Case Study – Emergency Hot Water Plumber in Brunswick West

Essendon Plumbing Services received an emergency plumbing call on a wet rainy Melbourne morning the Saturday of the Cox Plate horse race in 2020. Our customer had woken up to no hot water and could hear a loud hissing noise coming out from his existing Dux Gas Storage Hot Water System. Our on call hot water plumber, Ben, responded to the call and advised the owner on how to turn the water supply off to the hot water service to stop the water running and that he could attend site within the hour to make sure the unit was safe and provide advice on what was needed to get hot water back on.

Arrival on Site & Inspection

After arriving to site on time, Ben inspected the existing hot water service - pictured above right, and confirmed that the storage tank had corroded and the unit was irreparable, meaning a new system was needed. Ben then ran through various options for a replacement hot water system and the cost associated with each. This meant our customer could make an informed decision on the hot water service that best suited their needs. This ended up being a Rinnai Infinity 26 Continuous Flow Hot Water System - pictured right.

Calculating the Gas Pipe Size

The new Rinnai 26 Hot Water System requires a larger gas pipe installation due to a larger gas consumption, so this meant Ben was required to calculate the gas pipe size. Gas pipe sizing is affected by:

• The length of pipe run
• The type of pipe being used
• The gas consumption of the appliance
• The supply pressure available at the gas meter

Ben determined that a new 25mm copper gas line from the meter to the new hot water service would be the correct size for this job. Then Ben organised for the new hot water service to be delivered.

Testing & Installing the New Gas, Hot & Cold Pipework

The existing gas line was tested for any leaks before Ben commenced the decommissioning of the old Dux storage unit and the removal of the redundant pipework.

Once the old unit was removed, he could then install the new gas, hot and cold pipework for the new Rinnai Infinity 26 Continuous Flow Hot Water System. The new isolation valves were also installed for the cold water and gas supply, ready to connect up the new unit once it arrived.

Testing the Gas Line for Leaks

Once the new unit was installed, it was time to re-test the gas line for leaks, once with the new Hot Water System isolated at 1.5 times operating pressure, and once with the new Rinnai connected. All tested OK and it was time to commission the new gas appliance. After commissioning was complete, Ben re-lit any existing gas appliances in the home to make sure everything was operating correctly.

Cleaning Up & Removing Rubbish

Ben then cleaned up the site and removed the old storage hot water service. Once he was satisfied with the installation, he then made sure the owner was happy with the outcome before running through how the unit operates. The owner was happy they had hot water again, especially over for the weekend.

The Expert Hot Water Plumbers in Melbourne

Sometimes plumbing jobs can be more complicated than first thought. We at Essendon Plumbing Services pride ourselves on being thorough in our investigations, providing professional advice based on 30 plus years of experience. We aim to give our customers peace of mind with a lifetime customer satisfaction guarantee.

Call an Expert Plumber

Do you need a Hot Water Service in Brunswick West? Or any General plumbing in Melbourne? Essendon Plumbing Services has an experienced team of Master Plumbers ready to find and fix your plumbing problems no matter where they are or when you need us.

If you’re looking for a plumbing company who goes above and beyond, call us now on 1300 193 298 or book online.