Maintenance
Tap Maintenance: Stop Drips Before They Start
A dripping tap wastes about 20,000 litres a year and usually needs a part that costs a few dollars. Here's how to keep taps working and when to stop turning them harder.
· 3 min read
Hot Water System Repairs & Installation — Hills District & Hornsby
No hot water this morning? We diagnose gas, electric, heat pump and solar systems, tell you honestly whether it’s worth repairing, and can usually have you back in hot water the same day.
- No call-out fee
- Fixed price before we start
- Lifetime labour warranty
Get a fixed price
No call-out fee. We’ll call you straight back.
Available 24/7
Burst pipe, no water or sewage backing up?
Don’t wait for business hours. We run emergency call-outs across the Hills, Hornsby and the Upper North Shore, 24 hours a day.
Sound familiar?
What we get called out for
If any of these describe what’s happening at your place, we can help — usually the same day.
No hot water at all
On gas, usually the pilot or ignition. On electric, usually the element or thermostat. Both are often a repair, not a replacement.
Hot water runs out too quickly
A failed lower element in an electric unit, or a tank that’s undersized for how the household has changed.
Water is lukewarm, never hot
Thermostat drift or a partially failed element. Cheap to fix if you catch it early.
Rusty or discoloured hot water
The sacrificial anode has gone and the tank is corroding from the inside. This one is a countdown.
Water pooling under the unit
A leaking tank cannot be repaired. Turn it off at the isolation valve and call us.
Banging or rumbling from the tank
Sediment build-up on the base. A flush often fixes it and adds years to the unit’s life.
Repair or replace — we’ll tell you straight
Plenty of hot water units get replaced when a single inexpensive part would have fixed them. Equally, plenty get patched up twice in a year when the tank was always going to fail.
The honest rule of thumb: if the tank itself is leaking, it’s replacement. If it’s an element, thermostat, valve, pilot assembly or gas valve, it’s almost always worth repairing — provided the unit is under about twelve years old. We’ll tell you which side of that line you’re on and what each option costs before you decide.
Systems we work on
Gas storage and continuous flow, electric storage, heat pump and solar hot water. We service and install Rheem, Rinnai, Dux, Vulcan, Aquamax, Bosch, Thermann and Stiebel Eltron.
If you’re replacing, we’ll size the system to how your household actually uses hot water rather than just matching what’s there. A four-bedroom house in Kellyville with two teenagers has a very different demand curve to the couple who installed the original unit fifteen years ago.
Heat pumps and what the rebates actually mean
Heat pump systems attract both federal STC incentives and NSW energy savings scheme rebates, which can take a meaningful chunk off the installed price. They run at roughly a third of the running cost of electric storage.
They’re not right for every house — they need outdoor space with airflow, and they’re audible, so placement next to a bedroom window is a bad idea. We’ll assess whether your site actually suits one rather than selling you the highest-margin option.
Compliance matters here
Every hot water installation we do includes a compliant tempering valve where required, a functioning temperature and pressure relief valve, a correctly sized and terminated relief drain, and a Certificate of Compliance lodged with NSW Fair Trading.
It sounds like paperwork. It matters when you sell the house, and it matters more if someone is ever scalded.
How it works
Our hot water systems process
- 1
Tell us the symptoms
Most faults can be narrowed down over the phone before we arrive.
- 2
Diagnosis on site
We test the unit properly and identify the actual failure.
- 3
Repair or replacement options, priced
Both options, both prices, no pressure either way.
- 4
Installed, tested, certified
Compliance certificate lodged and the old unit taken away.
Customer reviews
What people say about our work
“We needed our bathroom taps replaced and a new hot water heater. Colin came out — he was very professional and hard working. Would go with them again.”
Google reviewReviewer name not published “Excellent service, very friendly and went above and beyond to get what was needed done.”
Google reviewReviewer name not published “Great communication, Colin was professional, polite and friendly and did a magnificent job. Highly recommend for any plumbing needs.”
Google reviewReviewer name not published
Where we work
Hot Water Systems across the Hills, Hornsby & the North Shore
Based in Annangrove and covering the whole of the north-west and upper north shore.
The Hills District
Hornsby Shire
- Asquith
- Beecroft
- Cheltenham
- Cherrybrook
- Galston
- Hornsby
- Hornsby Heights
- Normanhurst
- Pennant Hills
- Thornleigh
- Waitara
- Westleigh
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Upper North Shore
Common questions
Hot Water Systems questions, answered
On a gas system, the most common cause is the pilot light or ignition failing, or the gas valve. On an electric system, it’s usually a failed heating element or thermostat, or the off-peak circuit not being energised. All of these are repairs rather than replacements. If you can see water pooling under the tank, that’s a failed tank and it needs replacing.
It comes down to the type of system, its size, and whether anything has to change to fit it — electric storage is the cheapest to install, gas continuous flow sits above it, and heat pumps are the most expensive up front but attract STC and NSW rebates that can move the figure substantially. Switching fuel type or relocating the unit adds work. Whatever we quote is fixed and includes removing the old unit, all fittings and the compliance certificate. Ring us with the make and size of your current system and we’ll price it over the phone.
Electric and gas storage tanks typically last 10–15 years. Continuous flow gas units often reach 20. Heat pumps are generally rated to 15. Replacing the sacrificial anode every five years genuinely extends a storage tank’s life and costs a fraction of a new unit — almost nobody does it.
Usually yes. We carry the common sizes of electric and gas storage units, so a straight swap can normally be done the day you call. Changing type — electric to heat pump, or storage to continuous flow — takes longer because it may need electrical or gas supply work.
If you’re on electric storage and paying peak rates, generally yes — running costs are roughly a third. If you’re on off-peak electric or have solar PV, the maths is closer and worth actually running rather than assuming. We’ll do that calculation with your real usage before you commit.
Always. Every hot water installation is lodged with NSW Fair Trading, and you get a copy. You will need it when you sell the property.
Advice
Worth a read first
- Leaks & Emergencies
How to Find Your Water Meter (and Why You Should Do It Today)
In a burst-pipe emergency, the single most useful thing you can do is turn the water off at the meter. Here's how to find yours, before you need it.
· 4 min read
- Maintenance
How to Clean Your Kitchen Pipes (and Stop the Sink Blocking)
Kitchen drains block more than any other in the house, and it's almost always the same cause. Here's how to clean them properly and keep them clear.
· 4 min read
Need hot water systems sorted?
No call-out fee, a fixed price before we start, and a lifetime labour warranty on everything we do.