recommend me a plumber in Dunedin? + gas vs electric hot water debate

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › recommend me a plumber in Dunedin? + gas vs electric hot water debate

Batman

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#142781 24-Mar-2014 15:23

Cheap (reasonable) and reliable please.

Doesn't need to be fast.

Looking at converting to mains pressure hot water ... Maybe gas but not sure ... debate? Two storey house long distance for water to travel. Sick of dribbling shower. Scared of plumber's costs

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#1011863 24-Mar-2014 15:29

Do you have mains gas there?

Batman

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#1011866 24-Mar-2014 15:32

No mains gas. Any gas would be bottled. (Sorry my words left me)

blakamin

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#1011867 24-Mar-2014 15:36

Can you run a gas instant water heater from bottles? Just wondering, because our gas instant hot water is awesome, so that would be my recommendation. :)

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#1011869 24-Mar-2014 15:37

C&S Plumbing (aka Craig the plumber). A1 service and a top bloke.

(027) 768 2492

Do not lead me, for I may not follow. Do not follow me, for I may not lead. Do not walk beside me either; actually just bugger off and stand over there will you.

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#1011870 24-Mar-2014 15:40

Have you had work done with them?

Dangermouse

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#1011872 24-Mar-2014 15:43

Yep, had a gas hot water system installed. Would never go back to a cylinder...

Also good is Yogi of Taieri Plumbing.

Do not lead me, for I may not follow. Do not follow me, for I may not lead. Do not walk beside me either; actually just bugger off and stand over there will you.

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#1011873 24-Mar-2014 15:46

What was the cost for your house?

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#1011876 24-Mar-2014 15:53

There is quite a range of pressures in low pressure hot water systems so you don't always have to go to mains pressure to get a good shower.

Are you gravity-fed from a header tank? If so then you can replace it with a pressure reducing valve. If you already have such a valve then you should be able to get it adjusted to a higher pressure.

Have you identified that too low pressure is the cause of the low shower flow. Other sources can be corrosion/mineral build-up restricting the flow, wrong type of mixer and/or shower head, and badly designed plumbing.

Some of the advantages of remaining remaining low pressure are:

use a lot less hot water than mains pressure.
keep your existing hot water tank and pipes.
reduce the risk of leaks developing in your hot water pipes.

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#1011895 24-Mar-2014 16:11

Thanks. Whatever costs less money! Pressure reduction Valve sounds like a good idea. Will investigate those reasons for the dribble thanks

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#1011946 24-Mar-2014 16:57

Don't bother with gas off bottles - it's very expensive. Mains gas is quite cheap but bottles are 2 or 3 times the price per kW.

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#1011958 24-Mar-2014 17:08

thanks ... somewhere to start looking :D

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#1011968 24-Mar-2014 17:35

Handle9: Don't bother with gas off bottles - it's very expensive. Mains gas is quite cheap but bottles are 2 or 3 times the price per kW.

The OP's in Dunedin (going by the title of this thread) and, given the SI doesn't have reticulated, bottled would be his only option re gas.

In terms of electric cylinders, how are the heat pump models regarded these days? They surely must be cheap to run? (And I assume can be used for mains pressure?) I had been tempted a few years back but the purchase price was high. I recall seeing in Consumer a unit that heated the water but made use of the existing cylinder for storage, but I assume this would be of no benefit to the OP, given the comments re pressure problems.

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#1011976 24-Mar-2014 17:59

Heat pump hot water?! Something I never knew existed!

jonathan18

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#1011980 24-Mar-2014 18:04

joker97: Heat pump hot water?! Something I never knew existed!

Yep - the brand we looked at was Rheem - see http://www.rheem.co.nz/heat-pump-water-heaters/

The Consumer test and article's now five years old, but may provide some useful background; it appears to be publicly available now too: http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/heat-pump-water-heaters.

I'd be interested if anyone has used/installed these, esp. if the "real-world" power usage has been as good as the COP of the units indicate.

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#1011997 24-Mar-2014 18:23

Hot water heat pumps are 2 - 3 times the price of electric hot water cylinders. The payback doesn't make sense, particularly once you take into account the lifespan of the appliance not being as good.

Electric cylinders are relatively cheap, last forever and cheap to repair (thermostats and elements are readily available).

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