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There is nothing worse than stumbling out of bed early in the morning only to realise that you’re forced to have a freezing cold shower. Hot water is a must, we all know that. Below is a list of possible causes for this.
Power outages can cause your switchboard to automatically shut off power to certain areas/appliances in your home, if not all of your home. That is why it is a good idea to check your switchboard first. Your system should have its own circuit breaker or fuse, which means you might still be able to use the appliances and lights in your home. If the power to your hot water unit has gone off, make sure that your water connection is working before you turn the power back on, the last thing you want to do is be running the heating element in the hot water unit with no water in the tank!
If your hot water unit is leaking, the most important thing to do is take note of where the water is coming from. If the water is coming from the pressure relief valve, then it’s likely that you have nothing to worry about, as long as it is only about 1 cup of water a day. Any more than that and you likely have an issue. If your hot water unit is leaking a lot at the top or bottom, you must turn off all power and water to the unit as soon as possible. If you’re not sure how to do this, it’s worth turning the water off at the mains. Once you’ve done all of that, it’s time to call in some professionals, like The Fawcett Group.
If your hot water unit isn’t leaking at all, the problem is most likely internal. Thermostats control the heating element by turning it on and off as required to achieve the desired temperature. If the water coming out of taps is heating too slow or too hot, then the problem is probably the thermostat or the element. Both of these things usually wear out at the same time because they’re both the same age. If this is the case, call The Fawcett Group anytime of the day or night and we’ll get it back up and running as soon as possible.
Gas hot water units heat the water in the tank using a gas burner. The pilot light is constantly alight, lighting the bigger gas burner to heat water as required. If the pilot light goes out, there is no way to heat water on demand. In most cases, the pilot light can be re-lit easily using the instructions given somewhere on the unit, in other cases, when the pilot light is not on, dust and dirt cause build up and will end up blocking the pilot tube. If it refuses to light, or lights and you’re still not getting hot water, you might need to call a technician to assess and fix the problem.
When a hot water system goes – with a bang, a whimper, or even a flood – it tends to go suddenly. At that point you don’t have the luxury of carefully reviewing the available options, unless you love cold showers. Instead, you get a replacement of the same type wheeled in straightaway and try to forget about it until next time.
Not sure which hot water system suits your needs? Call the Fawcett Group on 1800 328 238.
Maintaining a water heater all year long can be a costly and tiresome endeavour. This is explicitly true if you lack a lot of free time. More so because it can be a challenging and confusing task if you are not equipped with the tools or knowledge to undertake it.
