Extend the life of your hot water system with some basic
maintenance that any Homeowner can do!
Here’s Why! Without general maintenance, a hot water system is lucky to survive 10 years. Basic, easy maintenance every 6 months (by the Homeowner) will prolong the life of your valves and tanks, reducing the need for a plumber to replace parts. If serviced correctly, manufactures now offer up to 12 years warranty on hot water units and an average life expectancy of 15 years is easily achieved.
1. Safety Check Temperature Compliance | Australian plumbing standards and regulations (AS/NZ3500) state that bathroom fixtures must not provide hot water above 50 degrees. Hot water is stored above 60 degrees within the hot water unit to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria. Kitchens and Laundries are exempt from this rule. It is recommended that tempering valves are replaced every 5 years.
2. Expansion Control Valves | Cold water heats up and expands, increasing water pressure within the system adding pressure to the tank structure. Expansion control valves are designed to release the added pressure and reduce strain on the tank, increasing the hot water systems life span. Expansion control valves will release hot water if the thermostat was to fail and get too hot, preventing damage to the tank. Most hot water units will have 2 expansion control valves, these should be triggered every 6 months to ensure they’re working correctly. Expansion valves will typically release up to 9L of water per day. Drain points from the valves should discharge to a drain outlet, to ensure discharged water doesn’t dampen surrounding ground, attracting white ants or causing slip hazards.
3. Visual Inspection and Report | Swollen, split or rusty tank? First sign that your tank is on its last legs. Leaning or sunken on its stand? A quick re level may prevent leaks / bursts on the pipe connections. Date check, average lifespan of a storage hot water system is 10-12 years.
Storage hot water systems should have 2 relief valves in similar locations to the image
(Circled in blue)
These valves should be triggered every 6 months to ensure they’re working correctly and to stop calcium and other minerals building up within the components of the valve.
WARNING: WATER FROM THE DISCHARGE PIPES WILL BE HOT!!
BE CAREFUL OF SPLASHING WATER OR TOUCHING THE PIPES
STEPS:
1. Locate each valve, follow their drain pipes until you can see where they discharge
2. Slowly lift the trigger until water drains from the discharge pipes
3. It is important to slowly close the trigger, to avoid damaging the valve
NOTES:
If water does not exit the discharge from drains, there could be a blockage or a fault in the valve. Please call a plumber.
Water may take a minute or two to stop draining, if it doesn’t stop, do not by any means cap or block the drain pipes. This could cause a dangerous situation as pressure builds up.
The valves, in particular the expansion control valve are designed to lose 1-5L of water per day (depending on usage) don’t be alarmed if the cold expansion drips daily, most noticeably after hot water has been used.
If the lower expansion control valve & thermostat is working correctly, the pressure and over temp valve should almost never drip.
