Vlog

• A straight swap is as it sounds where you literally replace a like for like hot water unit.
• It isn’t always as straight forward as pulling out the old and connecting the new hot water system. We explain why.
• Compliance and safety are of utmost importance for the household.
• Testing the hot water system properly after installation is equally as important.
• Watch more of our VLOGS here.

Different Types of Hot Water System Installations

There are different types of hot water systems including electric, gas and solar hot water with different options like storage or continuous flow and with a range of brands available and even housing designs, no two jobs are the same.

Because of the different number of scenarios, most plumbing websites advertise prices with installation for what we call ‘straight swaps’ or ‘like for like’ which is the base minimum to get an existing unit replaced without having to install new pipes or any major modifications in order to get the new hot water system installed.

Usually what will happen is:

• Unit is purchased with installation
• Plumber will arrive and check a few things to make sure the new unit can go in.
• If changes are required, then an estimate is provided and payment taken on site for the changes required to get the hot water system installed.

[Note: There may be some scenarios where a straight swap is not permitted. For some properties the location of the hot water system is not compliant with current regulations. You may have seen in our recent blog where a hot water unit was too small for the property. We changed from a gas continuous flow to a gas hot water storage unit to help reduce costs of installing completely new pipes]

Today’s Video: A Straight Swap of a Gas Continuous Flow Rinnai Infinity B20

For the job today, we have a straight swap of an old and new system of the same make and model which makes it relatively straight forward. Important to note however that just because it’s a straight swap, there is still the possibility that the new unit may not be installed.

To start off with before installing, our obedient and compliant Plumbdog makes some checks.

Initial Checks:

• The supply pipe is ok. Check.
• The pipe on this property is close to the gas meter. Check.
• The Hot Water System is not close to windows and doors. Check.
• The System is not too close to the flue and at least 300mm from the eaves. Check.

Everything stacks up and a straight swap is ok which means no extras to our customer and the price is as advertised on the website.

Testing After Installing the Hot Water System

Even though we’ve literally replaced everything as it was and connected the pipes to the same places on the new unit, our job doesn’t stop there. We need to test to make sure everything is functioning properly.

Test Gas Pressure

We test using a gas gauge to make sure the right gas pressure is flowing and performing properly. Too much or too little gas has an effect on performance which leads to unnecessary costs to you when running the hot water system.

[Plumbdog Tip: Check for the red tape under your system to see if it’s still there. If it is, then most likely the plumber hasn’t checked the gas pressure]

Test Temperature Inside the House

The fact that manufacturers are putting signs to check temperatures after installation means that there are plenty of installers out there who are not adequately testing. This is part of our standard procedure. Even though the hot water unit is supplying water at 50 degrees Celsius, there are numerous reasons why 50 degrees isn’t achieved inside the house and we need to adjust accordingly.

At Plumbdog, we hold our plumbers to high standards and have procedures for safety and compliance for the safety of our customers and our team. Following these procedures means that our customers enjoy a hot water system that works efficiently providing hot water while operating efficiently burning the gas and not your hard earned money.

If you’re in the Perth area and need a new hot water system, or even if you need to service or repair your hot water system then give us a whistle!

• This job started as a simple Blocked Toilet
• The blockage was in the main line and it was concrete!
• Check out our jetter at work with the CCTV drain camera
• Watch more of our VLOGS here.

In the video, you’ll notice that our obedient Plumbdog Darius said that he already sorted out the toilet to get it working but when you have a nose for this type of job, he double checked the line for the toilet and found more problems. To the average person or even a less experienced plumber, they would have called it a day which would only cause more problems in the future.

The Plumbing Problem

Concrete in the drains! Now we are used to seeing tree roots, hair and all sorts of usual things creating the need for drain cleaning and drain clearing but concrete is an interesting find. Presumably the concrete entered the drain when the bathroom was renovated.

The Video

In the video, Darius shows us the drain through our CCTV drain camera and gives us a walk through with commentary of the discovery process where he determines where the drain is blocked and why it’s blocked. Then we get to see our water jetter at work clearing through the concrete and dirt.

