We often get customers calling up when they don’t have any hot water. The first thing they say is “we’re not sure if we need an electrician or a plumber”.
This is a good question.
The first thing to check is whether there is any water coming out of the hot tap after you turn it on. If there isn’t any water coming out of the tap (and the cold water works fine) then call a plumber.
Next, take a look at your hot water cylinder and see if there is any water leaking from it or from any of the pipes around it. If there is, then you’ve got a leak. Turn the power off to the hot water cylinder and call a plumber.
So if there are no leaks, and the water coming out of the hot tap is cold. Then either your hot water cylinder isn’t working properly, or you’ve used all your hot water for the day!
It’s probably a fault with either the hot water cylinder element (the thing that heats the water up), the hot water cylinder thermostat (the thing that controls the water temperature) or the relay, all of which you need an electrician for!
Check that the switch to the hot water cylinder is turned on. It usually looks like a switch with a wire coming out below the switch and it is usually located next to the hot water cylinder. Ensure it is switched to the on position (down in New Zealand) for the cylinder to work.
If that’s looking OK, then check that the circuit breaker for the hot water cylinder on the switchboard is turned on. When this switch is turned off, then try and turn it back on, then wait for a few hours to see if you have hot water again. If the circuit breaker turns itself off again, then call an electrician. For really old switchboards, check that the fuse wire for the hot water cylinder fuse is in place. If not call an electrician and get them to take a look at the cylinder at the same time.
If your cylinder is gurgling lots or sounds like it’s boiling, the hot water at the tap is way too hot or there is hot water spilling out onto your roof, then turn off the power to the hot water cylinder and call an electrician so they can check the thermostat. Also make sure you keep kids away from the hot taps so they don’t get burns.
Hopefully that answers your question around who to call when you have no hot water!
From the team at Good Electrical.
