My neighbours and I get on well. We collect each other’s mail during holidays, trade cups of sugar, and during a recent early morning driveway chat (precipitated by a last-minute wheelie bin run), I even offered the use of my shower.
It was a very chilly morning – the first really cold snap this winter – and my neighbour looked particularly frazzled because their hot water system had suddenly stopped working. In their household of six (parents plus four early adult children), this unexpected drama had thrown the morning routine of getting ready for work and uni into total disarray.
Who Used All The Hot Water?
The very first shower of the morning was a shock, leaving the poor soul standing and shivering as they waited for the water to heat up…but it never did. Loud recriminations went flying. Who used all the hot water? As more of the household got up and became aware of the hot water troubles, it was discovered that someone had turned the booster on the night before after an evening shower had been lukewarm. There should have been plenty of hot water in the morning. What was going on?
Now, when they tried to turn the booster on again, the switch immediately turned off. Uh oh. This was looking less like a high usage problem and more like a hot water system problem. The water wasn’t freezing despite being a winter day, but it was on the colder side of room temp, and my neighbour also noticed the water pressure at the taps was a little low. Things did not look good.
What a way to ruin a morning – cold showers and the even colder knowledge that the system could be kaput.
Paperwork and a Call to the Plumber
I started wondering whether my neighbours had kept up with their hot water unit servicing. I knew it should be done around the five-year mark. But wait, I remembered seeing the solar hot water panel being installed on my neighbours’ roof – and that wasn’t even five years ago. I texted my neighbour to dig out the old paperwork and check if her solar hot water system was still under warranty.
Apparently, the system was still under warranty – but it didn’t cover the plumber call-out fee. But what can you do? A six-person household needs hot water, and sooner rather than later in winter.
On inspection, the plumber discovered that although there was no hot water in the kitchen, laundry and shower, when he released the overflow valve, the tank was full of steaming hot water. All that lovely hot water wasn’t making it into the house, and the culprit was a faulty high-performance tempering valve. The dodgy valve was not allowing hot water to mix with the cold and enter the pipes.
Warranty Woes
My neighbour soon discovered that tempering valve replacement wasn’t covered by the warranty because the system was more than 12 months old. What the heck does the warranty cover, I wondered? I dug out my own hot water warranty to check the fine print for anything I might have missed.
The plumber explained that he was using a new high-performance tempering valve, not a reconditioned one. I didn’t even know reconditioned valves were a thing, but I‘ve made a mental note to ask for a new tempering valve if our hot water unit plays up in the future.
The Takeaway Lessons
All up, it cost my neighbours roughly $500 to have the plumber come out and replace the tempering valve. The good news is that a whole hot water unit replacement wasn’t needed. Silver linings!
But it did make me realise that what I don’t understand about my hot water system could cost me in the long run. Here’s what my neighbours’ hot water headaches have taught me.
- When hot water issues occur, always ask whether hot water unit repairs can be made instead of a whole hot water system replacement. $500 v $5,000 makes it a worthwhile question!
- Read the manufacturer and installer warranties carefully when purchasing a new hot water system to see exactly what is covered and for how long.
- Get the hot water system serviced every 5 years (or sooner if you have really hard water) to have the best chance at ensuring its longevity.
- If replacement parts, like tempering valves, are used in the repair, always ask whether they’re new or reconditioned.
