Do you need an electrician or a plumber to repair your electric hot water in Batemans bay?
Most often than not an electrician is better qualified than a plumber to repair your hot water -
- but you don’t want to pay for an electrician to turn up if you really need a plumber, so how can you make an informed decision? Below are a few tips to help you decide.
Or just give me a call on 0438 339 229
Remember to Never attempt to carry out electrical work yourself, it can be dangerous and potentially fatal.
Remember to Never attempt to carry out electrical work yourself, it can be dangerous and potentially fatal.
Is there any water at the tap?
If there is plenty of cold or lukewarm water coming out of the hot taps you probably need an electrician.
If there is no water, or a reduced amount of water coming out of the tap, you probably need a plumber.
Has the fuse blown?
Has the circuit breaker tripped or fuse blown? If so, you probably need an electrician.
Has the circuit breaker tripped or fuse blown? If so, you probably need an electrician.
Any sign of leaks?
Often the cylinder can leak around the element or through the element itself.
Water leaking around the element can affect the electrical connections, causing a damaged thermostat, blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. Correct replacement of the element and thermostat with quality parts by a licensed electrician should solve the problem.
It is important for the electrician to be experienced with hot water repairs as it's easy for the inexperienced to break a rusted element bolt which would effectively write your tank off. Or install incorrect, or poor quality elements and thermostats which can create an inefficient system with ongoing problems.
Often the cylinder can leak around the element or through the element itself.
Water leaking around the element can affect the electrical connections, causing a damaged thermostat, blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. Correct replacement of the element and thermostat with quality parts by a licensed electrician should solve the problem.
It is important for the electrician to be experienced with hot water repairs as it's easy for the inexperienced to break a rusted element bolt which would effectively write your tank off. Or install incorrect, or poor quality elements and thermostats which can create an inefficient system with ongoing problems.
Check the pressure relief valve
There will be a pipe running from the pressure relief valve on the side of the cylinder to an outside drain. Check the amount of water running out of this pipe. A correctly operating valve will only let out a small amount of water. Probably less than a cup each day.
If there is water constantly running out the pipe you have a problem with the pressure relief valve. There is a lever on top of the valve that you can lift to let water out through the valve. Sometimes lifting the lever will reset the valve and solve the problem.
If the valve is faulty it needs to be replaced by a plumber – unless the problem is caused by a stuck thermostat, in which case you need an electrician.
A faulty thermostat can keep the water heating until it’s almost boiling. The pressure inside the cylinder builds up until the pressure relief valve does it’s job and lets some water out.
There will be a pipe running from the pressure relief valve on the side of the cylinder to an outside drain. Check the amount of water running out of this pipe. A correctly operating valve will only let out a small amount of water. Probably less than a cup each day.
If there is water constantly running out the pipe you have a problem with the pressure relief valve. There is a lever on top of the valve that you can lift to let water out through the valve. Sometimes lifting the lever will reset the valve and solve the problem.
If the valve is faulty it needs to be replaced by a plumber – unless the problem is caused by a stuck thermostat, in which case you need an electrician.
A faulty thermostat can keep the water heating until it’s almost boiling. The pressure inside the cylinder builds up until the pressure relief valve does it’s job and lets some water out.
Replacing your cylinder
If your cylinder does need replacing, most of the work is plumbing work and some plumbers are authorised to disconnect and reconnect the wiring when replacing a cylinder. However, it’s wise to have an electrician attend if the cylinder does need to be replaced, especially if you are going from a low pressure to mains pressure unit.
Most plumbers are pretty good, but they are not electricians and new cylinders are sometimes reconnected to old wiring which is too small to safely handle the load of the element in the new cylinder. Fire, electric shock, insurance problems, warranty problems and running out of hot water are all possible in such circumstances.
All new hot water cylinders are physically larger than the older models as they are now required to have more insulation around them. This can cause problems if your cylinder is presently located in a laundry cupboard for example. Your new cylinder may have to be moved outside and that is definitely a job for both a plumber and a licensed electrician.
If your cylinder does need replacing, most of the work is plumbing work and some plumbers are authorised to disconnect and reconnect the wiring when replacing a cylinder. However, it’s wise to have an electrician attend if the cylinder does need to be replaced, especially if you are going from a low pressure to mains pressure unit.
Most plumbers are pretty good, but they are not electricians and new cylinders are sometimes reconnected to old wiring which is too small to safely handle the load of the element in the new cylinder. Fire, electric shock, insurance problems, warranty problems and running out of hot water are all possible in such circumstances.
All new hot water cylinders are physically larger than the older models as they are now required to have more insulation around them. This can cause problems if your cylinder is presently located in a laundry cupboard for example. Your new cylinder may have to be moved outside and that is definitely a job for both a plumber and a licensed electrician.
Ben Watson
Batemans Bay Electrician
Batemans Bay Electrician
