Case Study – Hot Water System Replacement in Brunswick West

Adam from West Brunswick called Essendon Plumbing Services after walking into his laundry to find water all over the floor.  Matt, our expert plumbing estimator, responded to his call and found out Adam had an Internal Rheem gas storage hot water system that he suspected may be the cause of the flood. Over the phone, Matt explained how to immediately turn off the cold water supplying the hot water unit. Once that was done, Adam said he could no longer hear a water hissing noise and the flow of water seemed to have slowed down - disaster avoided!

Matt then organised a time that suited to come around to site and provide professional plumbing advice in Melbourne on whether the hot water service could be repaired, or it if it needed to be replaced.

Knowing how and where to turn off your water supply in a plumbing emergency can prevent unnecessary damage to your home and save you money in expensive repairs. See our blog ‘How do I shut off My Water Supply’.

Arrival & Inspection

Matt arrived on site to carry out a thorough site inspection of the current installation. After turning the water back on, he quickly realised the existing Rheem hot water service cylinder had burst and a new hot water system was required.

Sizing the Hot Water System

Correctly sizing a hot water service installation requires some important information relevant to current and future possible demands. Answering the below questions will mean we can provide expert local plumbing advice.

• How many people live in the home and is there a need to allow for any additional?
• Is the preference a storage tank or continuous flow hot water system?
• Is the preferred location for a new installation internal or external?
• How many bathrooms, including ensuites, are in the home?
• What Is the distance between the hot water service location and hot water outlets?

See our blog ‘5 Steps You Need to Take Before Installing a Hot Water System’ to learn more.

Once Matt had the above information from the owners, he was able to complete his site investigation. Adam’s preference was to install a Continuous Flow hot water service located on the outside wall of the bathroom.

Sizing the Gas Fitting Line

The site inspection uncovered a few unknown factors that influenced the final decision. The main factor was that the gas fitting line needed to be upsized from the gas meter to the hot water service to be capable of supplying enough gas to operate a continuous flow hot water system. Also, the existing gas fitting line under the house had sections of gas pipework that needed to be upgraded as it was obvious to an expert gas plumber that work had been carried out that didn’t comply with plumbing regulations. Matt assumed gas appliances may have been added over the years prior to the existing owners, but the fitting line wasn’t correctly sized and needed to be upgraded to meet plumbing regulations.

The Cost to Install the Hot Water Service

There are a couple of key factors that play a big part in the cost of a hot water service installation and one of these is the costs associated with upgrading your gas fitting line to suit a Continuous Flow Hot Water Service.

Continuous flow systems have a far greater gas consumption than a gas storage cylinder system, so they require larger gas pipes. Often, on an existing home, the fitting line will need to be upgraded from the gas meter to the appliance. Depending on the distance, it will have a great influence on the cost of the installation.

A great example is at Adam’s house, the gas line between the meter and the house was approx. 20 meters long and it was located under existing landscaping, so it was going to be both destructive and expensive to replace.

Matt still provided a separate quote to renew the gas line so that Adam could make an informed decision on whether he still wanted to go ahead with a Continuous Flow Hot Water Service or opt for a mains pressure storage tank installation. He chose to Install an Aquamax 390 external mains pressure gas hot water system instead.

Installation of the Hot Water Service

Our team of expert hot water plumbers in West Brunswick were then scheduled for a time that suited Adam and his family the following morning.

Tom and Caleb arrived on site at the appointed time and the existing hot water system was decommissioned, drained and removed. The gas flue was removed, and all services were cut and sealed under the floor. The flue penetration through the roof also needed to be sealed and made watertight.

The location for the new hot water system was on the blind side of the house so all services, including hot and cold water and gas needed to be relocated. The gas line under the house supplying an existing ducted heater and decorative space heater was also resized and upgraded as part of the installation.

The Aquamax 390 hot water service was then installed in the correct position.

Tom, our licensed gas plumber, then placed a manometer test on the gas fitting line to make sure there were no leaks before turning the gas back on and commissioning the new hot water service.

The site was cleaned of all rubbish and the old hot water system was placed in our trailer to be taken away for recycling. Tom then explained to the Adam how the new hot water service operated and made sure he was happy with the installation before he left.

Tom then explained that a certificate of compliance would be emailed to the owner within 5 working days of the installation.

Need a New Hot Water System in Brunswick West?

Essendon Plumbing Services has an expert team of hot water system professionals ready to solve your hot water problems no matter what they are. Whether your hot water tank has burst, your pilot light keeps going out or you keep running out of hot water.

Essendon Plumbing Services are ready and able to diagnose your hot water fault and get you back under hot running water in the same day.

Contacts Us

Give us a call now on 1300 193 298 or book online. We are here to help 24/7, 365 days of the year and we’ve been here for over 30 years.