Do you need to fix your hot water system?
Sometimes, there are better options and of course we want to let you know.
How would you like it if you, say, ordered a new caravan that came with a 50-liter fridge? But then, a week after you picked it up, you realised that there was an option to have a 80-liter fridge. You might have three kids and thought, “Hey, how come you didn’t tell me about that?” And the seller was like, “Oh, you didn’t mention. I didn’t know you wanted something like that.”
This is what’s happened at the house we went to. We got called out to see if we could fix their Bosch 10P hot water system. After looking at it, it couldn’t be fixed. The gland sleeve was all chewed up.
Now, it would have been very easy for us to just go and grab another one, chuck it on the wall, and get our money. Or even for you guys at home, if you know that it needs to be replaced because it’s 15 years old, it’s very easy to just ring around and get the cheapest price to chuck it in.
But the trouble is, you’re going to be stuck with that hot water system for the next 10 to 15 years. And if it’s not in the right location or you don’t know there’s other better options out there, then you might just take that. And then you’ll be living in regret for the rest of the time.
We’ll show you what’s happened on this case.
The Situation
You can see in the video where the hot water system sat originally. And the gland sleeve. There’s no way we could have changed that or even fixed it. It’s not worth the repair.
We also showed you how the hot water went around. We’ve got nearly 20 meters of pipe that had to be emptied before we had hot water that came to the kitchen sink. So, you’re blowing a lot of hot water. Now, when you have a kitchen sink, your hot water system should be as close to it as possible. Why? Because when you want to be rinsing your bowls quickly, you’ll only need the water on for 30 seconds or something. While in the shower, you don’t mind waiting 45 seconds for the water to come through because you’re at least showering for five to 10 minutes.
The Solution
We’ve measured how long it actually took for the water to come from the original location across the roof to the kitchen sink to get up to 50 degrees. It took approximately 25 seconds. So, it’s very important, if you can, to shift the location of the hot water system as close to the kitchen sink as possible.
As mentioned, it’s because during the day you might use it 6-7 times, for various reasons like when you want a little bit of hot water to clean the plate or to heat up a sponge or fill up a pot. You want that water as soon as possible. Now, you don’t mind waiting 30-40 seconds if you’re getting in the shower, because by the time you got your clothes off, the water’s hot. And then the water’s on for nearly 5-15 minutes, depending how long you have a shower for.
But the kitchen sink, you really don’t turn it on that much or as long. Even if you’re filling up the sink, that’s probably the longest, but still not that often. So, we said to them, “Hey, are you open to moving the hot water system location? It’ll be another bit more pipes, but at the end of the day, you’re going to be stuck with this hot water system that’s going to work so much more efficiently and run so much better for the next 10-15 years.”
The Result
The owner agreed to move the location of the hot water system. So we disconnected the old one and put in the new one in a new location that’s only five meters away. We just need to run a new gas main across. In the video, you’ll see the new set up. It’s only around three meters of piping before it comes to the kitchen sink. So, it’s going to take heaps less.
With the hot water system a lot closer to the kitchen sink, let’s see how long it takes for the hot water to get there. As you can see in the video, it took 15 seconds. Now they can be saving water for 10-15 years. So, it’s a good result.
Is This For You?
If you’re up for a new hot water system, make sure you get a plumber out that’s not just for the quick changeover and out the door, but who will give you some good advice and options. Sometimes, it’s not financially possible to shift it because it’s too expensive. But a lot of times, like in this situation, it didn’t cost much more. So, just from moving the location, we’ve saved nearly 20 meters of pipework and that’ll be used at least six times a day. So, it all adds up.
If you ever need a plumber in Perth, give us a call, we’ll be happy to help you out.
We will respond as soon as possible during business hours of Mon -Fri 7:30am to 3:00pm AWST.
Your information will not be shared nor sold.
