Hot Water in House Country
The Northern Beaches are a rare place in Sydney’s coastal area in being made up mostly of detached homes, instead of apartments. Many, around 70%, of the dwellings in the area are detached houses, and this is even more common in the northern peninsula suburbs such as Avalon, Newport and Bilgola. This is ‘family-home country’ on generous blocks and where hot water work is very different from the apartment-filled suburbs across the harbour.
First, size is more important. Multiple bathrooms, a high-demand household and a detached Northern Beaches family home requires a hot water system that can meet that demand. The most frequent grievance we hear from the Northern Beaches is a hot water system that runs out of hot water mid-morning. Half the battle is right size and type for the home.
Then, there’s the building inventory. Many of the Beaches were built in the 1950s and the area is dotted with older beach houses, some with decades of pipework. Aged galvanised supply pipe can become corroded and constricted with age, even if the system is in good condition, and can restrict hot water flow. An old, limited pipe can only provide a limited flow for the new heater.
Not to mention salt. The entire peninsula is exposed to the open Pacific, and the salty air flowing over the peninsula causes hot water tanks and fittings to corrode, and the hot water storage system’s anode rod to corrode, too. Here we are more inclined to inspect the anode every 3-4 years, whereas the manufacturer’s general recommendation is 5. We repair and replace all systems on the entire peninsula, from Manly to Palm Beach.
Northern Beaches Hot Water: The Numbers
On Northern Beaches dwellings, it’s mostly detached homes, not strata apartments.
More frequently than normal (usually every 5 years), the anode rod needs to be checked in a salt-exposed storage system on the beaches.
NSW Energy Savings Scheme rebate, up to this amount, when a heat pump replaces an electric system. The additional value from federal STCs is approximately $860.
Longevity of continuous flow systems, longer than storage, and appropriate for family homes that require a lot of hot water.
Data from Northern Beaches housing typology; NSW Energy Savings Scheme; federal STCs; manufacturer & coastal corrosion guidance.
Common Hot Water Problems We Fix on the Beaches
We’ve seen a lot, from swapping out an element to sizing for a large family home.
No Hot Water at All
The most frequently used call. On electric, it’s usually a failed element, thermostat or a tripped circuit and on gas, it’s a pilot light that fails to keep lit or a defective valve. We do not guess, we diagnose the problem; most of these repairs are parts on the van and done on the same day.
Running Out in a Family Home
One of the common complaints on the Beaches. A system that performed well a number of years ago may not be able to function well when a house expands or a new bathroom is installed. Frequently, it is because of sediment filling up the tank or a system that is too small for the house’s water needs. We determine if it is a repair, or a flush, or if it needs to be a larger or continuous flow system that is sized to the household.
Weak Hot Water Pressure
With the older beach homes in the region, the supply pipe is galvanised, which means that the pipe becomes corroded and narrows over the years, and even with the heater in good working order, hot water slows to a dribble. We are able to make an accurate diagnosis, whether it is the system or the tempering valve or the old pipework, so you fix the real problem.
Rusty or Discoloured Water
Hot water with a brown or rusty colour usually indicates that the anode rod has worn out and the tank is corroding, especially in the salt air of the peninsula. It may also be rust in the old galvanised supply pipe in an old home. We determine which it is and prevent it from breaking the tank.
Leaking Tank or Fittings
A leak from the fittings or valves is likely to be repairable, whereas a leak from the tank body is likely to be replaceable. A leaking tank in a detached home, in a garage, external alcove or roof space could cause damage to the home, so we need to identify the cause and give a realistic assessment whether it can be repaired or replaced.
Water Too Hot or Not Hot Enough
When the temperature fluctuates, it could indicate that the thermostat is malfunctioning, or a scaled-up or seized tempering valve. NSW law specifies that hot water systems must not exceed 50°C when used in bathrooms, so almost all systems will have a tempering valve, which can seize over time. Tests and replacement as necessary.
Signs Your Hot Water System Is Failing
Most systems will alert you if they are about to die. These can be spotted early, particularly in salt-exposed Beaches homes, and prevent a cold-shower emergency.
Rusty Water From the Hot Tap
When hot water comes from the tap and is brown or discoloured, this is a sign that the hot tank is corroding internally, which is more likely to happen near the ocean. The anode is probably used up and the tank rusting. If it’s an old house, inspect the supply pipe as well.
Hot Water Running Out Sooner
If the system no longer fills the tank completely when it is operating at its best, sediment is taking up space, or the home has grown beyond the capacity of the system. A good time to tidy up a busy Beaches family house.
Water Pooling Around the Tank
Any water at the bottom of the tank should be addressed. If the leak is slow and detected in a timely manner it may be a fitting, if it is a steady leak from the tank body, it will need to be replaced. Don’t let water pool against the structure of the house.
The System Is Over 10 Years Old
The 8-12 year life expectancy of storage tanks can be compromised by the salt air in the Beaches. A planned replacement is better than an emergency failure, particularly in winter, if it has been more than 10 years old and is exhibiting symptoms.
Falling Hot Water Pressure
A common cause of this is a weakening of the hot side over the years in an older beach house, caused by a corroding and narrowing inside of century old galvanised supply pipe. Worth diagnosing before assuming fault lies with the system itself.
Rising Energy Bills
When a system is losing efficiency, be it due to sediment, a scaling element or age, it is using more energy to produce the same hot water. If your hot water system is giving you trouble and the bill is creeping up, it’s a problem.
