Hot Water System Repairs
For a comfortable life a modern person needs all the blessings of civilization: electricity, hot water, sewerage, and so on. But, unfortunately, all systems tend to fail. The water supply system is no exception. Quality repair of water supply systems is the thing that can really make life a lot easier for everyone, because the sudden failure and the constant breakdowns will not add optimism, but rather create a bunch of problems, a lot of trouble and a lot of inconvenience.
However, the reasons for these massive failures are always different and not always subject to any calculations. They can be as long-term use of water pipes or the improper use of outdated plumbing, and uncontrollable pressure drops in different parts of the pipes of a complex structure.
Repairs of the hot water system are complicated by fairly obvious factors – the high temperature of the contents of all circuits. This must be taken into account both when locating accidents and when selecting materials to be used to repair problems. To solve the problem you do not need to figure out how to become a plumber, it is enough to use the services of plumber melbourne.
Types of water system repairs
The repair of the water supply system on the scale comes in major and local. Conclusions about the breakage or other malfunction can be made when a specially trained person (master) will carry out a comprehensive diagnosis of the pipeline. The repair work itself is divided into the following types:
- replacement of all heaters (it can be classified as a major repair);
- installation of new heaters (it partly refers to overhaul, but is more pronounced local works);
- changing the scheme of water supply and re-laying of pipelines (applies equally to local and capital repairs depending on the scale of the work).
Basics of hot water service repairs
The hassles directly related to major repairs (such as installation of equipment and careful preparation of the work site) entail acquiring materials that do not have to be expensive and at the same time need to be suitable for the consumer in terms of their quality characteristics. Stainless steel, brass or plastic is a choice worth thinking about. After selecting the material, you need to take care of the details (couplings and fasteners to them) and tools that may be needed for emergency hot water repairs.
Peculiarities of the organization of the hot water supply
The hot water supply of the object may be organized according to two schemes.
- At the centralized water supply heating is performed outside the premises. In this case, the heated liquid is delivered by pipe, so during the repair we have to troubleshoot pipelines or valves.
- Individual water supply involves the use of various heating devices – flow or storage. When the heater fails, repair can be very labor-intensive because of the complexity of the design.
In addition to emergency work, carried out when the system fails, it is also advisable for routine repairs. It is performed during a short-term water shutdown to fix minor defects that could eventually cause a serious accident.
Stages of repair of equipment for hot water supply
The technology of repair of the engineering network depends on the nature of the malfunction. If we are talking about planned works, they are performed according to the following scheme.
- Inspection and testing of the main nodes of the network – water heaters, pipelines, risers, shut-off valves, control systems, metering equipment.
- Diagnostics of pipelines and their connections to detect problems with tightness.
- Elimination of detected leaks of hot water – installation of gaskets, replacement of fragments of pipelines, shut-off / control valves.
- Cleaning of filters.
- Checking network tightness.
In case of an accident, the main task of the masters is to find the source of the leak or the reason for the decrease in the head. All operations related to hot water repairs are performed after the hot water supply is turned off to avoid injury.
Common malfunctions and breakdowns of systems:
- water heater failure due to a safety valve not working, or no safety valve at all, due to exceeding the maximum design pressure for the unit;
- difference in temperature conditions at the outlet of the heating network;
- rusting of water heating appliances, drying devices and the pipeline itself;
- losses of heat transfer associated with the formation of scale, deposition of various oxides and salts of metals inside the heating devices, fixtures and pipes.
The hot water system is taken into operation in full likeness to the cold water system. Namely, the first stage is to inspect the unit, check the availability of all necessary parts, components and devices. In the second stage, the system is tested with a hydraulic pressure greater than the nominal from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa. The pressure drop should not be more than 0.05 MPa in 10 minutes.