I Have No Hot Water. Who Should I Call?

Most people living and working in Auckland are used to having access to hot water pretty much all the time, whenever they need it. So, you might not know who to call when no hot water is available in your property (which we hope is a rare event).

As a first move, it’s probably best to not call anyone just yet. After all, you’ll need to inspect your system, so that you can decide whether it is a plumber or an electrician you’ll need to call.

Taking these steps will help narrow down the source of the problem.

Remind Yourself Whether It’s a Gas or An Electric System

A lot of the time in New Zealand, hot water systems are electrically powered. So, if this is the case for your system, check the power supply first. If the circuit breaker or fuse has tripped or blown, you’ll need to have the breaker reset or the fuse replaced. Don’t forget to check, too, whether the main electrical switch for the hot water system is actually turned on.

Another potential reason why you don’t have any hot water, might be that you have an external load management device (pilot wire system or ripple relay), remotely controlled via the electricity network. A storm or another major event might have caused an outage. This means you may need to wait for main power lines to be restored so that hot water can be remotely turned on again.

As for if you have a gas system, you’ll need to call a gas fitter. But before you do that, make sure the gas supply is connected and turned on, and that your gas bottles aren’t empty.

Look Over the Water Heater

Closely inspect your property’s water heater for visible signs of leakage or damage. Depending on whether you have a gas or an electric system, if this inspection does reveal signs of an issue or malfunction, you’ll need to get on the phone to a plumber or an electrician.

Touch The Pipe at The Top of Your Hot Water Cylinder

There are a few other things that can help make it obvious whether you need a plumber, an electrician, or both. The pipe feeling cold, for example, might indicate an issue with the thermostat or element. As electricians aren’t meant to drain the hot water cylinder and plumbers aren’t meant to touch the electrics, you may need both a plumber and an electrician to investigate, diagnose, and fix this problem.

Alternatively, the pipe may feel very hot, but when you turn on the tap, the water might be only lukewarm. This could suggest a faulty tempering valve, for which you will need to call a plumber. As for if no water is coming out of the tap at all, that’s also a plumbing issue.

In such plumbing-related situations, make sure you call our experts in hot water cylinder repairs here at Matthews Plumbing and Gasfitting, on 09 416 4084. We can arrange a visit to your Auckland property to help ensure the problem is swiftly sorted, for the right price.