Choosing a Replacement on the Beaches
Heat Pump
SUITS BIG BLOCKSThe most energy efficient option, and therefore the most likely for a substantial rebate, up to $640 from the NSW Energy Savings Scheme, and approximately $860 in federal STCs for replacing electric, is the heat pump. A heat pump requires outdoor space and air movement; it also has an audible noise, all of which is much more easily available at the Northern Beaches’ detached houses on spacious blocks than in a cramped apartment. It’s a good match for many families on the Beaches. We assess the site and household.
Gas Continuous Flow
ENDLESS HOT WATERA continuous flow unit provides unlimited hot water where gas is used, therefore a family home with a heavy demand never has a lack of hot water, and saves the space a tank requires. Lifespan of 15-20 years. In very large homes, two or more units can be installed, if desired. Popular and reliable throughout the peninsula’s family homes.
Solar Hot Water
LOTS OF SUN & ROOF SPACEThe Northern Beaches have great sun and the detached properties in this area generally have the north facing roof space required for a solar hot water system. Runs at very low cost. It’s just as it should be in a sunny, house-dominated coastal area, we evaluate your roof facing and household size to determine if solar is a good fit for you.
Electric Storage
SIMPLEST SWAPFound on old homes in the area, particularly in the absence of gas connections. Easily installed and can be easily replaced with a same-type component. The downside is increased running costs and, in the case of salt air, an increased need to keep up with anode replacement to achieve full tank life. A good alternative when the site isn’t appropriate for the efficient alternatives.
From Manly to Palm Beach we can repair and replace hot water systems all over the peninsula. The following are some of the suburbs we go to most:
Manly & Fairlight
Some older homes and flats, salty near the ocean and harbour.
Freshwater & Curl Curl
Family homes with aged pipework and older stock located at the beach.
Dee Why & Cromer
Mixed housing and units, dense family households.
Collaroy & Narrabeen
Heavy salt exposure, beachfront and lagoon homes.Established houses and quick new growth in the South-West.Mona Vale & Warriewood
Household dwellings on large lots, space for effective systems.
Newport & Bilgola
Large blocks with detached houses, well suited for heat pumps and solar.
Avalon & Clareville
Large family houses and older beach houses, spacious outdoor areas.
Palm Beach & Whale Beach
Larger houses and extra bathrooms, grand homes, weekenders.
Balgowlah & Seaforth
Established family homes near Middle Harbour, room to upgrade.
Frenchs Forest & Belrose
The Forest District, family homes on bushland blocks
Brookvale & Beacon Hill
Residential houses and units close to a commercial centre.
Your suburb
Bayview, Church Point, Elanora Heights, Allambie Heights and more, get in touch.
Sizing Hot Water for a Beaches Family Home
What makes the Northern Beaches special is the house, detached, often spacious and often with more than one bathroom and a bustling family. The fact is hot water sizing does make a difference here, not in a one bedroom flat.
The most frequent problem we hear in these homes is that people are running out of hot water; someone is getting a cold shower because they need hot water in the morning but it isn’t there. Sometimes it is a failing system that is being overtaxed by sediment, sometimes it is just that it was not sized to meet the demands of the household or another bathroom was added in the midst of a renovation.
If we evaluate a replacement for a Beaches family home, we appropriately size it for actual usage, bathrooms, household size, peak usage. A continuous flow system (or more than one) usually will work for this, as it does not have to be filled up; a properly sized heat pump or larger storage tank could also be used. On generous Beaches blocks, there will generally be a better choice to make than settling for a compromise, and the idea here is always to fit the system to the house so that the cold showers cease.
Salt, Older Beach Houses and Aged Pipework
The two factors that quietly influence hot water on the Northern Beaches are: salt air and the age of the house.
The salt is constant. At the open Pacific, the entire peninsula is bathed in salty air that attacks the casing, fittings and connections of a hot water system and accelerates the corrosion of the sacrificial anode rod in storage tank systems even more than in the inland areas. Without an anode, the tank will rust from the inside and fail. The anode is subject to degradation more rapidly in Beaches conditions than inland, hence the recommendation to check the anode every three to four years here.
It is compounded by age. Many Beaches houses were built between the 1950s and 1970s, and still have the original galvanised water pipe on the house, which becomes corroded and narrows as a result of the years and blocks hot water flow even if the heater is operating perfectly. If replacing a system in an older beach house, we review the pipework as part of the project, and we will be honest in our opinion whether a part of it is worth replacing or not, so you get the best out of the new system and not wonder why the pressure is not good.
How a Hot Water Call-Out Works
Tell us your suburb, the symptom (no hot water, running out, weak pressure, leak) and your system type, if you know it. We’ll send a plumber out.
We identify the real problem, be it element, thermostat, anode, valve, sizing or old pipework that is limiting flow, and give you a plain explanation.
Standard price quoted prior to work beginning. Where possible, repairs are made on-site; otherwise, we install a system that fits your home and the rebates offered.
We test, clean up and give owners, landlords or property managers a written report and warranty details.
What Northern Beaches Locals Say
“They sized up a Continuous Flow system that works well in our big family home and we have never been without hot water since they installed it. This was excellent advice and no hard sell.”
“Was able to diagnose the problem promptly, explain what the problem was, and provide a reasonable and fixed price, and was honest and knowledgeable.”
“Talked me through how a heat pump works and sorted the rebate, a lot of space in the yard and costs of running the heat pump have gone down. It’s not expensive and definitely worth considering and highly recommended.”
Hot Water Repairs Northern Beaches: FAQ
No Hot Water on the Northern Beaches?
From a family home that has run out to an older beach house with weak hot water pressure, we will diagnose it, size it appropriately, manage rebates, and have your family hot water up and running the same day if possible.
$0 call-out, same-day where possible, Manly to Palm Beach.
