Vlog

• Common hot water problem – There’s low pressure from the hot water system and the water isn’t very hot. 
• Common cause – The hot water system has been left there doing its thing for years without a major hot water service or any maintenance at all. 
• Watch our local Perth Plumber, Top Dog Richard, at work on a property in Thornlie, Western Australia
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

On the job today, our customer is facing trouble getting hot water with a steady flow. The hot water system is a Rheem Stellar 360 gas water heater, manufactured in 2012. There’s no service sticker on the heater, which means it most likely hasn’t been serviced at all since installation.

The Tempering Valve

In a hot water system, the tempering valve is responsible for delivering the perfect hot water to 50 degrees inside the house. The valve mixes the right portion of hot and cold water to strike the ideal balance and prevents the user from burning due to water overheating.

The tempering valve installed on this property is calcified, suggesting it has been worn out, which is an excellent sign as it has done a fair job all these years. But to maintain the smooth functioning of the hot water system, you ought to replace it once every five years.

Taking his thorough investigation forward, the next thing that Richard checks is the water isolation valve, which on turning on, makes a rumbling noise that implies the overdue of the tank’s major service. This sound is the sign of complete degradation of magnesium anodes, which also means that there is most likely sediment in the base of the tank.

Other Checks

Examining the water isolation valve, cold relief valve and hot relief valve, all else appears ok.

Our obedient Plumbdog goes inside and checks the water temperature using the thermometer, which reads 43 degrees, seven degrees below the desired temperature. The flow of the water, too, is not up to the mark.

Fixing the Hot Water Issue

The ideal way of addressing this issue from the root is by opening the water heater and replacing the degraded anodes with new ones. The replacement and service is a costlier option but recommended for longevity of the hot water system. Due to budget constraints on the costumer’s end, we have a fix that won’t dig a massive burn in the pocket but our customer is still aware of the consequences of not performing a major service.

Note: because this a quick fix, there’s a fair amount of possibility of residue being stuck inside the valve with the residue already sitting in the tank. This fix could last a long time or it could quickly get blocked up again.

Warning

The tempering valve does a great job at regulating water temperature and stops the residents from getting scalded. The water in the house may be very hot but it’s not hot enough to cause and harmful damage.

We always recommend hiring a professional to do the job. Not only are we qualified and experienced with the right tools for the job, we are also insured and are aware of the consequences to each part of the process.

If you are keen to try replacing the tempering valve on your own, be especially aware that the water directly from your tank is much hotter than the water that comes out of the tap in your home. It can cause severe burns and as you can see from the video, hot water can continue to flow from the tank depending which system you have.

Final Check

Richard goes back inside the house and checks if the water is adequately heated. On checking, the thermometer reads precisely 50 degrees, which is the desired result, and the flow of the water has improved considerably.

If you face a similar issue at your place and need a Plumber in Perth, then do not wait any longer and give us a whistle! Our Plumbdogs will fix your plumbing problems using the knowledge of their expertise. We pride ourselves in being genuine maintenance plumbing specialists. Not only do we have all the gear and every idea, our specialist services also include water leak detection and repairs and finding and fixing blocked drains.

• Sacrificial Anodes serve an important purpose in a Hot Water System but most people don’t even know that they are there. 
• Many leave their hot water system to run its course without consideration of any form of hot water system maintenance until problems arise. 
• There are plumbers or handymen that replace anodes and that’s all they do. What they don’t do is flush out the tank. 
• Watch the video and learn why it’s important to complete a tank flush when replacing sacrificial anodes in your hot water system. 
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Replacing Sacrificial Anodes – There’s more to it!

In today’s video, Top Dog Richard is on the mission to replace the anodes in a hot water system and shares with is what it’s all about. He also shows us and explains why simply replacing the anodes alone simply isn’t enough, especially if you haven’t performed any hot water system maintenance since you moved in or bought your hot water system.

What Are Sacrificial Anodes?

Sacrificial Anodes are anodes which are present in the hot water systems made of magnesium. Their purpose is to sacrifice themselves to the water’s impurity instead of preventing the tank from getting damaged. If you wish to prolong the tank’s life, you need to replace these anodes every 2-3 years periodically. When they break down, they settle at the bottom of the tank in the form of debris, and if left unchecked, they can harm the tank base’s quality.

