by Gary Mays | Aug 25, 2014 | Blog, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, DIY Plumbing, Gold Coast Plumbing, Health Issues, Hot Water Temperature, Insurance, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Legislation, Plumbing Maintenance, Whywait Plumbing
It is normally the routine of a knock on the door by a friendly “salesman” stating they were in your neighbourhood doing some work and that a neighbour had suggested they do the same “free check” on your hot water service.
This unsolicited pitch or a variation of it is a signature of rip-offs who prey on gullible homeowners, especially the elderly. They commonly show a great deal of empathy and concern and are only doing the “free check” of your hot water service as your neighbour had already had theirs repaired and were concerned for you.
In the photo on the left the anode on the left was replaced by Whywait Plumbing with the one on the right with the differences between old and new perfectly illustrated.
Take it from me knocking on your door and cold-calling is not a professional or viable way to market or operate a plumbing business. And yes to work on your hot water service you must be a licensed plumber. In all likelihood the person knocking on your door is not a licensed plumber or a licensed plumbing contractor and in our experience they are ordinary old con artists who have no experience or knowledge in servicing a hot water service.
Yes your sacrificial anode on your hot water service should be checked at least every 5 years. But if it has never been checked and your hot water service is over 7 years old you are wasting your time replacing it as the damage has already been done to your steel storage tank.
by Gary Mays | Jul 20, 2011 | Blog, Leaking Pipes, Plumbers, Plumbing Maintenance
Have you ever thought about what would happen if your washing machine or dishwasher hose broke when you were asleep, at work or on holiday? Imagine putting a hose in your lounge room, turning it on and leaving for work. The water damage would be devastating.
Unfortunately this is a scenario the plumbing technicians at Whywait Plumbing Services confront every week. Almost always it is a hose from the dishwasher or washing machine that has burst or broken. The hoses to our dishwashers and washing machines are on the most neglected but potentially most damaging maintenance items in a home.Refe
Whether we are at home or not the water supply to our homes and businesses is almost always turned on. We all know how much a mess a glass of water dropped on the floor makes so how much water will discharge from a burst hose?
Taps to the dishwasher and washing machine are seldom flow restricted in the same manner as taps on your shower, sink or basin. For this reason a burst hose discharging 20 litres of water a minute will do major damage to a home within 1 hour. Frequently a hose will burst at night due to the increase in pressure originating through the water supply company water mains.
- in 1 hour 1200 litres of water will be discharged
- in 8 hours 9600 litres of water will be discharged
- in 1 day 28800 litres of water will be discharged
- in 1 week 201600 litres of water will be discharged
To reduce the risk and damage of burst hoses there are a few simple precautions that can be taken:
- ensure you have a pressure reduction valve installed at your meter to ensure your incoming water pressure cannot never exceed delivery pressure of 500kpa in compliance with AS3500
- have floodstop valves installed to your washing machine and dishwasher
Whywait Plumbing has service partner annual inspections that ensure your hoses are checked for any sign of deterioration and that pressure reduction valves are correctly calibrated. These annual checks can save you the drama of ruined carpets, ruined wooden floors, ruined furniture, phoning your insurance company, filling out multiple claim forms and so much more.
