Signs your cylinder is on the way out
Cylinders rarely die without warning. Call us if you notice any of these:
- Water pooling in the cupboard or under the cylinder
- The overflow pipe on the outside wall dripping all day
- Hot water running out faster than it used to
- Rusty or discoloured water from the hot tap
- Banging, hissing or popping when the element is on
- A cylinder that's been there 15 years or more
A dripping relief valve or a dead element is often a repair, not a new cylinder. A cylinder that's rusting through or leaking from the tank is done. We'll show you which one you've got.
Apartment and townhouse cylinders
Most CBD and Te Aro apartments have an electric cylinder squeezed into a hallway or laundry cupboard. The new one has to fit the same space, get past the door frame and come up in the lift. We measure first, so the right size and shape turns up on the day.
In apartment buildings we sort access before we arrive. That means booking the goods lift and loading bay with the building manager, and checking whether the water can be isolated at the unit or needs a shutdown on the riser. If the building needs a bigger shutdown, we work through it with the body corporate. Our apartments and body corporates page covers how that works.
A failing cylinder in an apartment is a risk to the unit below as well as yours. We fit a safe tray with a drain line wherever a leak could reach the floor. If water has already come through, our plumbers can find the source and write it up for your insurer. See leak detection.
Older villas and bungalows
Thorndon, Mt Victoria, Aro Valley and Newtown are full of villas still running low-pressure copper cylinders, often with a header tank in the ceiling. They work, but the shower is weak and the tank in the roof is one more thing to leak.
Moving to a mains pressure cylinder gives you a proper shower. Before we quote it, we check the pipework. Old galvanised pipe and tired fittings don't always handle mains pressure, and it's cheaper to find that out before the walls are closed. Your shower mixers may also need changing. Mixers made for low pressure often don't suit mains pressure, so we check those too. If you're planning a bathroom at the same time, see our bathrooms and renovations page and do both in one go.
Heat pump hot water
A heat pump hot water system pulls heat from the outside air to heat the water. It can cut the power used for hot water by more than half compared with a standard element.
It suits townhouses and homes with somewhere outside to put the unit, such as a side yard, deck or carport. It's harder in apartments. You need outdoor space for the unit, the body corporate usually has to approve it, and noise rules apply on balconies. We'll tell you on site whether it's a good fit or not.
Gas continuous flow
Plenty of inner-city homes and older villas run on natural gas. If you've got a gas califont or continuous-flow unit that's failing, we can replace it like for like or move you to a newer model. Gas work is done and certified by our licensed gasfitters. See gasfitting for more.
What happens on the day
- We isolate the water and power and drain the old cylinder.
- We remove the old cylinder from the building.
- We fit the new cylinder with seismic restraints, valves and a tempering valve, so the bathroom gets water at a safe temperature while the tank stays hot enough to control bacteria.
- We reconnect, fill and test everything, and check for leaks.
- We show you the isolation valve and switch, so you know where they are next time.
On electric cylinders, a registered electrician does the electrical connection. We can bring in one of the electricians we work with, or you can use your own.
Pricing
More on hot water from the same team is on garcia.co.nz. Every cylinder job is different once you factor in access, size and pipework. Where we can, we price yours before we start. Where we can't, we give you our rates upfront.
Where we work
We replace cylinders across the CBD, Te Aro, Thorndon, Pipitea, Wadestown, Mt Victoria, Kelburn, Oriental Bay, Aro Valley, Newtown, Karori and Hataitai, and for homeowners across the wider Wellington region, from Porirua to the Hutt Valley and Kāpiti.
Call 04 886 3354 or use the quote form below to book a visit.