why does water heater always blow up on long weekend?

[zabatron]

Bloody hot water heater blew up on Saturday morning.Why does this always happen at the start of a long weekend when most suppliers are closed and all the plumbers are too ****ed to come out and install a new one?Anyway,can anyone here recommend a good brand/model as well as let me know which ones to steer clear of.Dead hot water heater was 90 litre Rheem..Lasted 17 years so cant really complain...just could have picked a better time to split the tank and nearly flood my back yard.....Looking at replacing it with a 135 litre model either Rheem/Vulcan or Aquamax with stainless steel tank.Any help/opinions/experiences appreciated.Thanks for taking time to read this and everyone have a good Australia Day.

[burnz]

yeah Rheem or Dux, the old dux is still going after 50 yrs.

I'm currently running Apricus solar 5+yrs, dunno if they make their own tanks or outsource.

[staity]

If gas is a viable option for you id recommend buying an instant gas system, they only heat the water you need as you need it so it saves money in the long run (as your not heating 200 litres at a time and you can pick them up under $1000. Some of them even come with a controller so you can set the exact temperature you want, no more fine adjustments on the shower for the perfect temp.

[zilo]

Just buy another Rheem or Dux.

I worked out that it was a case of switching power off at main board then disconnecting/ reconnecting a blue,brown and green wire and unscrewing two 25mm water pipes and reconnecting them.

After removing the old half full of water unit (heavy) of course.

Got quoted 650 bucks to install an 850 dollar unit...what a joke.

Took 30-40 minutes absolute tops.

[karj]

Originally Posted by zilo

Just buy another Rheem or Dux.

I worked out that it was a case of switching power off at main board then disconnecting/ reconnecting a blue,brown and green wire and unscrewing two 25mm water pipes and reconnecting them.

After removing the old half full of water unit (heavy) of course.

Got quoted 650 bucks to install an 850 dollar unit...what a joke.

Took 30-40 minutes absolute tops.

Regardless of how much money it saves, doing your own electrical work is dangerous, dumb and illegal.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by karj

Regardless of how much money it saves, doing your own electrical work is dangerous, dumb and illegal.

BS mate....about as challenging as wiring up a 3 pin plug.

[Geez Louise]

Pretty sure it is illegal to do your own electrical work and it must be done by a licenced electrician. If a fire starts due to the electrics being messed with, don't complain if your insurance company doesn't pay out..anyway, back on topic.

Rheem's are a good system. They last at least 10yrs.

Cheers
Col

[mik]

We have been in the current residence for 16/17 years, last year we replaced a Bosch instant hot water service rated 10 liters per minute which seems ample for 3 shower hogs,
the plumber checked the numbers on the old unit and confirmed it was 25 years old, guess what unit we put back in ?

[danzvtil]

we had a Rheem gas storage unit that was 25 years old. It only lasted that long because my plumber neighbour installed it and made sure the sacrificial annode was replaced every 5 years.Without this, he said most storage units would go for 5-7 yrs tops.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

we had a Rheem gas storage unit that was 25 years old. It only lasted that long because my plumber neighbour installed it and made sure the sacrificial annode was replaced every 5 years.Without this, he said most storage units would go for 5-7 yrs tops.

Yeah. My Rheem recently cracked. It lasted 7 years.

[zabatron]

Stuffed water heater is a natural gas,17 year old 90 litre Rheem which had the anode rod replaced once in its life at about 7 years.Being a gas storage unit,there is one gas connection,and two water connections.No electrical wires to connect at all.Electric heaters pretty basic to wire up,just a matter of screwing on electrical connectors(i know this as last tennants in my investment property did a good job of ripping out all the wiring from the less than 1 year old Rheem electric water heater fitted there.Electrician wanted $180 just to come out.Fixed it myself in under 5 minutes.).
Anyway,been offered a 135 litre gas storage Vulcan(made by Rheem anyway) delivered to my door for $780.Apparently on special at the moment and over $200 cheaper than Rheem equivalent which is basically the same unit.Will also get a price on 135 litre stainless steel Aquamax when supplier finally re-opens in the morning.Can get the aquamax from Masters for $995,but the bastards want $75 to deliver it 1km down the road.Will make decision in the morning.Once again,thanks for all the help.

[MarkAW]

Had my old electric 350L Rheem replaced a few years ago with a Dux - 6 to 1, half dozen the other.
At that time Rheem were made off shore and Dux in Aus and both of them came with either a 5 year or 10 year warranty. Installers claim that the insides are different between the two models (warranties), I have my doubts. In the end we purchased the Dux 10 year model, the cheapest of the 10 year versions. When it needs replacement we will seriously consider solar.

[zabatron]

Managed to get the Aquamax g270ss,135 litre stainless steel storage tank unit delivered to my door for $980.Masters know where to stick their $75 for 1km delivery fee.....Just got to install it now and dispose of old unit.Once again,thanks for the replies.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Pretty sure it is illegal to do your own electrical work and it must be done by a licenced electrician. If a fire starts due to the electrics being messed with, don't complain if your insurance company doesn't pay out..anyway, back on topic.

