrical Safety on completion.
About Hot water system repair and installation
What actually fails in a hot water system
Hot water has a small number of failure points and they are predictable enough that an experienced electrician can usually narrow it down on the phone. The age of the unit, the type of system and how hard the household runs it decide which one you are dealing with.
- No hot water at all, which on an electric system is nearly always the element or the thermostat.
- Temperature that swings, caused by a failing thermostat or a sensor that has drifted.
- Water that runs hot then cold part way through a shower, usually a partially failed element.
- Knocking or hissing when a hot tap opens, which is sediment or a pressure problem.
- Discoloured water, common in older tanks and a sign of internal corrosion or a spent anode.
- Leaks, which are the one symptom that does not wait. A weeping tank becomes a burst tank.
Repair or replace
Under about eight years old, repair wins almost every time. An element and a thermostat are a small fraction of a replacement unit and the rest of the tank has years left in it. Past twelve years, with a tank that has started to leak, you are spending money on something that will fail again within the year.
Between those two points it depends on what has failed and how the unit has been treated. We will tell you which side of the line you are on before you commit to anything, because a repair that buys six months is not a saving.
The systems we work on
Electric storage
The most common system in Melbourne homes and the one with the clearest fault pattern. Elements and thermostats are carried on the van precisely because they are what fails. Most electric storage faults are a single visit.
Instantaneous and continuous flow
These fail differently. Flow and temperature problems are more common than total failure, and the electrical side is the controls and the supply rather than an element. We diagnose the electrical side and tell you plainly when the fault is in the gas components, which is a plumber’s work.
Heat pump
Increasingly common and worth considering on running cost. They need space, they make some noise, and both the circuit and the location need checking before you commit. If you are replacing an old electric storage unit, ring and describe where the current one sits.
Where the electrician stops and the plumber starts
The tank, the tempering valve and the pipework are plumbing. The circuit, the isolator, the element and the thermostat are electrical. Plenty of hot water jobs need both trades, and we will say so rather than working around it or taking a booking we cannot finish.
We quote the job in front of us
No rate card, because the honest number depends on things nobody can see from a website. Estimates are free.
03 9889 3341Not urgent? Send the details and we will come back to you within one business day.
Standards this work is held to
Hot water work sits across two trades. The tank, the tempering valve and the pipework are plumbing. The circuit, the isolator, the element and the thermostat are electrical, and that is the part we do. If a job turns out to need a plumber as well we will say so rather than work around it.
The installation is wired and tested to AS/NZS 3000. A hot water circuit is a dedicated final subcircuit, and where we alter it the wiring rules bring it under residual current protection. Off-peak and controlled-load arrangements are set up to match the tariff you are actually on, because a unit wired to the wrong load reheats at the wrong time and costs more to run than it should.
How long it takes
- Quote
- Over the phone in many cases, once you can tell us the brand, the age and what the switchboard is doing.
- Element or thermostat
- Usually a single visit of one to two hours, with hot water back the same day.
- Full changeover
- Half a day for a like-for-like electric replacement where the circuit is sound.
- Emergency
- A leaking tank is attended 24 hours, because water and electricity together do not wait.
Rated 5.0 across 216 Google reviews
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Symon did a brilliant job replacing my bathroom fan. He quoted me $700 when another company quoted me over $2k for the same job! Symon was easy to communicate with, performed the job quickly and tidied up after himself. Would…
Aretha Peethamparam, Google review -
We recommend Simon unreservedly. Tired of overpriced superficial service and competency? Don’t look any further than Simon @ STL Electrical. And to boot, he’s a good guy. Simon will now be our go-to sparky.
Nigel Bird, Google review -
Highly recommend Simon and STL Electrical. One of our mains tripped during a freak thunderstorm resulting in no power to part of our kitchen (incl fridge) and internet. Simon was a lifesaver and kind enough to respond to an after…
Nat Chen, Google review
Hot water system repair and installation questions we get asked
Is it worth repairing or should I replace it?
Under about eight years old, repair almost always wins: an element and thermostat are a fraction of a new unit. Past twelve years, with a tank that has started leaking, replacement is usually the better spend. Between those, it depends on what has failed, and we will tell you which side of the line you are on before you commit.
Why has my hot water circuit tripped?
Most often a failed element that has gone to earth. The safety switch is doing exactly what it should. Resetting it may give you one more cycle, but the element is on its way out and it will trip again, usually at a worse time.
Do you do gas hot water?
The electrical side of it, yes, including the circuit and any controls. The gas components and the burner are a plumber's work. We will tell you honestly which one you need rather than taking the booking regardless.
Can you get hot water back today?
In most cases, if we can get to you and the fault is an element or a thermostat. Those are the parts carried on the van precisely because they are the common failures.
Is there any reason to move to a heat pump?
Running cost, mainly, and the rebates that come and go. The catch is that they need space, they make some noise, and the circuit and the location both need checking first. Ring and describe where the current unit sits.
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Talk to an electrician now
Fastest way to get an answer is the phone. It is answered 24 hours a day, seven days.
03 9889 3341Not urgent? Send the details and we will come back to you within one business day.