There are many reasons for getting regular servicing and checks on your hot water system, but the main one is safety.
From time to time we hear of stories of dangerous situations arising from a blown up, burst or on fire hot water system.
Burnt out hot water system leads to Deakin evacuation
One example reported on 26th February, 2015 in The Canberra Times was titled “Burnt out hot water system leads to Deakin evacuation”.
As the emergency unfolded, a two storey building on Campion Street in Deakin became filled with smoke forcing the complete evacuation of all the workers in the building. As reported in The Canberra Times, the fire fighters who arrived on site to attend to the emergency on Tuesday morning said “a burnt out hot water system on the ground floor was responsible”. – View the source here
Fortunately, there were no casualties as a result, however significant damage occurred to both the premises and the business operation for that day. This fire serves as a timely reminder of the importance of having your hot water system checked every few years and in the case of a commercial premises, even more frequently.
The need for a regular hot water system service
Electric hot water systems need to be serviced regularly in order to avoid any unnecessary dangerous occurrence from eventuating. This should be performed by a fully accredited and reputable specialist hot water company – one that has the backing of the major hot water manufacturers. Such a specialist company will also have had its staff fully trained at regular intervals by those same manufacturers.
An example of a hot water specialist company is Anytime Hot Water, who have the full backing of companies such as Rheem and Dux, just to mention two. In fact, Anytime Hot Water have won the Rheem Award for the last two years running, scooping the prestigious award in both 2013 and 2014. They were also first in the Dux Solar Institute, built several years ago. With such important backing and training from the main manufacturers, they are up to date with all the important issues that can occur and all the parts that need checking.
Of course, the worst case scenario’s are a burnt water heater or hot water isolation switch causing a fire in a premises, such as what happened in Canberra on 26th February, 2015 (mentioned above), or a burst water heater or pipe connection causing a flood to the premises. A result of a fire can be deadly or at the very minimum, dangerous and damaging to a property. A flood within a property can lead to costly repairs, loss of important household items and significant inconvenience to ones daily schedule.
A hot water specialist company should therefore be called out at regular intervals to check such things as the electrical connections at the hot water heater, the electrical heating parts and wiring within the water heater, and the isolation switch at the switchboard. Other checks that would be made are the testing of valves connected to the system, including non return isolation valve, pressure limiting valve, tempering valve and pressure relief valve. Additionally, checks can be made to water pressure and pipe connections.
Not only will these regular checks satisfy the safety concerns, but also prolong the life of the hot water tank as well as all the hot water taps throughout the property. With the right servicing, it is certainly possible to get a few extra years out of the tank, saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
The need for regular servicing of gas hot water systems
The above information relating to electric water heaters is relevant in most cases to gas systems as well. However, further safety concerns that apply to gas hot water systems are, of course, relate to gas itself. Worst case scenarios involve an explosion resulting from a gas leak of some sort.
Explosions can have either deadly consequences or, at the very least, damaging results. No-one wants that to happen, so again one needs to ensure that regular servicing of their gas unit is organised. The serviceman needs to be a licensed gas fitter, so that he has the necessary backing required.
Additionally, a hot water specialist company is best employed to do the servicing because of their familiarity of and training on all the different brands and types of gas units around.
In conclusion, it is absolutely crucial that both householders and owners of commercial premises get regular servicing and checks carried out for their hot water systems. By so doing, this will help maintain the water heater and also minimise any costly accidents from occurring. It may even save a person’s life.
