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This was the same question that Angele from the Gold Coast pondered five days before Christmas.
The 50 litres Rheem hot water system had been installed in a cupboard in Angele’s apartment back in 2002. What she was about to witness wasn’t because of faulty installations. The system had been working without a problem for 17 years before a burst tank brought an end to this water heater.
The Rheem hot water system faithfully provided Angele and her family hot water for showers, washing and dishwashing before the hot water tank burst.
The unit had worked continuously without a day off for over 6000 days. Not a single weekend sleep-in, rostered day out, sick leave or vacation during that entire 17 years of service.
The thermostat would have activated the heating element more than 120,000 times. The water heater would have worked for more than 38,000 hours.
Installed two years after the Sydney Olympics, it is a far cry from the first water heater, which was invented by a painter named Ben Maughan in London back in 1868. (To know more about the history of Hot water Systems, visit the blog “3 Types Of Hot Water Systems Explained”)
Angele’s Rheem hot water system would have heated over half a million litres of water during its years of service. The volume of water that this hot water system heated over its life could have filled a jumbo jet.
Then, at 3 am on the 20th of December, five days before Christmas, this unappreciated and unnoticed hero of our home relegated itself to recycling after the water heater tank burst.
How do we know that the hot water system burst at 3 am you ask? Angele and her newborn baby were awake for an early morning feed when the hot water system went bang.
What do you do when your hot water system explodes, and it’s not yet business hours to call a local plumber? Great question about water heater explosions! The first thing that Angele did was to turn the water off as soon as she recognized the warning signs. Hot water heater explosion can be extremely dangerous. Hot water heaters explode due to a leaking pressure relief valve, gas leak, increased internal pressure or excess pressure, increase water heater’s water temperature and pressure inside the tank has been building up and many more.
Shutting off the water to the system when there’s water heater explosion is simple. On a 50-litre hot water system we installed, it’s achieved by closing the blue handle on the pressure valve. To remove any possible confusion, the blue handle is marked with the direction to turn it.
The next thing to do is turn off the power to the hot water system. Isolating power is even easier. Just look for the main fuse box and switch off the breaker marked HWS.
Angele then searched the internet for a plumber and found Gold Coast Plumbing Company. It was an easy decision due to the hundreds of customer reviews on Google.
For emergency plumbing like this, we have our customer service representative on standby 24 hours to dispatch a professional plumber to your place.
Angele sent Gold Coast Plumbing Company a message on Friday at 3:05 am. And by 7:20 am, Angele had an appointment for one of our tradespeople to visit her home and provide an upfront price to repair or replace the hot water system that same day.
Thankfully we have been installing hot water systems for a while and knew that the current Rheem 50 litre water heaters are taller and would not fit. Angele’s cupboard would allow only one type of 50-litre hot water system to fit into the available space, a Thermann hot water system. More information is available here – Thermann Hot Water Systems Review.
By 12:07 pm, Angele had a new hot water system with temperature and pressure relief valves and insulation making it compliant with Australian Standards. But the most important is the tempering valve we’ve installed to prevent scalding hot water that can seriously burn you.
You can consider tempering valve as safety mechanisms for your peace of mind. A tempering valve blends hot with cold water to deliver 50º water at the hot tap. Water at a lower temperature takes longer to cause serious injury. Did you know that it takes 3 minutes for hot water to cause third-degree burns at 50º and only 3 seconds at 60º?
With the great end result, Angele now doesn’t need extra precautions and has the peace of mind knowing the tempering valve will make bath time safe for her baby. And on top of that, her new hot water system is backed by Gold Coast Plumbing Company’s Lifetime Workmanship Warranty— a good deal for a good price!
Angeles Exploding Hot Water System Before And After Pics
Angele was kind enough to provide some feedback through a Google review:
Gold Coast Plumbing Company responded to my early 3 am request promptly and got Brent out as soon as he was available. The service was amazing and everything was explained in detail, and my old hot water unit had been replaced and installed within hours of attending. Would highly recommend to everyone.
Thanks for the feedback Angele, it’s how we improve.
And so, if you require a water heater repair or if you’ve got an exploding hot water heater tank or suspected gas leaks or something wrong with your water heater’s temperature, relief valve, leaking pressure valve or too much pressure, and other heating elements, call us!
Regards,
Dane the owner