Rheem's are a good system. They last at least 10yrs.

Cheers
Col

yep illegal, but I wont say anything if you don't.

agree with zilo,, $650 what a rort.

seams like there using a law to jack up the price. $50 p/h should suffice.

[MR REKLAW]

Originally Posted by zilo

BS mate....about as challenging as wiring up a 3 pin plug.

Yeh and you want to see how many of those I've seen co**ed up over the year's,and do you test them once done?if not how many lives,do you like to endanger, with continued ignorance.If some one gets hurt badly,from incorrect
installation,are you going to pay there bills.Some say ignorance is bliss,maybe so until you get served to appear in court,then lets see how far ignorance will serve you.Saving money on install,doesn't always equate to saving lives.So as some one else said,Dumb and Illegal and i stand by those comments.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by Reklaw's XR8Ute

Yeh and you want to see how many of those I've seen co**ed up over the year's,and do you test them once done?if not how many lives,do you like to endanger, with continued ignorance.If some one gets hurt badly,from incorrect
installation,are you going to pay there bills.Some say ignorance is bliss,maybe so until you get served to appear in court,then lets see how far ignorance will serve you.Saving money on install,doesn't always equate to saving lives.So as some one else said,Dumb and Illegal and i stand by those comments.

not to argue but should anyone work on a car except at motor mechanic?
should it be law? just as if not more deadly as electricity..

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by zabatron

Stuffed water heater is a natural gas,17 year old 90 litre Rheem which had the anode rod replaced once in its life at about 7 years.Being a gas storage unit,there is one gas connection,and two water connections.No electrical wires to connect at all.Electric heaters pretty basic to wire up,just a matter of screwing on electrical connectors(i know this as last tennants in my investment property did a good job of ripping out all the wiring from the less than 1 year old Rheem electric water heater fitted there.Electrician wanted $180 just to come out.Fixed it myself in under 5 minutes.).
Anyway,been offered a 135 litre gas storage Vulcan(made by Rheem anyway) delivered to my door for $780.Apparently on special at the moment and over $200 cheaper than Rheem equivalent which is basically the same unit.Will also get a price on 135 litre stainless steel Aquamax when supplier finally re-opens in the morning.Can get the aquamax from Masters for $995,but the bastards want $75 to deliver it 1km down the road.Will make decision in the morning.Once again,thanks for all the help.

Jeebus, all these DIYers are scary. When you are a landlord you cant do that crap, your LL insurance public liability will be kaput, if a life is damaged or worse you will loose everything, think about it. When you pay a plumber or sparkie they give you a certificate of currency which protects you in a legal sense, can be worth it for a few hundred bucks.

[zabatron]

Not as scary as the "Qualified" electrician at a place I worked at about 10 years ago.He had over 30 years experience as an electrician.One day he attempted to replace a faulty contactor and put one of his fingers on something live resulting in sparks flying,him falling off the ladder while screaming in pain,3 process workers(all women) running out of the factory screaming and refusing to come back in,and the whole factory blacked out for over an hour until he worked out how to rectify his little boo boo.I saw him about six months ago and his finger is still black.

[XW WA]

why does it blow up on a long weekend ? cos murphy says plumbers will cost you X 3 and a half

[SB076]

I would avoid Dux, I had a few problems with my system (repairs guys are great they come out and fix, but even under warranty you are still charged) The system is just over 5 years old and now the tank has a leak. Dux basically say that as you are out of warranty bad luck, you need to get a new system. I would expect a system to last a good ten years.

I am not the only one either google Dux reviews and you will see plenty of disappointed customers)

[zabatron]

Aquamax water heater unit finally installed today...so nice to be able to have a hot shower again......Thanks for all the replies.

[Falcman0o7]

Sorry mate but I found the thread title to be quite a laugh lol

[coupedup]

Designed that way! I have wondered if it is worthwhile ever replacing the sacrificial anode. The first Rheem 135 litre unit I had on my house lasted 13 years and the second has lasted 12 so far. They are steel cylinders with ceramic lining. I reckon 12 years is not too bad for what is a cheaper design of water heater, but it is never a good time to have to replace one.

[SB076]

Originally Posted by coupedup

Designed that way! I have wondered if it is worthwhile ever replacing the sacrificial anode. The first Rheem 135 litre unit I had on my house lasted 13 years and the second has lasted 12 so far. They are steel cylinders with ceramic lining. I reckon 12 years is not too bad for what is a cheaper design of water heater, but it is never a good time to have to replace one.

12 years isn't too bad, my Dux only lasted 5 which I think is pathetic, so now I have an Everlast SS tank which is guaranteed for 15 years

[MDS69]

Relating to the title of the thread.
My HWS is a gas storage unit and is around 11 years old. I have considered buying when on special and storing a replacement unit like for like for that inconvenient time that it needs to be replaced.