Electric Hot Water Systems in Alexandra Hills

The outside-wall tank: still the Redlands workhorse

Drive down any street off Finucane Road or Old Cleveland Road and you’ll spot them — a tall electric cylinder strapped against the brickwork, often the second or third tank that house has owned. They’re simple, inexpensive and quick to swap, which is why they’re still the most common setup on the Bayside. The catch is age. A lot of the tanks we’re called to are 15 years old or more, and at that point the question is less “can it be fixed?” and more “is it worth fixing?” We’ll give you a straight answer either way.

Off-peak power: Tariff 31 and Tariff 33

Plenty of electric tanks in Redland City run on an Energex controlled-load tariff, so the element only switches on during cheaper periods. Tariff 31 heats the tank in a fixed overnight block; Tariff 33 supplies power for longer stretches through the day. Both trim running costs, but only if the tank is big enough — undersize it and a family of five is out of hot water by the second evening shower. Got rooftop solar? A timer can move the heating into the middle of the day instead. We’ll look at your switchboard and your household and recommend the set-up that actually suits.

Storm season faults we fix

When a summer storm rolls in across the Bay, the calls that follow tend to sound alike: no hot water, or a safety switch that won’t stay on. A surge or outage can burn out an element or knock a thermostat out of whack, and a shorted element will often trip the RCD the second it tries to heat. We also see dripping relief valves, tanks that rumble or heat slowly because of sediment, and tempering valves that can’t hold a steady temperature. Common parts live on the van, so most repairs are finished in one visit, from $315.

Living near the water? Check the anode

Down towards Cleveland, Ormiston and Wellington Point, the salty breeze off Moreton Bay is tough on exposed fittings and valve bodies, and we regularly find anodes more worn than the tank’s age would suggest. The anode is the sacrificial rod that corrodes so the cylinder doesn’t. Changing it before it’s gone is a small job that can add years to a tank — leave it and the next warning is usually water pooling at the base. Once a tank is past saving we’ll replace it, usually like-for-like on the day, or quote a fresh installation if you’re renovating or relocating the unit. We supply Thermann, Vulcan and Rheem electric tanks and repair every other make.