The Video

In this video, Richard carries out Plumbdogs standard procedure of replacing the anodes of these tanks and also flushes out the debris settled at the bottom to demonstrate the proper method.

The Rheem Stellar hot water system has two magnesium anodes and Richard takes them to look at their condition. He shows us what new vs used anodes look like  and we can clearly see the difference. The old ones have entirely broken down, and there’s no magnesium left attached to their body.

Before installing the new pair of anodes, the first thing we need to do is flush out the tank. Check out the amount of residue that comes out. The entire floor is covered in a thick blanket of residue. The dust is present in both forms of sand and solid particle waste.

This tank is as much as seven years old, and seeing the amount of debris, one can predict that this is the first time it has been flushed out. The tank was in dire need of a good service and simply only replacing the anodes wouldn’t have guaranteed good functionality and prolonged life for the hot water system.

If a tank flush is not performed, the debris can potentially stick inside the filters, pipes and even the tempering valve which can cause problems outside of the hot water unit.

If you are facing issues of not getting adequate hot water at your place, then there’s a good chance that your hot water system needs a good service.

If you suspect you have a plumbing issue, give us a whistle!

• On a large property, it can get tricky for the untrained nose to sniff out a water leak. 
• Check out how Darius with his years of experience and our specialised leak detection equipment finds the leak. 
• We have all the gear and every idea!
• Check out more of our VLOGs & don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

In today’s VLOG, top dog Darius is on a property whose owner complains of a possible undetectable water leak. Darius uses his specialised water leak detection equipment on the massive driveway and give us a demonstration of how it helps in successfully sniffing out the problem area.

With no clear visible signs of a water leak, having the right gear means Darius is able to easily narrow down the problem area and while not obvious, he then sniffs out the leak and does what our Perth plumbers do best, gets digging.

Findig & Fixing Leaks

We don’t just find the problem, we can fix it too all in one visit. After getting the approval to fix the identified problem, Darius proceeds to fix the issue. With different ways to fix the problem at hand, we know the best way to get the problem fixed to last and Darius explains why.

Using a better adaptor for copper to plastic, some solid welding skills and also working with minimal workspace as you would have seen him done in the past to minimise property damage, our obedient Plumbdog has found and fixed the problem with a long term solution so that this problem doesn’t happen again.

If you suspect a water leak and can’t find the problem then it might be time to give your trusted local plumber a whistle. As you saw in the video this leak would have been at least 5 litres a minute. Imagine your water bill the next time around.

• Do you know where your main access point or inspection opening is?
• Knowing where your inspection openings are can help save time and money
• Check out more of our VLOGS here.

The Job – Signs of a Blocked Drain

We were called out to this job because the customer reported blocked drains. The symptoms started with a gurgling toilet followed the next day by a laundry that presented with the same issue.

Fortunately, the client knew where the main drain access point was and in this particular scenario, the blockage affecting the property was between the access point and the water corporations main.

Do you know where your inspection openings are?

Every property is different and inspection points are not in standardised locations. In some older properties the inspection points may be hidden away or be fully covered over making it even more difficult to locate. While inspection openings are required and are regulated, they aren’t always raised when necessary to make them easy to find.

Why is it good to know where your access point is?

Knowing where your access point is will save time searching which means money. While we are pretty good at sniffing out access points, the longer we have to spend hunting and digging with our paws, means incurring what could be unnecessary charges. You may have come across your access points in obscure places when doing your gardening or maybe getting a patio installed so this knowledge may come in very handy.

The Video

Our obedient Plumbdog knows his stuff and isn’t afraid to get his paws wet. He gets in with some new and old fashioned technology to get the job done with a combination of the drain shaft plunger followed by our CCTV drain camera equipment to clearly identify the problem where you can clearly see the culprit tree roots. Then using our custom made high pressure water jetters, we get the job done!

Well done to our loyal customer too for knowing where the inspection shaft was saving time and money making it quick an easy to get on with the job of detecting the blockage and fixing the problem.