A couple of interesting points to note which we are always proud to say. Apart from the skills and how easy Plumbdog Darius makes the job look through the camera, our water jetters are custom made locally with power. We’re often called in to take on jobs which others say can’t be done. Imagine being told you had to dig up all the pipes to get this problem solved when we were able to get this done with minimal fuss.

On top of that, notice how far down the inspection opening was for the toilet. We’ve raised it to ground level for easy access in the future which also helps to stop sand getting into the drain. We also found an illegal square junction rather than a Y junction in the drain.

Working With Maintenance Plumbing Specialists

How many times have you called out a plumber only to find that they need to be called back out for the same problem a few weeks later? This would have probably been the same case if someone else was called out to the job saving time and money in the long run and the inconvenience of having to arrange another day off to get the plumbing done at home.

This is why we say we have all the gear and every idea! We are able to sniff out and fix the problems rather than needing to call out other specialists, we are the specialists in our field.

• Good Plumbdogs don’t just dig up dirt, we get our paws dirty and fix things back up again
• Being a plumber isn’t just fixing pipes, we have other tradie skills like concreting too
• Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In this VLOG, one of our top dogs Darius is on the job where pipes have been damaged from tree roots.

Blocked Drains – Tree Roots

Tree roots are one of the common causes for blocked drains. In some instances after the problem area is detected, the problem can be easily fixed but in this instance it’s not as straight forward as blasting some difficult roots with our custom high powered water jetters.

Not all blocked drains are the same. At this location, not only was the pipe broken and needing replacing, Darius has had to break down the concrete driveway to get access to the broken pipe.

If you’ve seen his work before, you know Darius takes pride in his work and does a great job in minimising damage to the property.

More Than Just A Plumber

We pride ourselves in being maintenance plumbing experts and we’re really good at it. On top of that, check out the job that’s done on the driveway. From the start to finish, the breaking down of concrete is done neatly and properly causing minimal damage to keep the properly looking in good condition. After the job is done, another tradie isn’t called in to re-concrete the driveway. Darius has not only re-concreted, he’s done a great job and taken pride in making the driveway look great. This is the standards that we hold to our Plumbdogs.

Another Great VLOG from Darius

In the video in this link, he fixes a burst water pipe inside a brick wall cavity and you will be impressed with how little space he needs to get the job done.

Check out the video here

All The Gear & Every Idea

At Plumbdog, our Perth Plumbers have All The Gear & Every Idea. Our plumbing skills, training and experience coupled with the latest in equipment and technology is why we believe we are the maintenance plumbing specialists that even the professionals turn to.

If you’re in the greater Perth area and your plumbing is letting you down, give us a whistle!

• Plumbdog Proudly Celebrates 10 years of running around Perth digging up back yards
• Thank you to all of our loyal customers!
• Thank you to all of our people, present and past!

It doesn’t feel that long ago and founder and it’s gone by so quick that even the founder of Plumbdog, Rich who stars in quite a few of our VLOGS, almost forgot about this amazing achievement.

We believe we are Perth’s best Maintenance Plumbing Experts and the support that everyone has shown and continues to show just reinforces that we are doing a great job serving as Perth plumbers.

To Our Customers

Our biggest thank you to you! Without your support and warm words and continued business, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We pride ourselves in providing genuine maintenance plumbing services and we hold our Plumbdogs to very high standards and continue to expect the very best for our customers. Thank you and we look forward to working with you again in the future!

To Our People

Anyone knows running a business is not easy and Perth has certainly been through a lot in the last 10 years. A big thank you to our Plumbdogs and our people both past and present. Without all of you, we would not be who we are today. We have been fortunate to have and have had some of the best skilled maintenance plumbing experts in the Plumbdog family over the years.

The Video

Check out our video. There’s some messages from our Big Dogs Rich and Darius. For those who don’t know, Rich founded Plumbdog and is in charge of South of the River. Darius is the Big Dog in charge of Perth and anywhere North of the River and anyone who knows him only has great things to say about him. Both are genuine great guys, great value and super skilled and knowledgeable at their jobs.

We’ve also got a couple of short messages from our supporters outside of the company and we share some photos from over the years from when Plumbdog started to some of our people and antics along the way.

Hope you enjoy the video and once again a big Thank You to everyone for your continued support!