Troubleshooting your electric hot water system

WARNING – REMEMBER TO NEVER ATTEMPT YOUR OWN PLUMBING OR ELECTRICAL WORK. THIS IS GENERAL ADVICE ONLY.

So, your hot water system has stopped working and you're wondering what to do. Here is a step by step checklist on what you can do to determine the problem.

• You can check if your electricity is switched on, as the switch board may have tripped. If there is water leaking around the electrical components, this could be what is causing it to trip. If this is the case, it will continue to trip even after you switch it back on. If a leak comes into any contact with the electrical components, it is extremely dangerous and that is what is causing this to happen.
• If it is not a switch board problem, the next thing to look at is if the water is leaking from around the heater. If you can see water leaking, determine where the leak is coming from. At this stage you would need to call a plumber.

If it is not any of the above, it could be an internal problem. These problems include:

• Tempering valve - A tempering valve is what controls how much hot water is mixed with cold water before it comes through your shower head. If the tempering valve gets stuck by letting to much cold water in, this could be why you are not getting any hot water. It can get stuck due to dirt or debris coming through the pipes, or it could even be rust which could be causing the valve to degrade over time.
• Element - The element which is located at the bottom of the hot water system, is what heats up the water inside. If the element has blown, the water in the heather is no longer being heated which could be why you are not receiving hot water.
• Thermostat - The thermostat controls the element triggering it when it needs to be on and off. Once the water gets to a certain temperature, the element will switch off, and when it drops below the set temperature it tells the element to switch back on to heat the water back up. If the thermostat is broken that could be the cause of not having hot water.

If all of those aren't a factor, it could simply be that your hot water system is too old. It most cases a hot water system can last anywhere between 7-12 years before it is time for a replacement. After a number of years the hot water system can start to deteriorate and break down. This is unfortunately un-avoidable which means it's time for an upgrade.

If you have any troubles with your hot water system, call a Brisbane plumber, Gold Coast plumber now.