Tuesday 16 February 2016

How you can change to instant/continuous flow gas hot water in Adelaide, South Australia

If your looking to convert your old hot water tank to instantaneous gas fired hot water then there's a few things you'll need to have checked out first by a licensed gas plumber in Adelaide, South Australia.
  • Do you currently have gas at the property?
  • Can you get gas to the property?  Will it be natural gas or bottled lpg?
  • Is the gas supply pipe work large enough to provide the right amount of gas to the new hot water system.
  • What is the gas supply pressure going to be to the new location high or low pressure?
  • Will the location of the instantaneous/continuous flow hot water service comply with Australian Standards?
  • Is there access to an external weather proof power point?  Within 1 metre of the new location?
  • Is there excessive water pressure on site and will a pressure limiting device be needed?
  • Is the plumbing firm licensed to install gas hot water service's and will they be performing the electrical for you as well?  Or will you need to engage an electrician separately and at what cost?
Some of these factors are rather minor and can add small amounts to the total such as $200 to the total cost of the job but others such as getting a complete new gas main installed or enlarging section's of the gas pipe work can add thousands of dollars to the whole job, quite the investment.

The location of the gas pipe work on the property can also reflect the cost of the job.  If the pipe work is in the ground there will be extensive digging involved and if the pipe work is in a roof or cavity access can be quite tricky and will often require at least two tradesman to perform the task, once again adding substantial costs to the project.

If you did previously have a gas storage hot water system in place the likely hood of the gas supply now being large enough to supply sufficient gas to your new continuous flow gas hot water system is very slim.  The reason behind this is that gas fired storage hot water tanks are a slow burning furnace which heats a tank of 135L in approx 60 minutes, where is a continuous flow gas hot water system like the name suggests it is often referred to as instant and needs a large amount of power (gas) to deliver this result instantly and allow the hot water service to work to its maximum efficiency.

If you are not considering staying at the property for a long period of time then the investment may not be worth it and instead a newer version of your old system (which most likely could be 3 star rated) could be considered such as a Rheem Stellar 5 star rated hot water service.  The difference in gas consumption between a 3 star rated unit and a new 5 star rated unit is approx 4,000 mega joules annually, so as you can see from this information you will already be financially in front as far as gas consumption annually (per year).

However if you are thinking of investing in the future and seriously considering up grading to instant gas hot water there are many different things to look at and think about.  What brand will you select?  Bosch, Rheem, DUX, Rinnai, Kelvinator, Thermann, Raypak and Quantum.  How many litres per minute do you require?  16 litres or maybe perhaps even 32 litres per minute, these factors will all depend on how many bathrooms you have and the size of the water supply to the new hot water service.  Majority of houses have a small 15mm (half inch 1/2") cold water feed to the existing water service so there is no real gain in putting in a large continuous flow hot water service such as a Bosch 26e as the unit will only produce what it is delivered.

If you would like to talk to a plumber about your gas hot water service requirements why not visit us at http://mayfairplumbing.com.au/services/hot-water/ we would love to hear from you and discuss your next hot water project.  Remember we also work in a close relationship with Certegy Ezy Pay to give you 12 or 24 months interest free on your hot water upgrades in Adelaide, South Australia 5000.
New Installation of a Gas Instant Hot Water Service, replacing an old storage gas hot water system.
The Bosch 17L continuous flow hot water system.  6 star rated energy efficiency.

The Rinnai B16 model of continuous flow hot water services can deliver up to 60 degrees of hot water direct to any tap in the home or office while maintaining a huge 5 star energy rating a true leader in its class.