We can all relate to the frustration of waking up early in the morning, jumping in the shower and discovering that you have no hot water!
Or perhaps your shower starts off nice and hot and then you are rushed to finish your shower because half way through your lovely hot shower becomes lukewarm or even bitterly cold!
It is a common frustration especially in older homes across Toowoomba with unreliable, old hot water systems that just can’t keep up with the demands of today’s hot water usage.
So, how can you prevent the disappointment of a lukewarm or cold shower and avoid not having any or enough hot water?
You pay close attention to your electric hot water system and if there is any sign of the following, address it right away by having a licensed electrician come look at and repair your electric hot water system.
Signs that your hot water system isn’t working optimally
- Not enough hot water- Do you have a house hold of people who shower at a similar time of day? Or perhaps you do a lot of laundry and the dishwasher? Maybe your hot water tank is not built to keep up with today’s demands for hot water. Many older Queenslanders even have their original hot water systems. No wonder they are unreliable! Hot water systems that were designed even 5 years ago are a lot less efficient than what is built today.
- Disconcerting noises coming from your hot water tank: gurgling, popping, cracking noises. Most of these noises come from a build up of sediment or even rust (from older tanks), turn off the electricity, let your hot water tank cool down completely and drain the water to remove any build up or sediments. Alternatively call a licensed hot water electrician to do this for you.
- Discoloured or smelly water- determine first if the problem with the water is from your hot water tank or the source of water. Turn on the sink to see if this happens with your cold water too. Is your water source a rain water tank? Maybe the problem is with your rain water tank. If the problem is from your hot water tank then drain the water (once cool), if the problem is from your source you may need to install filters to prevent having this issue in the future.
Why is your electrical hot water system not working?
- Electricity turned off- check the meter box to see if the switch is ‘on’ for your electric hot water system. If you have an electric hot water system that keeps switching the circuit off, you’ll need to contact a licensed electrician in Toowoomba to come fix the problem because this means that the hot water system is using more electricity than it needs to and requires some troubleshooting to understand why and hot to fix it. Don’t play around with this yourself, always hire a licensed electrician to deal with electrical faults!
- Most electrical hot water systems fail due to old age. Especially across Toowoomba, many hot water systems are way beyond their use by date and need to be replaced. Most hot water systems are designed to last 8 – 12 years. Being that they are operated daily, it is inevitable that they will age and develop a myriad of malfunctions.
- Sediments settled at the bottom of the tank. Sediments can negatively affect the efficiency of the hot water system. The sediments may be the culprit for weird noises such as gurgling coming from your hot water system when it is in use.
- Thermostat is out of wack- If you have hot water that fluctuates on a regular basis, maybe your thermostat is broken or just not on an optimal setting. If after adjusting your thermostat to the desired temperature, it still fluctuates, you’ll need to replace your thermostat because these are probably the most common element of a hot water system that break and requires replacing. Good news is that replacing the thermostat is way cheaper than replacing your whole hot water tank!
- There is a leak from your hot water tank– if you notice a serious leak or pool of water near your hot water tank, the first thing is to turn off the electricity to your hot water system to prevent electric shocks from the horrible combination of water and electricity. This will also enable the hot water to cool down so that whatever work needs to be done on your hot water tank such as checking where the leak is coming from will be safer and easier.
How to fix your hot water system?
It is always best to leave electrical faults to the licensed electricians; we offer emergency after hours electrician services that can come to your home in Toowoomba and fix your electric hot water system ASAP.
